HB, I used to work for Saab (the Company not a dealer)… I loved these car, the 9-5 is one of the most underrated cars around… BY FAR the best seats I have ever sat in !! With that said, what dumb A$$ thought it would be a good idea to put the cat converter under the oil pan?? The sweeds should have been too smart for that, I would have thought. PS the death of Saab can be attributed to the passing of one man, his name was Barry Buxbalm and when he passed that was the end of Saab. Ask me about it one day if you want to get PO’ed at GM.
GSR, For Saab in the US? In Milford CT by chance?
Well I worked for Saab after GM purchaed them, but I was in the NE regional office in Purchase then Somers. Barry though was the Regional Director for Saab NE when in Milford CT.
True GSR, I never liked having a heater like the Cat DIRECTLY under the engines oil pan/Transmission case (They were one and the same you know) Hated that all that heat was being directed into my engine oil and Transmission oil at the same time… I mean C’mon… Maybe they did that bec of the COOOOLLLLD winters they have up there in Sweden. Maybe?
LOL…How many car mfg’s can claim that the Transmission is part of the lower half of the engine where the oil pan should’ve been? Not to mention having the engine in the car BACKWARDS with the main pulley against the FIREWALL!!! Crazy Swedes…no wonder most guys say “Saabs?..No way man…I don’t touch em”…LOL
Not that hard once you get used to them…and your a brave man…and maybe drunk…
I never had too much difficulty working on them…I actually started to enjoy it. One guy asked me who works on your Saab for you…I said “I do” He said…Want a job? He couldn’t find anyone that would touch them. I was about 22 at the time so I didn’t take him seriously…maybe I should’ve? Nah…
Blackbird
The type of driving you do and only changing the oil every 6 months can be very conducive to engine oil sludge problems. Usually one of the first things affected by sludging are the crankshaft bearings down low and the hydraulic lifters and variable valve timing mechanisms up top.
Sludge can also affect oil pressure and this has an affecton lifters and var. valve mechanisms. What kind of oil pressure does the dashboard gauge show, both at idle and at speed with the engine fully warmed up?
Xcellent link Caddy…but did you see a single photo of the ACTUAL ENGINE in this vehicle?
No? me neither…
Hence the issue at hand… From Porsche’s own literature…“The Porsche Boxster has an Encapsulated Engine and cannot/must not be serviced by anyone except your local Porsche service dept”
Oh woe to the masses…as we poor fools cannot service these ghastly beasts…
I wish I could help the OP…and I would GLADLY if he were local…Where are you Sir? Find a guy like me who realizes that your vehicle is simply a CAR…and will approach it as such…and fix your issue…
Like OK44 said…try a simple additive in your oil to see if you can quiet that lifter noise a bit…hopefully that’s all that it is…
Blackbird
Knocking isn’t really a good thing to have in a Boxster engine at all.
Valve clatter is usually only heard on start up, when the tensioners are tightening up.
If that’s what you are hearing, then you don’t really have to worry about fixing things in the near future.
If the valve clatter lasts longer than the first 2 seconds after a cold start, you probably have something more severe failing inside of the engine. Worst case scenario is the Intermediate Shaft (lovingly referred to as the IMS) bearing is starting to fail, causing play in the IMS. This failure will lead to complete destruction of the motor.
Another source of knocking might simply be the water pump shaft bearing starting to fail.
It did on mine, right before the whole thing went cablooey. I replaced the water pump and serpentine belt in a parking lot off the highway.
You want to have your mechanic (or yourself, if you are capable) locate the source of the knocking, and decide what to do about it.
BC.
I agree with the others posters who feel that your characterization of the noise is a bit off. Valves typically “tap” or “clatter” where as knocking is usually something else. Why don’t you let the Porsche sit overnight and then start it up cold tomorrow morning and video it (with sound of course) and then post that video/sound here. We can better help you to decide what to do once we’ve been given better info on this one. Everything on a Porsche is expensive, so measure twice and cut once on this one. More diagnosis is better here. Rocketman