i have a 99 c2 with 87k on the clock. after sitting overnight or a few days upon cold start the engine makes a ticking or knocking sound for about 10-15 seconds. then it seems that something pumps up and it gets softer until its gone.then it dose not happen again all day no matter how many times i start it.only after a cold soak. funny thing is the duration and number of ticks is not consistant. sometimes shorter but never longer. car runs great, no leaks at all no codes. fresh mobil 1 0-40 new plugs, all fiters replaced. oil pressure goes right up to 4.5 on the gauge so i believe pressure is there on start up. any ideas or input would be very helpful. thank you.

 

welcome tp RL... Pics?

 

as of now i do not have the tools to post pics,but will work on that soon.

 

Try a different gas station...are you loading it with 93?

 

I have exactly the same thing. I would like to find out a reason for it. Seems like the all the oil has drained down and it takes a couple of seconds for oil pressure to rise.

When the car has been sitting for a long time the noise is really disturbing.

Fuel has no effect on this.

 

are you guys sure its not your air pump? Mine sounds like a bunch of ticks that quickly accelerates into an electric saw type sound. Def louder if the car has been sitting.

 

Put a better oil than Mobil 0W40 in the crankcase. Move to a 5W50 Syntec or mobil EXTENDED PERFORMANCE 15W50.

 

+1
The ticking is caused by the hydrolic valve lifters not being pumped up. As the engines get older the oil returns to the bottom of the engine and the lifters loose pressure from sitting. Once the engine oil pressure comes up, the "tick" goes away. The reason it takes a few minutes is that there is more "slop" in the parts then when it was new, and the pressure takes longer to build up. That and the lifters are at the end of the oil pressure "chain" when the pump is getting oil everywhere else before the lifters can come up .... is crank bearings, which since they are older and more "loose" require more oil before they are pressurized and the oil can go to the next thing and pressurize it.. and so on... lifter are one of the last things to get pressure when everything else is loose from age.

A good oil and frequent oil changes will help, but the parts are worn and will not get better w/o a super expensive fix (asked my indy shop - ouch!)

SO - live with it, keep the oil clean and fresh, drive it more often AND DO NOT REV the motor while it is ticking... wait till the ticking stops before driving. IF it gets to the point it always ticks, have it looked at, otherwise just enjoy every minute you can!
E

 

How about keeping the oil level close to maximum, would that be a good idea? Now I have kept the level in the middle.

My car has only 45 tmiles on it. The ticking just recently occurred.

 

dont go down the "oil question" road... that is a can of worms BUT yes I think on mine with 106k on a 3.4 mill I normally have only one light on top not lit, so full but NOT TOO FULL

Use good oils, search out you favorite (I use Shell Helix Ultra)

Change it often

Drive the car frequently

Remember, its mechanical, it will die, enjoy it while it is running and take the best care of it you can. Use it, dont abuse it, drive firmly and with purpose - let it warm up, and drive a little hard every so often.

My 0.02

 

I would only use a Porsche recommended oil... oil wars on RL are worse than the Middle East, but it's my hypothesis that using a thicker oil will actually harm your engine on cold starts more than a thinner oil (cold). It will take longer to work it's way up to the valves...

Use whatever oil you want, but use one on the recommended list.