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I guess I should been more clear and direct earlier ... You're not going to be able to push the lifter plunger by hand if filled with oil... Well, unless it's No Good.
Originally Posted by Robottom
There is a small hole in the rod cup on top of the plunger and looks like what might be a ball in the bottom ... is that the check valve?
I pressed a small drift tool into that hole (very carefully) enough I thought to move a check ball, but no oil came out anywhere.
There's another hole on the side of each lifter but it doesn't look like a valve of any kind inside there.
....
Also you're not going to get to the check ball from outside the Lifter. The Oil metering disc is in the way... Here's a Cut-away
Yeah, if the lifters don't pump up properly or won't hold pressure the push rods can clatter when on the base circle of the cam and don't open the valves completely on the lobe.
So, pulled apart one of the lifters, looks perfect inside, decided not to mess with the others.
Decided to pull the valves just to be sure, kind of shocked.
They're not terrible but seems like a lot of scum where there should be a nice clean ring all the way around.
I was expecting to see a good clean "lap" ring all the way around, maybe not perfect but better than this ..
Anyway, something seems to be keeping the valves (especially exhaust) from closing completely.
Either that or I'm getting one hell of a lot of pre-ignition, but I think I would have noticed that.
Now I'm thinking that the lifters may be too stiff not allowing the valves to close all the way?
Maybe oil is too thick? Mobile-1 Synthetic 20w-50? I really don't know, seems far fetched.
Any input on if this is normal or what might cause it would be appreciated.
As for putting it back together, I'm thinking about trying to get away with just lapping the valves.
What do you guys think?
Note: There is no physical damage to any of the valves or seats, it's all just scum. Front Exhaust Port
Lap them in and through it back together and don't take a chance with the old lifters. New S&S will give you a piece of mind...
That's the plan except, I think I'm going to invest in adjustable push rods for now. I'm waiting on gaskets so took the time to go and pull the rest of the lifters apart and clean out the old oil. They all look perfect and were holding pressure for days at the very top of their strokes. So, thinking if they continue to make noise after this, at least I'll be able to replace without pulling half the damn engine apart.
Originally Posted by Daedalus
Do you hear the ticking when the engine is hot or cold? Do you hear it all the time, or does it come and go in a certain rev range?
This bike has almost always made lifter noise, just started getting worse around 30K or so. It starts after it gets warmed up and continues through, heat range, increases / decreases with RPM. It never seemed like one was any louder than the others. The reason I started thinking about it now is that one (don't ask which) started sounding louder than the others.
Anyway, decision made, I'm going to clean up the valves and seats, stick some adjustable push rods in it and see what happens from there.
Thanks to all for your advice and comments.
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