| Author | Message | ||
     Snowscum |
Lately the noise coming from the motor is getting louder. Sounds like lifter noise to me. You can hear it from 2k to about 4k over the race can. Only when you are at a steady throttle. Is there a way to adjust out that tapping noise? The dealership says they cant hear it but its obvious to me. It started about 1500k and I have 6k on it now and its has gotten louder. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance | ||
| Snowscum |
So no help on this subject? | ||
| Lorazepam |
It is a hydraulic system. My first path would be a different oil, to see if that will quiet it down. | ||
| Snowscum |
I actually had syn3 in it when it started to clap.Went back to hd oil after that. I was wondering if it can be adjusted out? | ||
| Lorazepam |
Not that I know of. I would rather hear that sound than to hear a bent pushrod. Tappy valves are happy valves. Seriously, maybe one of our more racing oriented brothers can shed some light on how you can quiet it down. It would suck to have to adjust rockers in this frame. | ||
| Jmhinkle |
pm sent to avoid flame wars. | ||
| Treadmarks |
Could be lifter trouble. Sometime, too thin oil or too low of an idle rpm can help cause a lifter to collapse or bleed too quickly. If you rev it a few times and it clears up for a little while then returns, thats probably it. If it is warm enough in CO now, try a good 20w50 oil. Rocker arm and valve scuffing sometimes leaves a light oil residue in the exhaust. Is it smoking any? If you put a timing light on it one cylinder at a time and it taps at the same speed as the light then it is piston related. If it taps half as much as the light flashes than it is valve train related. They all tick and tap a little, some more than others. Good luck and let us know how it goes. | ||
| Davo |
Snowscum, Is it any quieter during cold starts? There is no valve adjustment. If it is a lifter gone down it will be be louder when hot and at idle. I would do a quick oil change and see if it cleans up. There might be some trash in the lifter. | ||
| Davo |
After reading your post again, unless the noise is excessive, it sounds like you are in the RPM range (cruise, light throttle, 3K) where the valve train likes to sing. If it sounds like a symphony of light tapping then it is ok. If it sounds like one of the folks in the percussion section is a little strong on the base drum then it could be a lifter. If it is a lifter it will louder at lower RPM. | ||
| Snowscum |
Thanks for the responses guys. It doesnt sound good to me but it is my first bike in 20 years. What bothers me is it was quiet for 1500 miles and all of a sudden its noisy. It does get louder the warmer it gets. I noticed on the ride in this morning it taps pretty loud from 2k to 3500k. Seems like when there is a light load. How to get the dealer to figure it out though. Might have to run it till one of them seizes. Which doesnt sound like fun. Thought there might be something I could try. Maybe next oil change Ill try going back to a synthetic.I just don't want to have them deny me any warranty work which I have a feeling is going to be a hassle. Jmhinkle: Flame war about what? | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
My friend's XB12s actually got more quiet as it broke in. I used to hear the clatter of valves from inside my house! My advice? Ride the snot out of it while it's still under warrantee. | ||
| Snowscum |
I have almost 7k on it now and it just keeps getting louder. Rode up to Carter lake after work today. Fan came on down 287 and finally shut off closer to home. It really wasnt that warm. The direct link investment seems like a waste of money. Doesnt really run that much cooler and it still loses some power once that fan comes on. It was cloudy and cool.72 degrees. Still is a blast in the twisties! | ||
| Davo |
Snowscum, Buelldyno guy is working on a ignition map. That Direct link will pay off when a good stock+ map is published. The popping that you are experiencing is a lean condition related to AFV adjustments. You might want to consider a more stock fuel map when the new ignition map is available. The fact that your fan turned off at all on a 70+ day is encouraging. | ||
| Snowscum |
Its a race ECM. | ||
| Etennuly |
A friend of mine ran synthetic 20-50 in his Buell from the first oil change. It sounded like a tool box crashing around in a dryer. I hated to stand near it for fear of parts coming out. After he heard mine he went back to HD 50 for 70 + degree weather. It sounded much better. | ||
| Snowscum |
Thats what I was hearing after I ran syn3 for the first time. And it would use some as well. Thats why I went back to standard hd oil and it doesnt use any. | ||
| Skrobe |
