Hi guys,

I have noticed something rather alarming and strange with my GT4.

I just started the car today (I last drove it on Wednesday) and when cold it sounded really bad. I recorded the sound when cold and then when warm. When warm, it sounds very different and healthy. When cold, it sounds like a tractor and not healthy to me.

Please tell me what you think, the files are uploaded on youtube, here:


This is the second time I am noticing this and the GT4 is a car I only drive on weekends.

Thanks in advance!

 

I have the exact same thing when I cold start. It worried me enough to make a vid of it, but I've been too lazy to do anything with the vid. I was going to ask my service person next time I was in.

 

Are you talking about the tick-tick-tick?

Let me start off by stating this is a mechanical thing, and mechanical things make noise. While the 3.8 is not a race engine it is somewhat more performance oriented than a pedestrian engine like found in say the Cayenne. A pedestrian engine is much more capable of extreme silence with the use of sound deadening and significantly heavier components etc that contribute to quiet sewing machine like service. Our extreme service 3.8's do not necessarily have the need to be quiet, and they are not nearly as engineered to be so.

With that in mind most of what I hear are common noises that could be noted until the expansion of the internals are complete ~ where the tolerances are then tightened. Any lash remaining is not enough to actually make an audible noise when at operating temperatures.

So feel free to alert Porsche of the sounds but do not fear this minor nuisance quite yet.

Lastly, I know its only to pick up the sound ~ but please only video horizontally. Vertical videos are mind numbing!

 

Thanks for your input.

FYI, I did not worry about the image but just the sound when recording. I have a passion for photography strong enough to know not to do that, when recording an actual video where image matters!

One more thing I would like to point: engine has no over revs, I got it CPO with 2500 miles (approx) and it now has a bit more than 5000 miles. I never noticed this until recently.

 

Dumb question.. Have your changed the oil since you owned the car? My GT4 does not tick as loud when cold and it has Dundon race headers...

 

I have not yet and maybe I just should!

Oil change is due in July, maybe I should do it now!

 

Would be interesting if it goes away after the oil change..

 

I would not follow the 10k/yearly oil change recommendation. I would do 5k intervals, particularly if the car has been driven spiritedly.

If tracked, I do a change after every 3 track days.

It may also be a good time to save a bit of the oil and send it for analysis.

 

Regardless of the mileage, you should have change the oil at the 1 year interval. Why didn't you change the oil at the 1 year service?
This car is l o n g overdue. I'd bet this oil has a ton of fuel dilution, moisture build-up, and classic Mobil 0W40 shear. You live in CA, run Mobil 5W50 or another quality Porsche A40 approved 5W40.

 

What I have noticed on mine is that after cold start it will rev higher with valves open for some period of time - maybe 30 seconds or so (sounds sort of angry - really good sound!). I was expecting that noise before watching the video, but I agree it sounds different and potentially a bit concerning. Post again after the oil change and let us know what happens.

 

 

Awesome... Then you will luv this:

 

 

 

The noise you hear is the increase in valve lash. The lash is taken up by hydraulic adjusters that have check valves. They can drain down when the car sits for a few days. I had the same thing on my first GT4 actually much louder and a more defined clicking, Like yours it also went away after the engine warmed up. I also had two 981S's and one of them did the same thing and one didn't. My current GT4 doesn't do it even after sitting for a week. I actually went to my dealer and started 7 different 911s and 981s sitting on their lot cold and about half were clackly cold. Seems to be the luck of the draw . My advice is to just live with it,it wont hurt anything . carl