It's a sad, sad day...

Saturday afternoon, I jump into the Cayman S, fire 'er up and...what's that? Tic, tic, tic...incessant ticking that won't stop. Valve, lifter, what the *@#&? Shut her down and fired 'er up again. The same tic, tic, tic accompained by a strange exhaust odor. What a bummer! Called the dealer this morning. They said it was at my discretion as to whether I drive her in (10 miles, ticking the whole way), or call Porsche Roadside Assistance. I didn't have to think about that for long. The rollback was there in 45 minutes. Waiting to hear from the dealer. Will keep everyone posted. I just spent 12 hours on Friday giving her the complete Zaino treatment . It's really depressing...

Cy- It's every enthusiast's nightmare, especially when you did nothing to provoke it .Let's hope it's nothing serious, and if it is , at least warranty will make it better than new. I know your disappointment, your hand wringing, while you should be driving. Hang in there, a lot of members share your angst. Don

I'm assuming you saw my engine lifter thread right? Covered under warranty.

CY - sorry to hear about your problem. Its a pain being without a car and as you mentioned you just invested time in making it nice and shiny - lets hope its back soon !!!! Please keep us updated.

Hope it gets fixed quick. These things sure make one think about owning it when it is out of warranty.

Ken, Yes, I not only saw it as you were experiencing your problem, I believe I memorized it over the weekend, thanks. My problem appears to be similar. She has approx. 3,000 miles on her and has not given me any problem up until now. She's just nicely broken-in. I hope to hear from the dealer this afternoon or tomorrow. They were slammed with work this morning. I will keep everyone posted. Cy

We all feel your pain and hoping for a fast recovery… [/quote]Please keep us posted.[/quote] zornet/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/wall.gif[/quote] Edited by - zornet on 05/08/2006 11:06:34 AM

To all, Just heard from the dealer. Get ready for this...no noise. That's right, the dealer started the car and there was no tic, tic, tic...noise. Each time I started her over the weekend and this morning, she made the tic, tic, tic... valve or lifter noise. Even this morning's rollback operator thought the noise was very bad. Every time she had been sitting for approx. 24 hours. I requested the dealer let her sit overnight and try her again in the morning. If it does not make the noise for them, then I guess I'll be dealing with an intermitent problem. I am also requesting they listen to the block with an amplification device for any faint, abnormal noise. Looks like my emotions will be moving from depresion to outright frustration./fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/sad_smile.gif I never thought I would say this but I really hope she makes the noise in the morning so they know what to fix. More to come... Cy

I think that I would go to the dealer to so thatyou and the Service Managercan hear the same engine at the same time. Edited by - mpollard on 05/08/2006 12:34:20 PM

I hope it is something simple &easy to fixlike an ignition coiI. Ihad similar nightmares with my BMW. It makes me wonder how reliable these cars really are. For exmaple, the BMW is supposed to have a Km25,000 service interval. In reality, it ended up back at the dealer once every Km5-10,000 to repair one problem or the other. It goes to show that buying non-Japanese comes at a price.

I concur, you need to be there to hear for yourself whatever your dealer is hearing, good or bad.

To all, Thanks for your support and good advice. As mpollard suggested, I called the dealer and they are now expecting me at 7:30 AM tomorrow for her first start of the day. More to come... Cy

To all, Went to the dealer first thing this morning. Started her up and...no valve or lifter noise. No abnormal noises at all. Weird at best. She sounds and runs great. The dealer says they ran every possible test, checked all of the fliuds and found no failures or abnormalities. There was plenty of conjecture among the dealer shop staff as to what may have caused the tic,tic,tic that varied with the engine speed, but of course, no clear proof of what happened. The bottom line is they told me to drive it and return to them if I experienced any problems. So, off I go. The people at the dealer were great. They seemed very concerned about the noise I heard. It's still frustrating and unsettling that the cause remains unknown, and it could reappear at any time. Thanks again to all for your support and advice. I can only hope I never have cause to post under the 'Cayman Complaint ' section of the Forum again. Cy

Hopefully that is good news. Anyone know if lifters can 'unstick' after sticking? And then function normally?

Intermittant, sticking hydraulic lifters have been around since hydraulic lifters. That's what made Bardahl succesful!! In the old days, you could run the throttle up a little and pour some ATF down the carb throat and clear that right up. That's all different these days. You can't find the engine, don't have a carb, and the lifters are alien technology. It's apparent why they stick. What isn't apparent, is why they even work!!! But when they work, they woorrrkkkkk!!!!!

Yes, they can 'unstick' and still function normally. The new water-cooled motors that began with the 98 Boxster and is now throughout the Porsche line except in the Turbo, GT2 and GT3, all have oil-pressure fed lifters, and sometimes after sitting for 24 hours or more can take a little while to 'inflate' (so to speak). This happened now and again with my 1999 996, and I've heard it once with my Cayman. It usually goes away in a few minutes, but if it persists after the car has warmed up, especially from the same side, it is a cause for concern and should be taken to the dealer to be checked out, as in K-Man S's case. brad

I bet the sticking lifter issue will be a real issue, if the car sits for long periods of time, as some Porsches are required to do. The owner's manual recommends driving the Caymn 15 miles per day.