Clicking/ticking sound, nothing to report, but I will

I've been off the board for awhile, so this is just catch up.

I posted in February or so about a clicking/ticking sound coming from the back on cold weather mornings (under say 35 degrees) that goes away as the car warms up. Several folks ask for follow up when I learned what it is. Well, we had an exceptionally mild winter and I never got it to the dealer (still under warranty) for a look see. I will post next winter when I learn more about it.

... exhausts tend to make a ticking or clicking sound when they expand or contract rapidly.
The car idling on a cold morning can certainly make it click.
The inverse happens for instance at the track or after a hard drive when you shut the engine off, you can hear the tic, tic, tic.
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

The ticking increases in frequency with increases in RPMs, kind of like valve knocking rises with RPMs. It's not an exact match, but pretty close. Would expanding exhaust parts do that?

... a loose spark plug.
When it's cold parts contract and if the spark plug hasn't been torqued down properly some of the exhaust gasses can escape through the threads.
Because the coil pack seals it off it makes a metallic ticking sound as well.
As the parts warm up, they expand and seal off the gasses.
I've seen this several times.
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna