Intermittent Tapping Top End on my 997 C2S

[warrenmiles78]

Ok so I have a ticking/tapping sound from the top end of my 997. It is intermittent and goes after about 5 minutes, after the ticking stops I get eml and error reads camshaft position sensor alignment and a misfire which rectifies when I turn it on and off again.

It sounds like noisy lifters but the tapping occurs after I hit the 4k rpm could it be a variocam issue?

It could also be a problem with a valve seat, it sounds terrible and then just stops, also it sometimes starts on a hill, although it has only happened about 5 times. Coincidence but I topped the oil up a little time before it developed, however since then I have had an oil and filter change.

I have not driven the car much recently, which leads me to believe that it is something sticking but I am have no idea really, just clutching at straws.

Any and all help appreciated

[Rockster]

Get the car flat bedded to a qualified Porsche shop for an expert's diagnosis.

I am not in favor of an amateur running the engine any in the hopes he can suddenly gain insight into what is causing the noise.

And no noisy engine ever got better with more engine run time.

With the engine's behavior and the error code there is I would guess something amiss or going amiss with the VarioCam Plus system. In some cases while this failure can be rather expensive to address it does not put the engine at much risk of serious damage though the engine can run terribly.

But in some cases there is a hardware failure pending and if the failure is allowed to develop serious engine damage can result. Even if the engine is not destroyed the cost of repairing the engine goes way way up.