Worrying engine noises from my Boxster 987 S

[ksnell]

I am an avid reader of the many posts put up, but this is only the second I have ever written so I want all to understand - this is serious.
My dear "black and tan" (ok I know its sand) 2005 987 S has probably not had the best life of any Boxster, but for the 7 years I have been the owner I have tried to provide suitable care on a moderate budget. With little more than my previous 986 S I have always believed there has been a slight engine whine, that I have always believed/hoped was belt or auxiliary item related. Definitely not transmission or drivetrain. As items such as belts have been replaced and investigations have come and gone the sound has never departed or really changed. Unfortunately a week ago on the way to Brookspeed (my local support) for some other work the sound became more pronounced. After some hours of investigation they have discounted water pump, belts and tensioners by disconnecting all they could. The sound is now clearly a background whine when revving up and what now appears (with covers removed) to be a rattle as the revs fall away. It is more pronounced when warm and appears to lower central and at the front of the engine. The oil pump was suspected but according to Porsche colleagues these almost never fail and the potential "pressure spring"? which can fail was checked and found to be ok (no other debris being noticeable in the investigation).

So the question is does anyone else have a clue? Brookspeed will continue investigations and checking other sources but I wanted to call upon what I hope are some all knowing fellow members to share their experiences. Many thanks to all who do.

 

[Hoopster]

Hi Kevin,

Have you tried tuning the aircon completely off ... I had a whine which turned out to be the aircon - and was directly relational to revs ... Don't ask me why/how.

Good luck,
A

 

[911hillclimber]

Tired alternator bearings?
can the engine be run with the drive belt off so the alt will be still and the noise gone?
good luck!

 

[Boxster04]

Hi Kevin,

Have you tried tuning the aircon completely off ... I had a whine which turned out to be the aircon - and was directly relational to revs ... Don't ask me why/how.

Good luck,
A

Mine has this also, disapears when ECO button is pressed

 

[Motorhead]

Kevin,

As above, but it sounds as though your tech has run the engine without the top and bulkhead covers in place (and maybe with the poly-belt removed?) and has discounted the coolant pump and ancillaries as the most obvious source of your problem. A mechanic's stethoscope is a handy device for getting closer to the noise/vibration source: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-154006-Mechanics-Stethoscope-320/dp/B001C0RYPG

It may be that the whine and rattle aren't directly related. The whine could be from a ball-type bearing (IMS?) and the rattle from the camshaft chain tensioner, although it's my understanding that a rattle can also be also a symptom of a failing IMS bearing. Whatever the cause, if it's not external to the engine I fear that the only course of action is to strip the engine to locate the noise source.

Sincerely hope that your problem turns out to be something simple to rectify.

Jeff

 

[ksnell]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I can confirm (unfortunately) that all ancillaries have been disconnected and the sound still persists. A stethoscope have been deployed and helped to narrow the sound to the more central location. I think the aircon was eliminated but will check for sure. For completeness I will update this with any more info. as and when I get it.

Kevin

 

[pfowler1]

Kevin,

I think my car has a similar whine which I haven’t found the source of. It’s noticeable with the hood up but far less so with it down. I was hoping it was a bearing in an ancillary like the air con or one of the idler pulleys or the alternator.
I’ve had the car for 16 months now and I don’t think it’s got any worse, possibly if anything slightly better.
Sometimes when I start the car it sounds like there is a complete lack of oil pressure and it sounds like a bucket of bolts for 1-2 seconds then quietens down. Does your car do this?
I’d be very interested to hear how you get on and if you have the same start up noise.

Paul

 

[ksnell]

Hi Paul

There are similarities, but mine is no worse when starting. Its actually better, seems to become more noticeable as the oil warms up. Today I had the worse news that Brookspeed cannot identify anything external and I am now left with some VERY unpleasant options. Will follow up on this thread once I have decided what the next step is. Hope yours noise turns out to be far more straight forward and considerably cheaper!

Kevin

 

[pfowler1]

Hi Kevin,

I wish you all the luck with your problems, but if I were you I would be thinking about changing the IMS bearing as a precaution. I'm not aware of anything at the front of the engine other than the ancillaries and the oil and water pumps. Could the IMS noise be transmitting through the shaft to the front bearing?

Or how about this - I have just found out there was an issue on 986's of low oil pressure resulting from the oil pressure relief valve spring weakening with time. Apparently it is only about £10 worth of parts to renew the piston, the spring and the crush washer and I am going to try that to see if it then maintains oil pressure when the engine is off - my car makes the noise on cold start if sitting on a hill nose upwards so it seems like oil starvation.

I was just wondering if the valve could make a whining noise as oil passes through it. Maybe worth a try since it is so cheap.

Let me know what you discover about your issues.

Paul