Neil Perry

Regarding 1997 993 Carrera tappet noise

Engine oil- Mobil 1, 0W- 40 ( oil 400 klms since last change)
Car has travelled- 40,000Klms or 24,000miles, from new
Car temperature gauge sitting just above half.
Climate- Sydney, Australia 17-35 degrees Celsius, similar to Los Angeles CA.


I have noticed that when I first run my engine there is no tappet noise, but once I have been driving the car for a period of time and the engine has warmed to normal opperating temperature, I can hear tappet noise.

Could the viscosity of the oil I am using be too thin and should move to a thicker oil?

Has anyone else experience this problem?

or I am looking in the wrong direction for the tappet noise?

Thanks

Arena993

People on here use all types of oils and weights. All I can possibly add to your question is the recommendation for oil is Mobil 1 15-50 as per the manufacturer. Is the 0-40 causing the tappet noise, someone with way more mechanical knowledge will have to chime in. Changing to the recommended 15-50 would be where I would start.

Mike

chris walrod

993's with 0w40 oil have been known to have tappet noise after idling for a few minutes. I personally would stick with 15w50.

Neil Perry

Hi,
I might add that a Porsche dealer put the Mobil 1, 0W-40 in my car.
I would expect that it would be right,
or the Porsche dealer only does later model cars now and only has Mobil 1, 0W15 in stock,
and does not carry 15W-40 for the later model cars or 993's.

Interesting...............

Thanks

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Chris is correct; the 0w-40 is too light (when cold) for the air-cooled engines and this results in noisy lifters at startup as well as accelerated thrust bearing wear when started from cold, especially after sitting for awhile.

Porsche A.G., in their infinite "wisdom", recommends this 0w-40 for the air-cooled as well as the water-cooled cars and I'd wholeheartedly disagree. I think they do this to reduce inventory requirements for their dealer network, but its not in the best interest of the owners of these older cars.

I'd be using a 15w-40 or 15w-50, except in very cold weather where a 10w-40 may be a better choice (provided it contains the minimal amount of ZDDP).

earossi

I agree completely with Steve Weiner. Running 0W40 would be indicated for cold climates, not in an area similar to Los Angeles. Also, the 993 Owners Manual does not recommend 0W40 for any temperature. So, change the oil to a higher viscosity. Incidentally, 10W40 appears to be an appropriate choice for your climate. And, the manual also recommends 15W40 and 15W50 for ambient temps above 50 degrees F. Im not certain about dealership practices in Australia, but if a dealer does not stock the oil you want to run, you should be able to supply it to him when you have the dealership service the car.

Dudley

I changed over to Brad Penn 20-50. The car seem to run much more quietly.
It is a lot cheaper than Mobil 1 and it smells like "real" oil. I like it a lot.
(Also recommended by Steve W.)

matt777

At start-up (ambient temps) there is a surprising difference in viscosity between 40W and 50W oils. This likely explains the noisy lifters (although I would have thought that either oil should keep the engine quiet at 17C). At operating temperatures the viscosities are much closer.

ps the 0W40 is suitable for Canadian winters and starts at up to -40C/F! I don't know anybody that drives their Porsche in the winter anyway.

Neil Perry

Regarding 1997 993 Carrera tappet noise

Engine oil- Mobil 1, 0W- 40 ( oil 400 klms since last change)
Car has travelled- 40,000Klms or 24,000miles, from new
Car temperature gauge sitting just above half.
Climate- Sydney, Australia 17-35 degrees Celsius, similar to Los Angeles CA.


I have noticed that when I first run my engine there is no tappet noise, but once I have been driving the car for a period of time and the engine has warmed to normal opperating temperature, I can hear tappet noise.

Just to clarify- the tappet noise appears once the car has come up to temperature, no noise at start-up.

Thanks,
Neil

race911

Speak for yourself! Coldest I've had to start mine in would have been last week, and that was probably "only" around 20F. 15-50, and it fired right up and idled just fine while I removed snow.

To spam the list with again with that picture: