Alright I'm new, so if I'm in the wrong spot just point me in the right direction.
My question concerns my 1991 FLHS EVO. I recently bought this gem from my buddy at work. He bought this 1991 FLHS brand new. He had the cam, ignition box and maybe the pipes changed by the dealer in 1991. (screamin eagle kit?) He rides long trips to Texas, Penn., Daytona etc. Tells me he's buying a newer one from his son. Says he's never had any problems other than the cam nut came loose one time at Myrtle beach and was making a noise that the local dealer fixed while he waited. He also said that the 5th gear seal leaked while in Daytona, again the local dealer fixed while he was there. So I bought it at what I think is a fair deal for a one owner.
This brings me to my problem. I've had her for 2 weeks no problems. I'm going to a local benefit ride, stop at my girls house to pick her up and after setting for maybe 10 mins. I go out and fire it up. Well, it sounds like theres a loose bolt in there floating around at idle. I rev it a little and the noise picks up. Not quite like it's a conecting rod but it gets faster. I ride it on to the meeting place and after about 2 hours of sitting I leave with no noise. Today when I get home I go out and fire it up. Again it sounds like theres something loose in there. Sounds like gravel or a bolt or something in there bouncing around. Engine runs fine but scares me so I turned it off. Any ideas?....(try not to laugh too much at my expense) I've had experience with auto repair but don't know wich way is up on this Harley motor. Thanks in advance.

 

I should've added it's got 47000 miles on her. Is that too much for this type engine? Am I looking at a rebuild? Will this baby get me to the mountains and then to Myrtle in May?

 

Well, first you are going have to try to find out where the noise is coming from....upper? lower? My 93 Fatboy has 35,000 and still running strong and there are guys on here that claim 80,000 or more.

 

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- where is the sound coming from ?

- and what is a "cam nut " ?

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coming from the right side for sure. Not really sure if it's top or bottom. comes and goes. it'll sound like somethings in there bouncing around then quit for a few seconds then do it again. it does get faster with the rpms but doesn't seem proportional. it just doesn't sound like I would expext it to if it were a valve. again I don't know squat about these motors. As I understood it the cam nut held the cam in place? heck man I don't really know anything other than I'm afraid I've bought a hole to throw money in.....haha. Is the repairs comparable to automobiles. I can see something like this costing thousands and I'm scared to death of that.

 

There's so many things it could be. Could be serious, could be minor. You need to have a good mechanic look at it. If it's only got 47K on it and the guy took care of it, it's probably not too bad, although Evo's are known for tappet failures. But the noise you describe doesn't sound like that, plus you'd have oil on the right side of the engine and it would run like dogpoop. You could drain the oil and see if there's any metal bits in it. On the '91s there's a **** poor arrangement where a set screw holds the tranny sprocket in place. If it comes off the sprocket can slide back and forth. Maybe that makes a noise like what you say.

 

I'm still learning, myself... I've got automotive experience too, so I'll shoot from the hip here with my best guess and what I would do. I would fire it up to see if the noise is still there. At that point, I'd shut her down and pop ther push rod covers off. They arent too bad, you just have to figure the combination out. The collar on the tube is spring loaded, push it down and the top part will come out. See if any of the rods are loose. Not knowing any better, it sounds like a lifter to me because it comes and goes as it pleases, possibly with temperature and its on the right side where there are no chains or loose geears flopping arround(that I can think of).. There's alot of guys on here with much more experience than me, but it sounds fairly simple to me.. Good luck..

 

- is your engineoil level low ?

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You need to see a Harley man as soon as possible. We cannot hear iton line (at least not from over here in the UK!), but someone who knowsHarleys and hears it will probably tell you straight away what is wrong.

 

A) Probably a lifter, either you are low on oil or lacking pressure. Could just be a worn tappet(the front exhaust is on an angle that puts more strain on it).
B) Since the cam nut(bolt) came loose once, could be it. Remove the cover over the ignition breaker(on cone cam case). The cam retainer is right in front(hex head). If it is loose I would replace it and start it up to see if that was it. Loose nut/cam could make the racket. Assure cam "nut" is not pressing against the breaker cover, could be why it keeps loosening up.
C) Good Luck, keep us posted.