2 questions: Ticking and redline

[xiat]

Hi guys...my '77 has a new rebuild (27k ago) runs very well.
Ive had the car for a month. In that time I have noticed a ticking sound on the left rear after engine is warmed up. Sounds like a slightly loose valve adjustment. How threatening is a loose valve? I know having them too tight is worse. Im just not comfortable yet with adjusting my own valves. Am I asking for trouble to drive it like that?

Are these motors REALLY ok to run up to redline or is that also asking for trouble? Dumb question, I know. I don't race the engine a lot but it's tempting to let her run once in a while. I just wondered how dangerous that could be.

Thanks, Roger
'77 911S
'74 914-2.0
'65 356 C Coupe

[450knotOffice]

A slightly loose valve or two won't really hurt anything but you should have them re-adjusted fairly soon. No need to continuously drive around with a loose valve. If you're not comfortable with the process, find a competent Porsche mechanic who's comfortable with the air/oil cooled cars. He should be able to take are of the valve adjustment for $250-$300 or so.

As for redline, these engines are extremely strong. One of the things Porsche has always been known for is their tendency to build very robust engines and running gear. Delicate, these cars are not. You can run your 911 engine up to redline as often as you like. It won't hurt a thing. If you happen to inadvertently run past the redline, the distributor in your car will cut off the ignition momentarily, which will feel like a huge stumble. When that happens, don't worry (many people do because they think they've damaged something). That's exactly what is supposed to happen in order to protect your engine from an over speed situation. Just remember, however, that if you are racing up through the gears, hit redline and shift up, but instead grab a lower gear instead of a higher gear (it happens), nothing will save the engine from the extreme over-rev that will surely happen. That situation will demand an engine tear-down in order to inspect the internals for damage.