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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: SmithSwede on December 03, 2016, 11:30:25 AM

Title: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: SmithSwede on December 03, 2016, 11:30:25 AM
All the air-cooled bikes I've owned, certainly including the Guzzi, make a distinctive "tinking" sound after you turn off a really hot engine and let it cool.

Why?  I've always loved the sound--just curious why.

None of my water-cooled bikes do it.   

I don't think it's as simple as a hot metal cooling off.  You don't hear this sound from hot pots and pans cooling off (or from liquid cooled engines).

I'm thinking maybe something to do with the cooling fins, which have to have a huge heat gradient and are capable of making plenty of noise.

Does it make the same sound when you start a cold engine and it warms up, but you don't know it because you can't hear it over the engine noise?
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 11:45:40 AM
 Think it is just a normal sound amplified by the cooling fins . I've owned several old Brits with cast iron cylinder heads and barrels , the sound was different and not as pronounced , probably due to the rate of cooling , and the difference in weight .

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Sasquatch Jim on December 03, 2016, 11:49:02 AM
 It is the engines' version of post exercise sweating.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Yeahoo Whoyah on December 03, 2016, 11:50:30 AM
The sound came from heat shields on the exhaust system on several different bikes I've owned that made those sounds when cooling.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 11:52:31 AM
Yeah, any place where two pieces of metal are in contact, there can be relative motion as they cool and shrink at different rates and/or in different directions.  The ticking is the metal parts sliding a little and then sticking, repeating.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: rboe on December 03, 2016, 12:08:28 PM
At one time folks (so I've been told) thought it was the cooling fins but I'm inclined to side with the sheet metal on the exhaust as several cars I know do the same thing (and they have plenty of exhaust shields).
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: ITSec on December 03, 2016, 12:53:32 PM
It's happened on motorcycles (both air and water-cooled) and sports cars I've owned. I'm of the schools that says it's likely cause by seismic movements where two unlike metals are in contact (heat shield with block, block with head, head with valve cover, etc.). It was loudest on a Dodge Daytona Turbo Z  my wife insisted on buying back in the 80s. Three years later she begged me to sell the piece of junk. Biggest depreciation bath I ever took...
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Penderic on December 03, 2016, 01:53:13 PM
The tinkeling sound can be eliminated by making the cooling fins on the cylinders thicker nearer the barrel and thinner near the outsides.

So I have been told.

(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/prof%20toddles_zpsmbonrryl.jpg)
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 03:06:35 PM
The tinkeling sound can be eliminated by making the cooling fins on the cylinders thicker nearer the barrel and thinner near the outsides.

So I have been told.

How does the person who told you that think fins make noise when cooling?  Unless there are two parts in contact, moving relative to each other, there's no noise.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Penderic on December 03, 2016, 03:24:50 PM
It was a tech note I saw on the newer Triumph Twin engine changes and one of the changes made was to 'taper the thickness of the cooling fins to reduce the crinkling sounds made when the engine is cooling off".  Or was it 'to make the fins uniform in thickness to reduce the .....'

This was about a year or so ago, so maybe I remember wrong.  :boozing:

One of the two.




(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/guess%20who_zps251oi0dk.jpg)
 :rolleyes:


Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 03:40:25 PM
I guess even the guys writing tech notes can be confused.   :boozing:
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Huzo on December 03, 2016, 03:57:30 PM
Dunno, but damn good topic. A beautiful sound and the smell of hot aluminium that comes with it, defines a lifestyle that I'm sorry for anyone who hasn't shared in. Good one SS !
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 04:05:26 PM
I guess even the guys writing tech notes can be confused.   :boozing:

 Actually Jim , and don't ask me to give an engineering treatise here , but I have also read that . Seems the reason is that making the fins thicker at the base reduces the amplification provided by the fins .

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Huzo on December 03, 2016, 04:08:38 PM
One of the guys mentioned differing shrink rates, he's gunna be real close I reckon. If he's right and I think he is, will it be the moving of the metal relative to the fasteners, 'cos it's similar to the "tink" sound that you get when you crack a dry bolt loose holding a thin heat shield or such. The sliding of the metal under the bolt head or the two flat plates moving against each other as stated earlier.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 04:26:22 PM
Actually Jim , and don't ask me to give an engineering treatise here , but I have also read that . Seems the reason is that making the fins thicker at the base reduces the amplification provided by the fins .

 Dusty

No argument there, but a noise amplification effect at the fins is different from causing the noise.  I'm very familiar with the fins on my H2's cylinders and heads making any piston slap noise very audible.  But the fins aren't making the noise, the pistons banging on the cylinders are.  Yamaha put blocks of rubber between fins on some of their 2-strokes to make the engine quieter.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 04:42:04 PM
No argument there, but a noise amplification effect at the fins is different from causing the noise.  I'm very familiar with the fins on my H2's cylinders and heads making any piston slap noise very audible.  But the fins aren't making the noise, the pistons banging on the cylinders are.  Yamaha put blocks of rubber between fins on some of their 2-strokes to make the engine quieter.

 True . Someone mentioned earlier that his car exhaust made a tinking sound , I'm betting that the heat shield being of thin metal is amplifying the sound .

