2004 Cali EVT Front Cover, Timing Chain? NOISE UPDATE..

[Tom H]

I think I need to look at my timing chain. Even though the bike supposedly has only 13,000 miles. BTW: I believe all the updates have been done.

There is a rattle somewhere around the front cover. Sounds like something loose and rotating rather than a vibration. Checked the horns and all the likely bits that I could find for a rattle. I'm thinking bad chain or tensioner, loose nut? My BMW was actually grinding the case a bit and never heard it until one day I was doing something else in the front and heard the rattle.

The question is: Do I need to drain the oil to remove the front cover? On my old bikes the oil level was over the bottom of the cover, had to drain before removing. Is it the same on the 1100 engine?

Forgot to mention, I did change my oil and filter about a week ago and found nothing in the oil pan. Yes I did tighten the filter and the noise is more in front not down in the pan.

Thank you,
Tom

[guzzisteve]

Deep pan, I would drain 1 Qt just to be safe.

[Wayne Orwig]

Exhaust header against the frame. Common on the left side.
Cracked crossover in front, or clamp rattling.
Loose exhaust.
Something in the alternator cover. Easy to check.

[Tom H]

Thanks for the replies so far.

This has been going on since I got the bike at 12,000. Tightened all exhaust bits, but have not looked for a pipe hitting the frame. Alternator cover had been loose with the phillips bit screws, replaced with allen head. Found nothing loose under the cover while replacing the screws.

I was listening again tonight for the noise, problem is that it's right in the same area a the HOT pipes! and their noisy while trying to locate the noise. I'm going to try the screwdriver sound method tomorrow to narrow it down.

Best as I can tell so far, it's either in the front cover or in the cam area. Move my ear forward and the sound moves back and vise versa. You know how sounds can travel in a engine. The sound is like a thack thack pause then the thack thack again. Not the tick that valves would make, BTW this is a hydro.

Thanks for the tip on the oil height, looks like I need to drain some to pull the cover.

Tom

[Wayne Orwig]

I thought it was a new noise with the oil change.

From that additional info, yea, it sounds like you need to check the cam chain. It has to come off for the cam update, so maybe something got damaged or stretched in there.

[Frederik]

Check the sidestand springs.
Also check the engine bolt-end near the left exhaust, second bend
 

[Tom H]

I'll look around the exhaust and other parts in the front area again. I'll also use a screwdriver to see if I can narrow down where the sound is from. Hate to pull a timing cover that seals well for nothing.

If it is under the cover, maybe the tensioner is not in correctly? Can't believe it's a bad chain already. I'll be finding out.

Thanks again,
Tom

[Frederik]

Don't pull the timing cover. Waste of time and money 99 out of a 100 times it's something silly.

Determine at what rpm it occurs
Ask someone else to listen closely and locate the rattle.
or
Ask someone else to keep it at that rpm while you locate the rattle

my 2ct..

[Tom H]

I "MAY" have found the noise?

Two things, the front motor mount was not as tight as I would have done, and the coil brackets were vibrating, maybe against the frame.

Tightened mount bolt to what I would do, and for the time being, wedged some cardboard in between the coils and the frame. Need to pull gas tank and look at all the coil mount bolts.

Fired it up and no noise so far!!

This may have solved the noise I was hearing, but the clacking only showed up after a freeway ride. Maybe it was one in the same. I'll find out in a few days.

Thanks all again!!
Tom

[Tom H]

Thank you for the advice and sorry you had to go through all of the issues.

When I did "my" first oil and filter change on this bike, I very carefully looked for metal bits in the pan. The only thing I did find was that the magnetic drain plug had lost it's magnet and some black debry around it, as in the magnet disintegrated. There is a how did that happen moment? But, there were no "bits of metal" in the pan. Had a tensioner go bad in my R75/5 and had found plastic bits when I drained the oil, knew something was wrong and pulled the cover.

With the minor fixes that I have done to solve the noise, I do not at this time call the noise solved. I will listen and see if any noise comes up. As I mentioned, the noise I heard was like a clacking, used a screwdriver to listen for the noise and could not find it. All sounded "normal"? No clacking like a chain against the case. If the noise persists on my next freeway ride, I'll pull the front cover and have a look.

I hope all was assembled correctly and bolts were tightened when the upgrades were done!?!? The upgrades to the engine "may" have been done at the factory, not at a dealer? The triple tree did show a campaign being done per my VIN number, so that was probably? at a dealer.

Thank you!!
Tom

[Tom H]

After wedging the coils with the cardboard, the vibration noise seems to have gone away. Still need to pull tank and see what's up with the coil bracket.

As for the clacking. I have not pulled the front cover yet. I'm still working on narrowing the noise down before I do.

What I have found so far is that it seems to be heat related and MAYBE in the rocker cover, it is VERY hard to narrow this down. When it happens, it's at idle and increases with RPM up to 1500 or so when I can't hear it over the normal engine noise, hard to see RPM and listen.

When I first start the bike in the morning all is quiet in the engine area. But, after a 20 minute or so freeway ride, while sitting at a traffic light just off the freeway, the noise is there and continues until I get to where I'm going. Then let the bike sit for about 15+/- minutes of cool down, then start the bike the the noise is not there, or at the least very faint.

I'm thinking it's not a tensioner issue, a chain hitting the case, or a gear or loose nut as these "should" make the sound while hot or cold?? Right??

Upon retrospect "this" noise may have appeared after my oil change to 5W-40 synthetic (per the updated workshop manual for a hydro). The dealer had the recommended ??W-60 (for a non-hydro) in it when I bought the bike.

Could this be hydro lifter related? Bad lifter? Too thin of oil even though recommended? Maybe this is why I "seem" to hear it near the case? as well as under? the rocker cover. It does NOT sound like my old bike with a rocker out of adjustment and having a click.

Any thoughts on this?? LOVE the bike for how it rides, but my oldies are MUCH simpler to work with

Thank you very much again!!
Tom

[chuck peterson]

Sounds like you've found it!...oil viscosity

[Dilliw]

I believe all the updates have been done.

I would pop a valve cover and inspect to insure that the cam update has, in fact, been, done.  There are before/after pictures posted here somewhere.

[Tom H]

It does have the aluminum spring caps and the light bronzeish rockers and the adjuster screw has the snapped off the top of it. I am going to pull the rocker covers just to make sure nothing has come loose up there.

When I headed to work today, cold start all quiet. Got off freeway and at the light, noise was back. Seems heat related?? Anybody else had this problem?

Thanks again,
Tom

[Dilliw]

It does have the aluminum spring caps and the light bronzeish rockers and the adjuster screw has the snapped off the top of it. I am going to pull the rocker covers just to make sure nothing has come loose up there.

When I headed to work today, cold start all quiet. Got off freeway and at the light, noise was back. Seems heat related?? Anybody else had this problem?

Thanks again,
Tom

Excellent!

If heat related I'd be back to eliminating the exhaust and especially where it goes right up against the frame rail above the sidestand.  I had lots of trouble with my head pipes and both the crossovers and onetime had the knocking on the frame rail.  Based on a suggestion here I removed the clamp on the front crossover to give it a little more play side to side.  Haven't popped one of the crossover welds since then either.

Just keep eliminating the easy stuff first.