rexpontius

Yesterday evening I was finalizing the alarm install and I started the engine.

When starting I immediately noticed a pretty noticable ticking sound coming from the passengers side head.

Sounded exactly like hydro-valves without enough oil. So I decided to let the engine idle for a couple of minutes, but the noise would not go away.

This was really the first time I heard such kind of noises from the engine, before it always sounded perfect, warm or cold.

Decided to take the car around the block and when returning the noise was gone.
I left the car to sit outside in the cold driveway (4degrees C) and started this morning: no more noise.

Do I need to start worring or is is 'normal' for the hydro-valves to slowly leak oil when leaving the car sitting for a couple of days?

Mike Frye

Hey Rex,

How many miles/kilometers on your car?

My car sounded like that when I first got it (203k miles). I'd suggest running some Rislone or something else through there that will clean out the gunk from your engine. It may have had some oil in there too long or maybe it was low quality oil or something at some point but it's probably just clogging things up in there.

I added some Rislone to the oil and ran it for a while then switched and went to a nice high quality synthetic and haven't had a problem since then. I've also heard that Marvel Mystery Oil would do the same thing.

Since it did clear itself up eventually when the oil warmed up it shouldn't be a problem once you clean everything out in there.

Good luck.

Oh, one more thing: The oil does not warm up from just idling. It also doesn't warm up completely from just short runs at low RPMs around town. The 928 engine has a LOT of oil in it and it takes quite a while to warm it up completely. If you don't warm it up completely (my rule is to drive it until the oil pressure gauge drops to 3 bar at idle, not just when the water temp is up to normal range) then you're not doing your engine any good and you might be gunking things up in there because the oil is circulating but isn't the right viscosity to do it's job.

auzivision

Sounds normal to me so long as it goes away after you drive it a little. After long periods of rest, my car can take upwards of several miles and 10 minutes for the ticking to go away. Under normal use, it doesn't tick... just after several weeks of no use.

Cosmo Kramer

Mine ticked occasionally with generic 20w50 oil when cold, switched to synthetic and it never ticked again.

I have generic 5w50 synthetic in there now, going to switch to Mobil1 15w50 on the next change.

toofast928

Try Brad Penn oil. http://www.bradpennracing.com/

smith 928

Put in some sea foam that will clean it out and the ticking will stop..

rexpontius

Thanks for all your input!

Fortunately the ticking stopped and has not returned.

I am due for a new oilpan gasket, so will change oil off course.

If ticking returns, I will try the cleaner additives.

Thanks!

Jim M.

It's not normal for it to tick, but as others have said if there is some gunk/debris in the oil it will sometimes keep the check valve from closing all the way allowing the oil to drain out of the lifters. My GTS did it with only 50K miles or so. Used Marvel Mystery oil one time and it has never come back (now have 104K on it). Marvel Mystery oil is VERY high detergent oil and will clean the entire oil system out. I used it about 1-200 miles before a oil change. There are other equally good products out there if MMO is not available in your area. Amsoil makes one, Rislone is also good.

Mike is correct about warming up your oil. I have an oil temp gauge on mine and it takes a good 10 miles or more of freeway driving to even see the temp gauge move up to 100 Deg. F.