I have a 2013 street glide. When I accelerate, the engine sounds like a chain is rattling against something. It sounds like it coming from the left side of the engine. It wont do it when at steady rpms. any ideas on what is causing this?

 

Is it worse in the heat? Does it get worse under load? ie. going up hill? If so likely pre-detonation (aka Ping). If so you need to address it. It will eventually destroy your motor. Run the best gas you can and get it tuned.

 

Are you running premium gas?

 

LOL!

In summer heat it's not uncommon for more then a few HD's to " in fact detonate/ping on perm 93 fuel" .

But thats dependent on if the exhaust is quiet enough to hear if detonation is present which would likely be an issue esp with an HD.

That's because i'd not be surprised if more the half guys/gals riding an HD these days are running at the very least louder aftermarket slipons & have no idea the motor detonating because then can't hear it.

It's sad to see (time after time) when talking anything to do with heat related issues on an HD that the majority of guys posting here in HDForums on the subject of air cooled HD's pref in summer heat cond either don't understand & or simply refuse to accept the fact " the excessive heat all air cooled HD's generate in summer cond is in fact the root cause of many issues with respect to degradation in engine pref & overall rider comfort" many air cooled HD experience on some lvl in summer heat cond like i have posted many time prior.

The problem is most guys here take stock in and or believe the BS coming from people that have in fact " never tried the 2 cooling mods " while at the same time continuing to post additional cooling for air cooled HD's in summer heat cond isn't needed & or wouldn't be beneficial when again!:

" None of them know whats going on because " THEY NEVER TRIED IT " therefore should not post things they know nothing about ' UNTIL THEY IN FACT TRY IT " using the exact same 2 cooling mods i did on my bike.

Those same guys also refuse to believe what i have been posting is true coming from someone thats actually tried it on his own bike raving about the 5-6 great improvements post " actually doing it " & experiencing the results 1st hand truly putting me a position to comment on it which is pooh pooh'd every time here in hdforums.

And that also included me posting the same type positive results a few other guys obtained post installing just the UC oil cooler with elec cooling fans on their bikes like they saw was kicking butt on my bike in 98deeg f HHH summer heat & loving the benefits they got .

1 of those guys plans on also installing Wards cooling fans for max cooling efficiency like he saw was happening on my bike in the traffic jame we were in with 98deg f HHH summer heat for 55-58mins that had their HD's melting down /stalling/idling like crap with little to no oil pressure (0-2 3ish psi ) @ idle & oil temp of roughly 275-300deg f with valves & lifters making noise too.

My bike siting next to them in the same 98deg f HHH cond for 55-58 mils in same cond had l had lowest reading of 16psi oil pressure @ idle & valves/lifters quiet vs their 1-2-maybe 3psi @ idle oil pressure @ the same time.

,But normally in summer heat with the 2 cooling mods my bike maintains a consistent 18psi at idle in summer heat when not sitting in a 98deg f HHH traffic jam for 55-58mins.

And my motors oil temp didnt go higher then approx 240 deg f in same cond due to the twin elec cooling fans (4 total!) going full blast on the UC oil cooler & Wards cooling fans when their bikes oil temp was running in the 275-300deg f oil temp range in same cond @ the same time.

And there was no problems with charging system & or battery keeping up with running all 4 cooling fans at the same time going full tilt for 55-58mins too.

While in the traffic jam i did turn off the passing lamps to reduce load on charging system & battery while in the traffic jam..

But no matter how much guys kick & scream posting here in hdforums how their air cooled HD's either don't need & or won't benefit from the additional cooling the 2 cooling mods i use & rec the fact remains cooling the oil 50deg F in summer heat (engine temp is significantly reduced @ same time!) like i did on my 09 HD " in fact " stopped the detonation in summer heat dead in its tracks.

My HD's motor now consistently maintains 10-12psi higher oil pressure then it used to along with the motor also retaining the pwr/trq & crisp throttle response it used to always loose in summer heat ,valves & lifters remain quiet too & more.

All those benefits can be had by all guys riding air cooled HD's but sadly most here in hdfroums will never experience the benefit of the 2 cooling mods i rec because they continue to drink the coolaid & BS thats coming from those here that have no 1st hand experience actually trying / installing the same 2 cooling mods i did on my HD.

I also rec guys with hd's that have a Cat to remove it and @ the very least install an enrichement device like for example Nightriders Adjustable Resistors to compliments the 2 cooling mods.

Doing that can reduce overall engine temp a few deg but doesn't reduce overall oil & engine temp near as much as the 2 cooling i installed did collectively working together as a strong robust cooling team providing a 50deg f reduction in oil temp min summer heat.

Anyone that doesnt think the all above i posted/stated isn't true & or not beneficial for an air cooled HD need's their frigging head looked at! /LOL!!

Happy Motoring.

Scott

 

it does get worst in the heat, I didn't notice the noise in the morning, more in the afternoons

 

I'm in Colorado, we only have 91 octane. Someone told me to check the compensator. The noise sounds like its coming from the primary.

 

Sounds like you're lugging the engine. Keep your RPMs up or go to a lower gear

 

The compensator nut could have come loose and the chain is hitting the primary case. When cruising there is not a lot of slack in the chain as with accelerating or on decel could be why it is not as noisy. I just read about this happening recently.

 

Motor ping is most always associated with lesser quality fuel. The fuels that go in the tanks today is probably less regulated than ever before, basically blended with more ethanol than before. Ethanol creates additional heat which also adds to tendency to ping. Just because pump says premium doesn't necessarily mean its good stuff or that it doesn't have a % of Ethanol. If your ping is something that just started...Try a couple other brands of premium fuel and see if you notice a change. Amaco Ultimate, and Shell tend to be the better stuff around here

 

I think lug maybe too. Should keep it above 2000 rpm maybe 2200 rpm. 2012 SG of mine seams its sweat spots 2700.