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Ive got a 95 ultra that the motor is built with ported and polished screaming eagle heads bored with kieth black pistons hi volume oil pump Andrews ev23 cam with adkautle pushrods and I seems to me to have more than normal noise but it runs great and others say its quiet but it kelps good oil pressure. How much noise is normal with this build
I have heard that anytime you upgrade the cam, you get more noise from the rockers/valvetrain. Plus the fairing and windshield reflect a lot of that noise back at you, sometimes seemingly amplifying it. When it was built up, were the lifters changed?
Mine got noisier after I installed SE4 cam and high compression pistons. This is on a 95 Ultra also. Did the rebuild at 120,000 miles. That was 8,000 miles ago. Has a distinct tick to it now, not a knock or thump, just a tick. Has new Harley lifters. Compression went from 150 psi to 200 psi. The increase in power is so nice that I have finally been able to ignore the increased valve train noise. Also, as stated above, with the fairing and windshield, you notice every little noise.
My wife's '89 Custom Softail with a stock evo motor has a distinct tick to it also. My '91 Heritage had it too, though not as noisey as my 95. I really do think the fairing and windshield on the dressers amplifies all the engine noise.
Did you change cam gears when you changed cams. Cam gear mesh can make valvetrain noisier after upgrade if the original factory cam gear wasn't used. Andrews cams had a rep for being a bit noisier than factory also.
Its the Andrews cam...They are famous for their ability to add the 'tap-tap' noise to any self respecting engine. I ran an EV35 for 15 years and you get used to the noise. replaced it with an old S&S 6 months ago and all the noise was gone! go figure. Unfortunetly i have just installed an EV31 and now the noise is back...Sighhhhhhhhh
Now if the noise is a whining and not tap=tap, then you have the cam gears way too tight, which means something will chit itself in short order!
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