Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
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Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
I seen the previous post regarding noise, but I'm not sure if I got the opposite:
None, Na-Da, Zero, Zip...........That's what I got.
My 96 fatboy with mileage over 50K & some what I thought was excessive tapping for a couple seconds when 1st starting, I decided to upgrade the original lifters with SE lifters. I thought I had the SE Adjustable Pushrods because I had paid a dealer for them during an EV27 cam install some 7 years ago. Welp, after discovering that the OEM pushods where still there the job turned out to be a little more than expected & during removal of 1 pushrod the rocker end of the pushrod was real rough along with the rocker where it sits. All the others were fine. To eliminate any future problems I replaced all rockers, pushrods (SE adjustables), & Lifters. The 1st time I started the bike after adjusting the pushrods it clattered more than I had expected. I went back & readjusted all 4 again. Now there is no valve train noise at all. I never heard an EVO motor this quiet. Runs great too. Is it possible I went to tight? I did the zero lash, then 3 turns. The zero lash was questionable depending on feel. About 1/2 a turn's worth of questionable area.
Me & my son is starting an 8K mile trip (He will be riding this bike) next week. Maryland to Sturgis, Yellowstone, West Coast, Grand Canyon, etc., etc.. I'd hate to have the bike melt down on him out in the middle of some desert. Any & all opinions are welcome.
Gene
None, Na-Da, Zero, Zip...........That's what I got.
My 96 fatboy with mileage over 50K & some what I thought was excessive tapping for a couple seconds when 1st starting, I decided to upgrade the original lifters with SE lifters. I thought I had the SE Adjustable Pushrods because I had paid a dealer for them during an EV27 cam install some 7 years ago. Welp, after discovering that the OEM pushods where still there the job turned out to be a little more than expected & during removal of 1 pushrod the rocker end of the pushrod was real rough along with the rocker where it sits. All the others were fine. To eliminate any future problems I replaced all rockers, pushrods (SE adjustables), & Lifters. The 1st time I started the bike after adjusting the pushrods it clattered more than I had expected. I went back & readjusted all 4 again. Now there is no valve train noise at all. I never heard an EVO motor this quiet. Runs great too. Is it possible I went to tight? I did the zero lash, then 3 turns. The zero lash was questionable depending on feel. About 1/2 a turn's worth of questionable area.
Me & my son is starting an 8K mile trip (He will be riding this bike) next week. Maryland to Sturgis, Yellowstone, West Coast, Grand Canyon, etc., etc.. I'd hate to have the bike melt down on him out in the middle of some desert. Any & all opinions are welcome.
Gene
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RE: Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
Never heard of this complaint before of being too quiet
If you are concerned that they are too tight, try to readjust them again and see if anything is off (too tight), if nothing else it will give you piece of mind.
If you are concerned that they are too tight, try to readjust them again and see if anything is off (too tight), if nothing else it will give you piece of mind.
Road Warrior
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RE: Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
Bill,
I haven't put my EV3 cam and adjustable pushrods in yet, but my EVO's valvetrain is quiet as well... I have had a couple of the 'speed shops' comment that 'ol Fred' must have adjusted those pushrods as there is no noise and when I tell them they are the original, factory, non-adjustable ones they either say 'yeah, right' or 'I'll be damned'. I asked about 'ol Fred' and they say he adust the pushrods 2-1/2 turns after contact, starts the motor and keeps extending them until the valve train noise just barely goes away... Anybody else heard of this method? Does this compensate for any lifter issues?
I haven't put my EV3 cam and adjustable pushrods in yet, but my EVO's valvetrain is quiet as well... I have had a couple of the 'speed shops' comment that 'ol Fred' must have adjusted those pushrods as there is no noise and when I tell them they are the original, factory, non-adjustable ones they either say 'yeah, right' or 'I'll be damned'. I asked about 'ol Fred' and they say he adust the pushrods 2-1/2 turns after contact, starts the motor and keeps extending them until the valve train noise just barely goes away... Anybody else heard of this method? Does this compensate for any lifter issues?
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RE: Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
Dave
The purpose of the adjustment in the 2 1/2 to 3 turns is to get the lifter in the middle of the operating range (travel). If you have them too tight as in 1/2 turn additional, it will be quiet ,however if you float a lifter on a high rpm run, chances of bumping a piston are a bit better than if you had loose adjustments.
The purpose of the adjustment in the 2 1/2 to 3 turns is to get the lifter in the middle of the operating range (travel). If you have them too tight as in 1/2 turn additional, it will be quiet ,however if you float a lifter on a high rpm run, chances of bumping a piston are a bit better than if you had loose adjustments.
Road Warrior
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RE: Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
however if you float a lifter on a high rpm run, chances of bumping a piston are a bit better than if you had loose adjustments.
Road Warrior
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RE: Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
So is it better to have a quieter valve train or a noisy valve train? How much noise is desirable?
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RE: Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
I get the feeling you're pulling my leg but here goes.........No noise is desirable, quiet is always better, however we can't always have what we want all the time ,only sometimes and that comes at a price, usually but not always, however sometimes it's worth it but we don't realize this until afterwards when it's too late, then we realize what we missed or should have had but by then it's too late too, so we must back up and try again only to find out there is no more ,so we start again and this process just keeps repeating and repeating itself until we buy a honda Does this explain it for you??
Does this explain it for you??
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2005
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RE: Valve Train Is Too Quiet??
No I wasn't pulling your leg. I wanted to know down the line for when I have to rebuild the engine. Then I can rebuild it exactly the way I want it.
Valve train noise doesn't bother me. It just worries me that things inside my engine are loose and it's going to explode on me a lot sooner than I want it to. Besides I find all this interesting.
To me the pipe noise sounds good. The valve train noise doesn't. On a large truck when the valves make noise it sounds like they have ***** not rattling around. In my bike it sounds like they're just rattling around.
As for the honda. No offense to anybody that has one, but it's not for me. I hate plastic and aluminum all over the bike. Their bikes look ok until you touch them and then this wobbles or that snaps and you're holding a bunch of plastic in your hands. I can't live like that. Not to mention a lot of their engines sound like blenders gone wrong.
As for the valve train tightness and noise. Feel free to get all technical on us.
Valve train noise doesn't bother me. It just worries me that things inside my engine are loose and it's going to explode on me a lot sooner than I want it to. Besides I find all this interesting.
To me the pipe noise sounds good. The valve train noise doesn't. On a large truck when the valves make noise it sounds like they have ***** not rattling around. In my bike it sounds like they're just rattling around.
As for the honda. No offense to anybody that has one, but it's not for me. I hate plastic and aluminum all over the bike. Their bikes look ok until you touch them and then this wobbles or that snaps and you're holding a bunch of plastic in your hands. I can't live like that. Not to mention a lot of their engines sound like blenders gone wrong.
As for the valve train tightness and noise. Feel free to get all technical on us.
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