Engine noise
Club Member
Joined: May 2007
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From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
Cam chain tensioners is where I would look first also. Do you still have oil pressure? Sometimes trash from the bad tensioners goes to the oil pump, and shears the key. Or maybe just plugged up the screen to the lifters. Might check the screen to the lifters first to see if there is any blockage there.
First thing I thought of also, with it coming on all of a sudden.25-30k,, its past time for some.
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Western MD
before you open it back up, confirm where the noise is coming from. valve train or bottom end. when killing a cyl, ie.. taking ign fire away from it, you remove the combustion pressures inside the cyl, but it has no effect on the valve train since its moving and under the same pressure regardless of whether the cyl is firing or not.
with the eng running pull the frt cyl plug wire and kill the cyl. if the noise doesn't make a noticeable change, then its in the valve train. if it does make a noticeable change then its in the bottom end. if it doesn't change by killing the frt, try killing the rear just to make sure its not in the bottom end.
with the eng running pull the frt cyl plug wire and kill the cyl. if the noise doesn't make a noticeable change, then its in the valve train. if it does make a noticeable change then its in the bottom end. if it doesn't change by killing the frt, try killing the rear just to make sure its not in the bottom end.
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2011
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From: East Peoria, IL
Well I got down to the lifters on the front cylinder, sticking a little pick into the hole in the top, one is pretty solid, the other is flapping around 1/8 inch or so under the little clip, assuming the sloppy one is bad? I plan on changing them all but I'd like to confirm this for future reference.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 131
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From: iowa
I just went through a similar thing on my 05 eglide. The noise does not seem as severe as yours sounds, but it did not sound good. It turned out both front lifters were bad, as in the hard coating on the rollers was 25-75% gone causing the lifters to bind. It sounds like you are close enough in the process to take off the lifter covers and examine the lifters. My front cam was also showing wear to the point that I replaced the cams and lifters both. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but it sounds very similar to wht I just had. Good luck!
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From: Honah Lee
Well I got down to the lifters on the front cylinder, sticking a little pick into the hole in the top, one is pretty solid, the other is flapping around 1/8 inch or so under the little clip, assuming the sloppy one is bad? I plan on changing them all but I'd like to confirm this for future reference.
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2011
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From: East Peoria, IL
Replaced the two front lifters, one didn't look like OEM HD, the little cup inside was silver and looked like it was machined different and the oil hole wasn't in the same place as any of lifter. But got it all together and that noise is still there, after listening I am almost 100% sure it's the front head where the noise is coming from but nothing looks bad or anything. Did a compression check and both cylinders are around 160, although the rear seemed to get there faster but it could've just been me. Was going to put the good lifter I replaced in the spot I put the off looking lifter, any suggestions or advice here before I do this again?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Western MD
Replaced the two front lifters, one didn't look like OEM HD, the little cup inside was silver and looked like it was machined different and the oil hole wasn't in the same place as any of lifter. But got it all together and that noise is still there, after listening I am almost 100% sure it's the front head where the noise is coming from but nothing looks bad or anything. Did a compression check and both cylinders are around 160, although the rear seemed to get there faster but it could've just been me. Was going to put the good lifter I replaced in the spot I put the off looking lifter, any suggestions or advice here before I do this again?
did you isolate the noise by killing the cylinder and determine if it was valve train or bottom end ?
if it is in the valve train as it may be since you said it sounded like it was in the head area, you may want to pull the rocker box covers and check the rocker arms and make sure none of the bolts have backed out or the rocker shaft carrier isn't broken/cracked. a loose rocker arm or flexing carrier will hammer away like nobody's business.
a cracked piston ring land could also make a hammering type noise that could also sound like its coming from the top of the head area even though its considered to be a "bottom end" component . this would come from the top of the piston flexing under the combustion stroke.. killing the cylinder would greatly reduce the noise if not eliminate it all together.
since multiple eng parts can have similar noises when failing i can't stress enough the need to isolate/determine the eng area/components that are causing the noise before tearing into it again. IE.. valve train or bottom end..
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2011
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From: East Peoria, IL
I tried isolating the noise but I may have forgot to mention that when I try to start it its not wanting to run, it'll fire a few times then die, I'm smelling a burnt smell, before I took anything apart I noticed smoke coming from the intake, after putting everything back together the smoke was now coming out of the exhaust, at first though upon reassembly it would run for at least 10-15 seconds but the noise made me want to cry so I'd kill it and it really sounded to me like it was from the front rocker box. I opened up both rocker boxes and there's no oil in them, last time i cleaned them out completely to see if there is something possibly wrong with the oil pump here to not pump up the lifters. I know it wasn't running very long and possibly just never ran enough to get oil up there but still I'm curious if this oil pump that already wet sumps pretty bad is possibly playing a part in this. Also, there's a decent amount of mucky **** in the cam chest, looks like its got metal in it, not full on shavings, more like sprinkled with fine glitter, I'm not sure how much if any of this kind of stuff is common down there. I went to tech school for HDs but they were all bench engines or bikes only running for 5 minutes in between disassembling. Damnit this is pissing me off
I did remove the two lifters I replaced though and have had them soaking in oil overnight, I doubt that's an issue but before I just dumped oil in the lifter over before reassembly.
I did remove the two lifters I replaced though and have had them soaking in oil overnight, I doubt that's an issue but before I just dumped oil in the lifter over before reassembly.
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From: Honah Lee
Soaking in oil is going to do nothing for lifters. If by chance they are gummed up, you would need to pull them apart. Once they bleed down, you should be able to move the cup up and down about .2 inch or so with the spring pressure. Sound like you are in way over your head. That little point you forgot to mention is ONE BIG POINT. That fine glitter is probably small pieces of the cam chain tensioners. If the pins of the chain links are down to them they are worn out. They will make that glitter in the cam chest and is no big deal. Will it stick to a magnet?
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Sep 7, 2012 at 01:30 PM.