 Yeah , the rubber blocks probably were to reduce the "ringing" on aluminum cylinder 2 smokers , which while caused by a different thing was also amplified by the finning . The tinking sound caused by cooling are percussion waves creating noise .

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 04:53:46 PM
True . Someone mentioned earlier that his car exhaust made a tinking sound , I'm betting that the heat shield being of thin metal is amplifying the sound .

Yes, I'm sure the biggest sources of the noise are things like exhaust heat shields and exhaust system joints, but I'm sure it's possible that hard mounted engines could move slightly against the frame mounts as the temperature changes, and make noises too, for example.  Heck, my waffle iron makes similar noises as its thermostat turns the heating elements on and off.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: CalVin2007 on December 03, 2016, 05:03:55 PM
One of the guys mentioned differing shrink rates, he's gunna be real close I reckon. If he's right and I think he is, will it be the moving of the metal relative to the fasteners, 'cos it's similar to the "tink" sound that you get when you crack a dry bolt loose holding a thin heat shield or such. The sliding of the metal under the bolt head or the two flat plates moving against each other as stated earlier.

     This is it.  :thumb:  My wood stove makes the same sounds as it cools,and also as it heats up. Listen closely and the heating/cooling sounds are enough different that one can tell if the temp is rising or falling. See what heating a house with wood for 35 years will make a person notice?  :grin:

  Terry
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 05:33:40 PM
 Back to the original question , the Swede points out that his water cooled bike doesn't make the sound . We are in agreement that the lack of fins , and the muffling effect of the water jacketing probably makes the sound inaudible . ("We" being The Swede and me)

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 05:36:42 PM
Maybe his water cooled bike doesn't make the noise, but I bet there are owners of water cooled bikes on this board who hear ticking sounds from their exhaust system as they cool.  After all, the exhaust pipes aren't water cooled.   :smiley:
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 05:41:23 PM
Maybe his water cooled bike doesn't make the noise, but I bet there are owners of water cooled bikes on this board who hear ticking sounds from their exhaust system as they cool.  After all, the exhaust pipes aren't water cooled.   :smiley:

 Wait , they aren't ? :shocked: :rolleyes:

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: rocker59 on December 03, 2016, 06:47:28 PM
It's the exhaust.  Cars do it, too.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Huzo on December 03, 2016, 08:50:26 PM
Back to the original question , the Swede points out that his water cooled bike doesn't make the sound . We are in agreement that the lack of fins , and the muffling effect of the water jacketing probably makes the sound inaudible . ("We" being The Swede and me)

 Dusty
And maybe the the engine temp is more uniform so differences aren't as great, so less relative motion ???
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 08:54:39 PM
And maybe the the engine temp is more uniform so differences aren't as great, so less relative motion ???

 Yeah , we discussed that idea also , more uniform heating and cooling .

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: sib on December 03, 2016, 09:04:04 PM
Yamaha put blocks of rubber between fins on some of their 2-strokes to make the engine quieter.
C'mon, guys/gals, were supposed to be Guzzi-familiar, here.  Small block Guzzi's have had rubber dampers between the cylinder fins for ages.  They're supposed to dampen vibrations of the running engine, I doubt the're there to suppress the tinking of a cooling engine.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 09:21:52 PM
C'mon, guys/gals, were supposed to be Guzzi-familiar, here.  Small block Guzzi's have had rubber dampers between the cylinder fins for ages.  They're supposed to dampen vibrations of the running engine, I doubt the're there to suppress the tinking of a cooling engine.

Hey, don't blame me for not knowing that!  The only Guzzi I've owned is my Mille, and I rarely see a small block in person, other than from a distance.    :grin:

I'm sure you're right about the reason for the rubber dampers, since the tinking is almost certainly from the exhaust parts and has nothing to do with fins.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: SmithSwede on December 03, 2016, 10:17:35 PM
I don't see how it can be the exhaust.  A water-cooled bike has essentially the same exhaust system as an aircooled engine.  Yet water-cooled engines don't make that tinking sound (or not nearly as much as an aircooled engine.)

I'd bet the temperature of exhaust headers and exhaust gas is the same. 

Somebody needs to bring a hunk of an old engine to a rally.   We'll stick it in the fire, fish it out, and see how it tinks.   Then we could loosen all the bolts a bit and see how that affects tinking.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Nic in Western NYS on December 03, 2016, 10:21:40 PM
Yet water-cooled engines don't make that tinking sound (or not nearly as much as an aircooled engine.)
Not sure the group agrees that this assertion is true.  Or if true in certain cases, that there isn't a confounding variable. Fascinating topic - I've had some cars that tinked pretty loudly.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 10:33:17 PM
Right, your particular motorcycles support your hypothesis, but aren't representative of all motorcycles.  My H2 doesn't tink at all, yet my Mille does a little bit.  Both are air cooled, of course.  Most cars I've owned tink quite a bit if you lift the hood and listen, and they're all liquid cooled.  My wood stove tinks a lot if you build up the fire, or cut off the air intake to cool the fire.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 10:33:44 PM
 I agree with the Swede . Pretty sure when you are hearing an exhaust tink it is do to a heat shield being attached . Now , it may be coming from the header pipe/cylinder head contact points , steel into aluminum , but as I said before , my old cast iron head Brits didn't tink , at least not very loudly .