If I was trying to diagnose similar issues with my ride I'd try a systematic approach. Think back to when the cycle operated the way you remember it did. Then determine what you have changed since that time. If you changed multiple 'things', selectively undo the changes one at a time. If no change or improvement, undo another item... my experiences has shown to me it was/is best to stick with one particular formulation (brand) of engine oil. Different refineries add different levels of modifiers to their oil. What one brand puts in, another may 'wash' away. The Owner's Manual goes so far as to state this also -- en Caution Do not switch lubricant brands indiscriminately because some lubricants interact chemically when mixed. Use of inferior lubricants can damage the engine. (00184a) Just a thought. | ||
| Snowscum |
Thanks for the thoughts. The dealer was pushing the syn3 so I say what the hay(@1000 service). They also said that only harley products can be used in the bike to keep the warranty. I was like yea right. Then later on in the year there was a different response to that question. They said it didnt matter. So the oil is the only thing that changed as in fluids. Now about the same time I had a intake leak. Fixed and the tapping never went away. Then the belt issue but thats been resolved and had nothing todo the the motor. History: Race kit=@300 mile Syn3=@1000 mile service Intake leak+tap tap bad pinging=1500 mile Back to regular hd fluids=3000 mile HD oil=@5000 mile service direct link tune=6000 mile Tap tap getting more pronounced. No pinging yet. | ||
| Skrobe |
Regarding the dealer stating you must use HD oil to keep your warranty in effect - NOT true. I would imagine that many of the personnel at a cycle shop are not aware of this law since some of them were born after it was passed. The DirectLink 'mod' could cause you warranty grief since it is an after-market modification. Federal Warranty Law passed in 1975 1.The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)) This federal law regulates warranties for the protection of consumers. The essence of this law concerning aftermarket auto parts is that a vehicle manufacturer may not condition a written or implied warranty on the consumers using parts or services which are identified by brand, trade, or corporate name (such as the vehicle makers brand) unless the parts or service are provided free of charge. The law means that the use of an aftermarket part alone is not cause for denying the warranty. However, the law's protection does not extend to aftermarket parts in situations where such parts actually caused the damage being claimed under the warranty. Further, consumers are advised to be aware of any specific terms or conditions stated in the warranty which may result in its being voided. The law states in relevant part: “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumers using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name....” (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)). | ||
| Sleez |
have you been using the same helmet the whole time? i noticed with different helmets i will hear the sounds from the engine slightly different. | ||
| Snowscum |
I can now hear it with ear plugs. Faintly but I can still hear it. So yes the same Scorpian helmet. They pushed the direct link telling me they can take 30 degrees off by installing and tuning it. REally the selling point for me was that a direct link rep was coming out to train their techs and needed a test bike. Well when I went in to pick it up he said the guy never showed and they just went ahead and did it themselves. Wether the rep would of did something different I will never know. When standing there I was like oh the ol bait and switch and dumba ss me fell for it. It does have more power but for the money was it really worth it. The SM wanted me to advertise for them that they are the only ones in Colorado that can tune buells like this. Well the jury is still out on this and Im not sure what todo next. This tapping makes me think this motor might not last but hell if I know how long before a rebuild. I apprecaite feed back from you guys though. I should of consulted the masses before I blew this kinda of coin. Mostly I just didnt want it to ping this summer or it was going up for sale. | ||
| Sparky |
FWIW, my 9R always seemed to make a tick tick noise at idle coming from the lifter area. I didn't think it was objectionable because the bike ran great. But at the 30k service the SA thought the noise was pretty noticeable and recommended replacing all the lifters while they were in there changing base & top end gaskets for leaks. Well, that took care of the tick tick lifter noise and at 48k miles it's still quiet. So, that's something to consider. I had been running Syn3 for about 20k miles then and still do because of the moderate temperatures at sea level in SoCal. I think I am pretty tuned in now to the "normal" amount of noise the engine makes. But, last year on a ride around Monterey-Santa Cruz mountains on the hottest day on record for the area, the engine got very hot, making lots of general mechanical noise, but it still ran good, not smoking. Anyhoo, the next day, with cooler temperatures, it sounded fine. I guess what I'm leading up to is that if the ambient temperature is hotter than normal, then it makes sense to switch to a heavier grade of oil per H-D's recommendations. | ||
