Sitting at a stop light, the engine will start knocking. Kinda acts like it's leaning out and starving for fuel. Runs perfect other than that. Any idea where to start looking? Checked my plugs and they don't show signs of pre ignition. Was thinking timing or VOES, or maybe an intake leak?

94 FXSTS, S&S super E, screaming eagle module. Last tank was premium.

 

Id check lifters. Or maybe a loose adj. Push rod.
Evos have lifters that seem to wear out around 40-70k
Miles.

 

When you say knock, do you mean spark knock or like a rod knock ?

 

Will do. Wouldn't that cause a problem throughout and not just at idle.

 

Spark knock.

 

Spark knock at an idle with no load?? Not likely I think it is something mechanical, you need to determine where it is coming from. Could be a lifter or cam bearing going south. Then we surely can be of some assistance

 

This may not be very likely but i recently experienced a similar symptom with my new motor, whenever it was good and hot it would start knocking at idle pretty loud. Turned out to be the pushrods hitting the tubes, the echo inside the motor made it sound very deep and sounded like it was coming from the top end, so i didnt expect it to be the pushrods. If it starts knocking watch your pushrod tubes for movement and give each one a little push/pull, if one were hitting the noise will disappear when you move the tube a little. The angle of the front exhaust makes it a problem area for clearances. Solution is to check for bent pushrod and replace, trim top pushrod tube, and re-align the rocker box. Like a said.. its kind of a shot in the dark, but very easy to check for.

 

Thanks guys. I bought the bike last October, the speedo shows 15,000 but who knows if that's the actaul mileage. I've got a new cam bearing in my box. Guess it's time to tear into it.

 

If you are going to change the cam bearing I would go ahead and put an EV-27 cam and new pushrods in.

Just my

 

That seems to be the most popular. Is there one that offers more power? Maybe the E3 or E46?