Ryan991.1

991.1 C2S with 45k. Purchased it with 41K last month from a private seller. Private seller purchased it from CARMAX with the MaxCare warranty which was successfully transferred to me.

A couple of days ago I began to hear a ticking which sounds like all of the sticky/failed lifter videos out there. Interestingly, I heard this a couple if times in my previous 981 after not driving the car for a couple of days. In the case of the 981 every time i heard it, the noise would go away after the engine got up to temperature. Unlike then, the noise from my 991.1 is not going away. It is there, hot or cold, PSE on/off, sport mode on/off. This is why this is concerning.

The previous owner last changed the oil at 40k. I’m going to change the oil and filter today and see if the sound persists. If it continues, I’m going to take it to the dealership. I’ll provide an update after the oil change. In the interim, any thoughts?

SpeedZ

Sounds pretty normal, I always hear the ticking noise in my 991.1 and I'm not worried about it. It is a mechanical engine at the end of the day!

V999

Tough to diagnose online. I have some ticking, now and then, in my two month old 991.2 GTS. Based on everything I've read here, it seems normal, but I'll ask the service folks to give it a listen next time it's in the shop. In my case, it's more of a tapping, and it only ever occurs after running pretty hot for awhile.

Some potentially related threads:

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/1088...e-ticking.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9864...old-start.html

Ryan991.1

Didn’t get a chance to change the oil today, but i did take it to the dealership. Porsche tech confirmed that in his opinion, it’s a failed or stuck lifter. He recommended an oil change first, to attempt to shake the lifter loose. I’ll provide an update once i change the oil. I’ll try to provide some sound clips too.

MaynardZed

Stuck or failed lifter? Is it missing? If it is, should have bad compression in that cylinder and sound a lot worse than you initially described. If its under warranty I guess don't worry about it. Sounds a little odd though.

K-A

I've had this freakout before. Ticking is very normal in these flat sixes. I'd imagine more so with N/A cars where everything sounds unfiltered and extra mechanical.

But it appears yours is doing it to a different degree if the tech is also stating it's a stuck lifter.

fastforddriver

Fuel injectors can be pretty noisy at idle as well. Hopefully that's all it is.

flatsick

injectors.

Ryan991.1

Update: dealership diagnosed the issues as a faulty lifter and replaced all intake lifters. Charged the warranty company 7K for the job. My deductible was $300. Conclusion: No change to the sound. Yes, that’s right, the ticking sound persists. While they had the engine out, I asked them to borescope the cylinders as i was concerned that the lifters werent the the culprit. When I picked up the vehicke after being told the noise was “gone,” the accompanying service paperwork said: “borescope completed of all cylinders. “Normal amount of scoring.” I asked them for the images. Finally, after two weeks, they sent me the images along with the accompanying narrative: “The cylinders are well within the tolerances of Porsche standards at this mileage. This is not abnormal or excessive.” The scoring images are attached below. Thoughts? Is this truly within tolerances? I’ll be going to PCNA with these.

Since the lifter replacement didn’t fix the sound, the dealership is sending a sound clip to PCNA for their input.

LexVan

^ask Jake Raby and Charles Navarro to review your pictures.

Flat6 Innovations

Ryan reported this to me last night.
Classic misdiagnosis, and a classic waste of time, effort, and money.

There's no such thing as "a normal amount of bore scoring". That would be "streaking" which are wide marks in the cylinder that are only visible, and happen early in an engine's life, during break in, and just after.

This one will be a classic to see unfold. Nothing we can do, since I refuse to work with warranty companies.

vodkag

normal.....these engines are LOUD (esp when cold...aka oil temp under 180F)

Noah Fect

So you'd classify those photos as scoring, rather than streaking, as I understand it?

CSK 911 C4S

WOW they did 7K worth of work for a normal flat 6 tick.

The tick sound is a bit exaggerated when the car is in a garage or under a car port but these things have been ticking for quite some time.

Mike Murphy

The thing about a tick is this: something is hitting something. Engines are mostly metal. So it’s often metal on metal. How can that ever be normal?

Air-cooled cars can tick, but even those were due to improper valve lash settings.

OP: I would try to get the engine replaced.