| Snowscum |
Thanks Sparky for the info. How much syn3 do you use? In the little time it was in my bike i went through almost a half a quart in less than 2k. 1500 might have been to early to switch. Should of waited for 5k. | ||
| Etennuly |
I ran HD 20-50 in my City-X in the heat of summer on one oil change. It never smoked or leaked, but it was noisy/rattly and it ran out of oil in 1000 miles! I was really upset at that. I switched to HD 50 for spring and fall and HD 60 for hot summer and never have had any noise or oil disappearance problems again. I rode that bike 13,000 miles, and I now have over 14,000 on my Uly, I just follow the service manual on that issue, and it works. | ||
| Snowscum |
Hmmm thanks! Next oil change Ill go with that heavier oil. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I've been running Mobil 1 15W50 and my ULY doesn't seem to burn a drop. | ||
| Jmhinkle |
5w-40 Rotella syn, doesn't burn a drop, is nice and quiet and runs cooler than all the other Buell's in the area. Avoid heavier oils at all costs. They aren't what the engine needs. | ||
| Roadrailer |
Thanks Sparky for the info. How much syn3 do you use? In the little time it was in my bike i went through almost a half a quart in less than 2k. 1500 might have been to early to switch. Should of waited for 5k. I'm very interested in this, as my Uly has started using a bit of oil ever since I went to the synth at 5,000 miles. In addition, I've noticed some oil seepage where the filter meets the engine (it is installed properly). Did your oil usage stop when you switched back to the conventional oil? Has anyone else experienced this? Could there be any potential negatives to switching back? I'm willing to put up with more frequent changes if it stops the usage. | ||
| Snowscum |
Mine doesn't use regular hd oil. | ||
| Etennuly |
Staying with the Buell SM recommendations on viscosity, my bike never uses more than a pint of oil between changes with the HD stuff. | ||
| Roadrailer |
Mine doesn't use regular hd oil. That's very interesting. I wonder what would cause it to use the syn and not the regular HD oil? | ||
| Jmhinkle |
"That's very interesting. I wonder what would cause it to use the syn and not the regular HD oil?" I've seen people post a few times that their bikes use synthetic but not dino and I wonder if it has to do with something during break-in? | ||
| Roadrailer |
I've seen people post a few times that their bikes use synthetic but not dino and I wonder if it has to do with something during break-in? Possible, I suppose. Snow, how did you break your bike in? Mine was done by the book. | ||
| Snowscum |
Mine also was done by the book. Yea I did not expect it to use any syn3 but it was suprising how much it used. | ||
| Sparky |
"How much syn3 do you use?" Very little. In the last 1500 miles it's still at the top mark on the dipstick. | ||
| Snowscum |
I wonder why mine uses the syn3. I've heard other people with the Uly say the same thing. It was a warm ride home today and boy those lifters were clankin away. Its like louder and louder. So I watched the tach today and from about 1800 to 3500 rpm with just the slight bit of throttle. I have to quiet those down or I'm not sure how long I will put up with it.... | ||
| Chris_in_tn |
Have you let the dealer listen to it yet. If a lifter is collapsing it would be covered under warranty. Your oil choice should have nothing to do with a faulty lifter. There is a little check valve in the lifter that will sometimes leak down after sitting for a while and will pump-up after the bike warms and sometimes it will not pump up at all. This will cause excessive valve clearance and loud noises from the rocker arm smacking the top of the valve. | ||
| Snowscum |
Good call Chris. Im going to have to take it out there and have them take a look. The last time I complained about it I wasnt sure what it was but it has to be a lifter and they asked if I knew where it was coming from. It sure is getting louder thats for sure. If they cant hear it now their pulling my leg...... | ||
| Lorazepam |
At least you can hear yours, mine has been at the dealer coming up on a month for the header pipe. I have a feeling my Buell experience will end with the Uly. I like the ride, but This bike has had more down time than my last 3 bikes combined, and over 100,000 miles. |
