upper valve train tapping
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: airway heights
Noisey Lifters
Well Its still the same old story. My x rideing buddy bought a brand new 2011 FLHTCU POLICE at columbia hd in vancover WA. in fact WE hauled it home via my truck. Any way had one noisey lifter every am for about 1or 2 mins. I told him not to worry about (YA RITE) he changed oil at least 15 times different brands dino,syn. HD oil AMS REDLINE, torco mobile1 and onand on. also we road at least 8000miles to dealerships all over WASH. ID. Mont. Wyoming. Same story at moco ITS NORMAL THEY SAY. well he finally spent 4500.00$ on mods 103,cams fulsac,comp realeses. Scream Eagle lifters (270)$ still tick,tick. I told him to buy AMS lifters 120$ well he got angry at me now no talk. oh well I run AMS lifters they work fine. GO Figure
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 155
Likes: 4
From: Kissimmee
I have learned to live with the poor design that can't handle the mods that i've done. As most others have done also. Something in the rocker design doesn't like the added lift/duration.
Once whatever is causing the problem lets go i'll install a Honda engine which I will intentionally make misfire so it sounds like a HD engine, but without the tick.
If that doesn't work i'll trade it in and when they complain about the noise i'll say, "no worries, that's normal"!
Not sure why I love this thing so much, biggest pile of craap i've ever owned, but at least it starts hard hot since new and the brakes suck. rofl
Once whatever is causing the problem lets go i'll install a Honda engine which I will intentionally make misfire so it sounds like a HD engine, but without the tick.
If that doesn't work i'll trade it in and when they complain about the noise i'll say, "no worries, that's normal"!
Not sure why I love this thing so much, biggest pile of craap i've ever owned, but at least it starts hard hot since new and the brakes suck. rofl
Finish what you start
Hey Guys,
I started this thread and I hope to help put it too bed. I got the ,pretty much ride it and shut up but,
The day is here 30,000 mile later and its apart. Well some of the obvious things I found are not really serious.
There was a lot of play in the valve guides, and 003 play in the tappets.
With that being said the rest of the cylinders and the cams looked like new! There was still the cross hatch marks in both cylinders. The hydraulic cam chain tensioners looked almost new. The valve seats were all good and I got 50 mpgs with my wife 2 up. So I didn't want to be one of those guys out there that get help from people and never give back.
This experience has restored my faith in the MO. CO. What ever the brand I always used synthetic oil , I have seen for myself it really works!
I will keep up posted after I finish the upgrades.
Hope this is some help. Thanks
Charlie
I started this thread and I hope to help put it too bed. I got the ,pretty much ride it and shut up but,
The day is here 30,000 mile later and its apart. Well some of the obvious things I found are not really serious.
There was a lot of play in the valve guides, and 003 play in the tappets.
With that being said the rest of the cylinders and the cams looked like new! There was still the cross hatch marks in both cylinders. The hydraulic cam chain tensioners looked almost new. The valve seats were all good and I got 50 mpgs with my wife 2 up. So I didn't want to be one of those guys out there that get help from people and never give back.
This experience has restored my faith in the MO. CO. What ever the brand I always used synthetic oil , I have seen for myself it really works!
I will keep up posted after I finish the upgrades.
Hope this is some help. Thanks
Charlie
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 861
Likes: 135
From: Wisconsin
I'm beginning to think the same. 2012 FLHTK. Seems to have a light ticking or rapping noise from upper rocker box area. Louder with mobile 1 and a little quieter with regular petroleum. Two different techs say: pretty much normal for an air cooled motor. Had the same thoughts as you, there must be a reason for this noise, but beginning to think like you, Normal !
Jonnierock
Jonnierock
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,630
Likes: 185
From: Mountain West, Big Sky Country
i have alot of tapping goin on about 2000 and up, and when its hot i get it at idle. its an 08 96 rg with 16000 mi. the oil pressure is good. i took the lifters out and inspected them and 1 of the rollars was warn( the rear exhaust), so i inspected the lobe on the cam and it looked good.i replaced them with new stock ones with assembly lube and quick install push rods. it was a little better at first. but its back to about the same. i tryed convenional and synthetics. i installed a baisley spring in the cam plate. its sounds like its at the top of the motor. i had some efi problems awhile ago and the motor did some back firing on the highway at the 2500 range, that has bin fixed, im wondering if the backfiring could have messed up the rockers or the vaulve guides. any feedback will be greatly appreciated... thanks in advance.. charlie
My repair bill, which ESP is covering, is over $5K and its a rebuild. Bike had 18K on it
I measured tthe tappet holes and found that the are just over .003 with is right at the max from service manual .im putting jims over sized ones in ill let you know. It should raize the oil preasure a little.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,290
Likes: 20
From: Salem, Or
A buddy of mine was talking to the lead mechanic at Chandler Harley Because his 2010 103 was making all kinds of racket. The mechanic told him that it was normal then took him to about 6 different bikes in the shop, started them all and everyone of them had some type of ticking sound. He then went on to tell him that the only thing that will make it quiet is installing roller rockers. He left his bike there and they installed SE roller rockers and SE255 cams. Now 1800 miles later and the motor is quiet. No ticking noise what so ever. If I hadn't heard the motor myself I wouldn't have believed him. I am going to monitor his mileage and if the motor is still as quiet as it is now after 6000 miles I am going to install roller rockers in my bike. I just installed a 103 big bore kit, TW555 cams, fueling lifters. I already had FM adj pushrods and my bike ticks mostly between 1800 and 2500 rpms unless the bike is under medium to hard acceleration then it is quiet. Seems when the bike is under load it gets quiet. Other than the tick my bike runs great.
Found the tapping noise
It has been a few years and I said would find it and I did! I also wonted to make a informational post not just a have a problem post ,fix it and don't tell the others the FIX! Okay it was time for upgrades , but in doing them I found that the lifter bores were worn a little like a cone shape .I bought Fueling oversized 1.5 lifters. They measure 43.5. I bought a 43.8 ? 17/32 tapered reamer . FYI the tapper reamer has to be cut down after you chase out the 4 hole to allow it to go all the way threw to the bottom of the tappet holes..Finish honed with a 7/8 320 hone. There is about .0005 ten thousands clearance now instead of .003 thousands. Finished the SE103 upgrades and picked Andrews 54 cams, SE roller rockers SE pushrods, SE rocker plates, Shimed the rockers and had the heads done by Branch & Okeef PT head. When it is tuned they said I should be up around 116 hp and 119 torqe we shall see .
Any way it firerd up and is quiet all threw the RPM range.So I hope this helps someone as well.
:icon _lol:
Any way it firerd up and is quiet all threw the RPM range.So I hope this helps someone as well.
:icon _lol:
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 34
Likes: 10
From: NY
Upper Valve Clatter
Ihad the 103 Cu. In. SE Stage 4 installed in my 2010 Limited with V&H PowerDuals with Monster Ovals and the engine ran great and sounded normal for manymiles. I work for the US Army and acceptedan assignment to Germany. Had to put stock pipes on to pass the US safetyinspection and ran those pipes for about a year. When I took the pipes off andput the V&H Monster Ovals back on all of the sudden the valve clatter inthe engine kicked in. Not all the time,seems when under acceleration the clatter goes away and sometimes duringcruising. The German wrench said it isnormal with these Stage 4 kits since the cam lobs are so high then flat. Normally I could buy that but why didnt thatnoise exist when it was installed? Imean the clatter is sort of loud but the power the engine is making is quiteimpressive (even the German wrench said mu Limited really has some power). ButI wonder if the backpressure, from those stock cans, caused issues with thevalve springs? Look forward to yourcomments. 