Hydraulic tappet ticking ???

[BoxsterLL11]

Over the past few years, my 981 S has had very little use due to me having back & hip problems, so the car has often sat in my garage for months at a time without being driven.
When starting the engine after being idle for a few months, I can hear a ticking noise from the engine, which I am assuming to be a hydraulic tappet that has drained of oil whilst sat for a while.
If I leave then engine ticking over on my drive, the noise persists.
But if I take the car for a short drive around the block, with the engine oil temperature and pressure increased, when I get back to my drive the noise has gone and the engine sounds as sweet as a nut.
Having just serviced the car about a month ago, so its now got a dose of new engine oil, I attended a Boxster register meet a few weeks ago which was only a few miles away.
Put the car back in the garage, started it up about 2 weeks later and the ticking noise was noticeable again but disappeared after a short drive.
So it seems as if this noise is now noticeable even after a short layup but goes away the same after a very short drive.

Hoping that someone might be able to answer them, my questions are ............

1. Is my diagnosis correct about it being a hydraulic tappet draining of oil
2. If so, is this a known common problem
3. If so, is it something not to be too concerned about
4. Or is it something that needs to be sorted
5. And the dreaded question/answer, if its something that does need sorting, knowing where the heads of the engine are, I presume its an engine out job to investigate & fix.

I have just done a quick internet search for such a noise and a few owners have suggested theirs was a leaf stuck in air intake.
I know that is not the case for mine as having just serviced the car I have had the air filters out and checked the intake ducts.
And the fact that my noise goes after a short drive but returns when starting up and a time of not being started, it can't be a stuck leaf !!!
Other forums stating the same noise from the drivers side, same as mine, is the fuel injectors/fuel system and resonance in the fuel pipework to the injectors.
Sounds very plausible but again my noise goes after a short drive only to reappear at the next start up, but then goes again.
I have found quite a few posts on various forums on this topic and the general concensus seems to be that its "normal" and probably an injector/fuel system related noise.
But would still like any feedback from members on here that may have had or have experienced this with their own 981's.

Thanks.

 

[ScottishSpyder]

You describe my experience every spring for the past 11 years after my 2.9 987.2 has been on SORN. Short drive and all is well. Virtually the same engine.

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

A light tap is not uncommon on cars that don't get regular excercise it usually goes away after a short drive.
A light tick all the time is normal injector noise.
Maybe a bit regular usage might see off the the tap on start again nothing to worry about with the right grade of oil.

 

[BoxsterLL11]

I always use Mobil Super 3000 X1 5w-40 engine oil.

And by this time next week I will hopefully have had my right hip replacement surgery done (left hip was 9 months ago) so there will be another 6 weeks of the car not venturing outside of the garage.
After that, once my mobility is again hopefully back to some form of normality, then I do hope to get back to using the car more regularly.
Its not driving it that's the issue but as its parked beside my MG B GT in the double garage, its getting in and out of it when the door doesn't open fully and hitting the BGT wing.
Get in and out through the reduced door opening is very painful with a knackered hip.

I only started this post as the "ticking" seemed to be getting worse, in that even with short time periods between start ups the ticking noise was very evident.
And yes, totally agree, with more frequent use perhaps that will reduce.
It hasn't had a long motorway run for 2-3 years and only been going around the houses locally since my hip/back problem started a few years ago.
So once I have recovered from next weeks surgery perhaps a good run should be a priority.

Thanks for your responses so far.

 

[Motorhead]

Hi Keith,

I agree with the above comments about lack of use being a contributor to which I suspect is tappet noise rather than injector noise, the latter being higher frequency and persistent.

I’ve owned my 987.2 CS for nearly 16-years. Sometimes it’s as quiet as a mouse on start-up; at other times it’s a bag of nails! I try to drive it every week year-round, but never know what I’m going to get.

Hopefully with regular use things will settle down, but whatever happens I wouldn’t be unduly concerned unless the tappet noise becomes noticeably louder.

Jeff

 

[BoxsterLL11]

Thanks Jeff.
That's very reassuring.
Had my 981 for 8 years now.
I'm always an optimistic/glass half full type of person and with my mechanical engineering background and having worked on cars since I left school (in 1973) I feel I have a good knowledge and experience, certainly on older cars but newer ones too barring the electronic side of things.
But when it comes to something that could work out to be an expensive repair then "one starts to doubt oneself".

I have always "suspected" that it was a hydraulic tappet but its nice to know other owners have experienced the same and that its not a problem to worry about.
But, sometimes to my detriment, I am a bit of a perfectionist so when things aren't quite how they should be, I always like to sort it.

So I will certainly try to use it more post-hip replacement, and then listen and see what happens.