My '97 FLHTCI with 29,000 miles developed a pretty good rattle the last hundred miles of a 3,000 mile trip. Sounds like the front cylinder exhaust valve lifter is not pumping up all the way. I'm thinking about putting new lifters in and while I'm in there upgrading the cam. The motor is stock 80" with SE air cleaner, Wild Pig slip-on mufflers and a Dobeck DFO fuel optimizer. I'm fairly mechanical I'd like to try this fix myself. I understand this is something that doesn't require pulling the motor. I got a Harley shop manual but I could use any advice from those who have been there already. Whats a good cam to give me more mid-range power on a heavy FI touring bike? I'm thinking an Andrews EV13. Any advice?

Thanks,
Bogey

 

Be sure to replace the inner cam bearing while you're in there. People like the EV13. I have an EV1, which is about the same as a stock Evo cam according to Andrews.

 

New lifters are about a bill to a bill and a half now. They are easy to replace if you have adjustable pushrods. If you don't, cut out the stock pushrods with a bolt cutter and install new "easy install" adjustable pushrods so you don't have to take off the rocker covers to replace the lifters and cam. I'd install new pushrod cover O-rings as well. They are inexpensive, and leaking pushrod covers are a mess.

Since you said mid-range power and not low-end power - an Andrews EV-27 or V-Thunder EVL-3010 cam would seem to be in order. The EV-13 is made for heavy bikes and kicks in at a lower RPM than the others - so if you like to lug your motor to get that "Harley sound" and want good stoplight acceleration off idle without winding the motor up to 3000+ RPM, then you might like that cam better. But it won't pull as strong at 3000-5000 RPM.

I run the EVL-3010 and I like it, but it likes some revs, and Bertha still pings at under 3000 RPM, even on premium gas. I'm backing off my timing advance (Daytona Twin Tec ignition) slowly until it stops, but I haven't gotten to that point yet. I'm at 5 on a 10 point scale now. Next stop, 4 - even though Daytona recommends 7 on premium... go figure. All the downshifting to get revs is starting to wear on me... so I may adjust the pickup in the nose cone to retard it a bit. Pinging is BAD!

I will say that the EVL-3010 has delivered EXCELLENT gas mileage... I get north of 45 MPG on a 900-pound unladen machine, and I ride pretty... umm... aggressively!

Lots of cam threads here, and excellent instructions on replacing a cam at nightrider.com.

And, as the Good Doctor said, be sure to replace the cam bearing with a Torrington!

 

Thanks for the info. The more I think about the way I ride I would rather have the better low end that I'll get with an EV-13. I typically never go above 4,000 rpm. Yeah, I heard about the oem cam bearings I figure if I replace the lifters and the bearing I should be good to go for another 50-60,000 miles. I just hope to hell that the rattle is a lifter and not a wrist pin or something. Sounds definitely like a lifter when I'm riding, but when I get off of it it sounds more like a knock. Maybe I should get a second opinion before I tear into it.

 

I've got a 93 fatboy that last fall I was riding around Las Vegas and started hearing a lifter getting louder than normal. I took it apart last winter found that the rear exhaust lifter roller had siezed up and the needle bearings were trying to shift to one side. I caught it in time so no metal went through the engine. I put new lifters in along with a Crane 296-2 cam with the gear in the 4 degree advance position to lower the rpm's 250 to 300 for better lower end torque. The cam bearing was the INA bearing and I replaced it with the torrington one.

 

Yeah mine sounds almost definitely like a lifter when I'm riding it - loud pinging like I'm using terrible gas. The rattling is loudest when I'm just cruising on the level at around 2-3000 rpm. As soon as I crank open the throttle it quiets down some. When I get off the bike and stand beside it, it sounds like its more coming from the lower end, but I guess thats where the lifters are located. I'll bet its something like what happened to you.

 

The reason I like the EV-13 is you don't have to advance it to put the power where you need it and use it; it's already designed to do that. And it has the longer exhaust duration for better exhaust scavenging and engine cooling.
It's the successor to the EV-1, with the intake timing advanced 3 degrees, same .485 lift, with the EV-1 also having .485 lift on the exhaust as opposed to the 13's .495, and the EV-1 opens the exhaust valve 11 degrees later than the 13, with 12 degrees less exhaust duration total. By the way, the EV-1 doesn't resemble either of the 80's EPA Evo cams in the slightest.
My own experience after many tens of thousands of miles with the EV-13 is much improved power at all rpm, with slightly improved fuel mileage. (Despite constant "lugging" of the engine.)
I use Crane lifters, having no faith in the H-D variety, although the B numbers are supposed to be improved.

 

Thanks for the info, I'm getting the EV13. I was wondering about the MoCo lifters, I'm not sure whose to go with.

 

You'll find RevTech lifters cheap on ebay, but I'm uncertain as to their quality. Jims, Velvettouch, S&S, Crane, all make lifters and I believe you can trust those to be higher quality. Just don't accidentally order solid lifters, LOL.

 

96RoadKing - I ordered an EV13 and Crane timesaver chromemoly adjustable pushrods, Crane hydraulic tappets and some other goodies last night. Hoping to get everything delivered by the weekend. With a little luck I should be riding next monday. Yeah I know about solid lifters - I had an old Triumph Bonneville and some other toys with solids. BTW - I ordered a Sonnax Needle Bearing for the cam - I assume that it is a Torrington style bearing. I don't know what an INA bearing looks like till I get into it and get the old one out.