| Author |
Message |
    
Mt624
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - 03:11 pm: | 
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Hi,
Sorry in advance if this is posted in the wrong location or I missed the topic somewhere - Lot's of information on here!
I just bought a '97 M2 with 6k miles on it and it appears to be in great shape. Initially I test rode it about 20 minutes and last night took my girlfriend for a quick ride and after about 1/2 hour the transmission started making some noise. I will be changing the fluid but the noise seemed to only be present in 1st through 4th gear. It went away in 5th completely... Anything that jumps to mind to be on the lookout for? (Other than the obvious "how heavy is your girlfriend?" type questions) There was no obvious vibration or difficulty in shifting, only a "vibration whine" type noise that was noticeable after 20-30 minutes.
Thanks!
Mike |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - 04:19 pm: |
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On a 97 I would be *highly* suspicious of the primary chain tensioner. There is an updated part with a much stronger backplate. The old ones break, which is hard to identify without pulling the primary cover and removing the tensioner to inspect it (not a big job). Get the new metal gasket while you are in there.
Unless you can establish beyond a shadow of a doubt that the previous owner has already upgraded to the new part, I would replace it with the new part soon regardless, even if it did not break yet. Its a cheap part and not a hard job.
Remove the derby cover screws gradually, if you pull them all the way out one at a time, the derby cover tilts and binds, and the remaining screws will strip.
The other possibility is a 5th gear drive assembly, but that is MUCH less common... check the tensioner and tension first.
And run your belt loose. |
Mt624
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - 06:54 pm: |
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Thanks Reepicheep! I will definitely do the upgrade if I can't confirm it's already been done and read up on the archives in the mean time! I can't wait to get more seat time in, the two short rides I've taken have been a blast! Hopefully winter stays away a little longer... |
Bad_karma
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 01:25 am: |
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Mike is the noise at road speed or engine speed?
Joe |
Blake
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 10:10 am: |
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Fifth gear is the only one that doesn't turn the countershaft.
Can you describe the noise and how it varies with engine speed and road speed?
Does it make the same noise when you ride the bike without a passenger?
Great choice in bike!  |
Rick_a
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 12:51 pm: |
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quote:Fifth gear is the only one that doesn't turn the countershaft.
That is inaccurate. It is the only one that doesn't transmit a load through the countershaft. |
Mt624
| | Posted on Thursday, October 25, 2007 - 01:13 pm: |
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Sorry guys, I was away from the computer yesterday. I am still getting the paper work together so technically the bike isn't road legal yet. I will check more into it and get back here in the next day or two and give you a better description of the noise. The drive belt is fairly loose, I checked that at least.
The noise didn't really seem to go up with rpm much that I recall - It was more of what I would describe as a whine generated by something vibrating, almost like when an engine mount is loose and under certain loads it vibrates (not describing the actual sound, just the harmonic). Strange thing was that in fifth gear it went away, so I knew it wasn't just a loose bolt somewhere and there was more to it. I tried taking it easy and also putting it under a load with no real change in the sound. And again, it was a sound only - I couldn't feel anything wrong.
I will ride it this weekend once it's registered and get a better description posted. I absolutely love the bike so far, I just want to make sure mechanically it's solid before I ride it much. I will see if I can track down the previous owner as well through the dealer (non-Buell dealership) where I bought it.
Thanks again for the help! |
Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, October 25, 2007 - 04:20 pm: |
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Thanks for the clarification Rick. I was thinking "torque" and typed "turn". |
Mt624
| | Posted on Friday, October 26, 2007 - 08:28 pm: |
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Got about a 40 minute ride in tonight (solo) and wasn't able to hear the noise again. The rain hit but I'll keep you guys posted as I get more seat time in. A mechanic I spoke with who has an M2 said his countershaft worked loose once and made noise, so piecing together the info from above about it not being under a load in fifth makes me wonder... I will be checking that out. Thanks again for your help and advice. |
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