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: oldbike54 on December 03, 2016, 10:36:00 PM
Right, your particular motorcycles support your hypothesis, but aren't representative of all motorcycles.  My H2 doesn't tink at all, yet my Mille does a little bit.  Both are air cooled, of course.  Most cars I've owned tink quite a bit if you lift the hood and listen, and they're all liquid cooled.  My wood stove tinks a lot if you build up the fire, or cut off the air intake to cool the fire.

 So ... the H2 doesn't have an exhaust system ????

 Dusty
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: ITSec on December 03, 2016, 10:40:36 PM
I guess even the guys writing tech notes can be confused.   :boozing:

If you've read tech notes from Guzzi, this wouldn't even be a guess. At all. Not even a little bit.  :evil:
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 10:59:04 PM
My Mille has no heat shields and it tinks.  It's the joints in the exhaust system doing it.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 11:02:14 PM
If you've read tech notes from Guzzi, this wouldn't even be a guess. At all. Not even a little bit.  :evil:

 :laugh:   :boozing:
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 03, 2016, 11:05:12 PM
So ... the H2 doesn't have an exhaust system ????

 Dusty

My assumption is that the expansion chambers, being one piece from the cylinder to the outlet, don't make noise because they don't have any joints.  The connection to the cylinder is a tube-socket fitting with silicone sealer in it, so apparently it moves quietly.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Huzo on December 03, 2016, 11:36:12 PM
The bike I had that did it the most was a CB 900 Honda Bol D'or as they were known then. It did it IMMEDIATELY you turned off the key.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: yogidozer on December 04, 2016, 06:36:19 AM
you're over tinking it.
settle in, it's a long winter.  :laugh:
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: charlie b on December 04, 2016, 08:41:45 AM
Want to hear a lot of 'tinking'?  Listen to a car/truck with a turbocharger cool down. 

Yes, the tinking sound will be higher or lower pitch depending on a lot of things.  Stainless heat shields make some interesting noises.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: sib on December 04, 2016, 09:51:23 AM
My barbecues also tink a lot as they cool.  Doesn't matter whether I've cooked ribs, steaks, chicken or tofu (just kidding with the last one).
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: jas67 on December 04, 2016, 10:12:58 AM
My V7S with stock exhaust does it.
My V7R with Arrow exhaust (no heat shields) does not.

Same engine, different exhaust.
I'd say that the sound is from the exhaust.

The V7S and my previous V7C (also with stock exhaust + heat shields) are the only bikes that I've owned where I've noticed this sound.

I've got (and owned others) a lot of air cooled vintage bikes, Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, BMW, none "tink" when cooling.    Most of them didn't have heat shields on their exhausts, only a few Honda scramblers did, and they didn't tink either, maybe because they were mounted to the exhaust differently?
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: rboe on December 04, 2016, 11:54:38 AM
Dino oil tinks, syn does not.....   :evil:


 :popcorn:
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: SmithSwede on December 04, 2016, 12:30:11 PM
Hmmm, Jas67 has a great data point.  Maybe it is about the exhaust--I was skeptical.

Maybe the connection between exhaust header and exhaust port on a water cooled bike is cooler, thereby reducing tink potential. 
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: jas67 on December 04, 2016, 01:17:02 PM
Hmmm, Jas67 has a great data point.  Maybe it is about the exhaust--I was skeptical.

Maybe the connection between exhaust header and exhaust port on a water cooled bike is cooler, thereby reducing tink potential.

Exhaust temperature is a factor of exhaust gas temperature.   Water cooling vs. air cooling will have little effect on the temperature of the exhaust.  It will effect the temperature of the head, but, no the exhaust pipes.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: ITSec on December 04, 2016, 02:59:13 PM
Dino oil tinks, syn does not.....   :evil:


 :popcorn:

Somebody's tryin' to stir up a bit o' bother!  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Penderic on December 04, 2016, 04:53:13 PM
If its a tinking, I'm a thinking .....





It's TEA TIME!  :boozing:






(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/whisky3kt_zpsehfkqkqw.gif)

Time for drinking! (tea please.)
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Triple Jim on December 04, 2016, 05:03:01 PM
Alright!  I just noticed your new avatar.  My Favorite Martian was one of my favorite shows when I was a little kid, and I've enjoyed Ray in several things after that.
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: Huzo on December 04, 2016, 05:08:14 PM
Alright!  I just noticed your new avatar.  My Favorite Martian was one of my favorite shows when I was a little kid, and I've enjoyed Ray in several things after that.
I didn't see him in much else here in Oz. Once as a county court judge type and I think that's it as I recall over here ???
Title: Re: That "tinking" sound from cooling engine
Post by: jas67 on December 05, 2016, 11:24:43 AM
If its a tinking, I'm a thinking .....





It's TEA TIME!  :boozing:






(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/whisky3kt_zpsehfkqkqw.gif)

Time for drinking! (tea please.)

That looks more like whiskey on the rocks.