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One more ticker

3K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  Buck99 
#1 ·
2005 Softail 8700 miles-stock- no internal mods-just StreetSweeper pipes and stage1 carb-re-jetted 190/46(or 48 dont recall) casually ridden-got it with 5500 miles almost 4 years ago. Only recently developed a steady valve train sounding tick most positively coming from front topend. Warming up very hard to hear if at all. 2 min after that tic tic tic -decelerating very pronounced,accelerating and idle can be heard at all times too.

Had MMI tech(16yrs exp) friend remove valve cover to check tolerances-all in spec...012-.015 in/out.
Said pushrods looked good.Said there was plenty of oil bathing topend, no filter restrictions, no line clogging, did a foam leak test, all came up with nothing.
At this point I told him to stop, put it all back together and I limped it home hypnotized from the ticking.Seems to be running a little "muddy" to me too.
Tomorrow it goes to a real V-twin shop.
I might have missed any thread detailing a solution same as mine, so I will add to the :beatdh: of ticking threads with found problem/solution/$$ amount for fix.
I could just go kick a tree right now.
 
#5 ·
Good thing is I took it a shop owned by a friend of my uncle that's known him for 40 years, won't be free by any means, I swear I thought I saw $ signs in his pupils when I dropped it off today. Said it would go up on table today and I should get a call today or tomorrow on diagnosis/repair.
thanks for responding :)
 
#8 ·
Got the call back....conclusion = Nothing! He said he drove it various speeds from 30-70mph for 7-8 miles and cant hear anything what I was describing...even had someone cover up the pipes so they could listen closer.
Said it was one of the smoothest running engines he had run across and said just to ride it.
I told him to keep it and ride it some more...I know what I was hearing and it was not faint by any means nor was it random...steady cyclical and very pronounced the last 3 times I rode it.
He did say there may have been a little something in there that got chewed up and spit out and now it's just not doing it- wtf?
He could have easily made up some other story and charged me for something, but that's not the case.
He started this shop in 1972, so I gotta think he knows what he is telling me is spot on.
I also know what I'm hearing-I even took off my windshield and rode it---still there--that's when I decided I need to take it in and have it looked at.
Now I feel very foolish and confused.
When I pick it up next Saturday I'm riding it around before I leave the area-I just can not believe it can't be heard now.
This saga aint over yet.
 
#9 ·
Shop owner called me back after putting 20 more miles on it yesterday...said he got more work in and has no more time to fix "nothing I can detect or determine".
Unless he blew it out/chewed it up or unstuck what ever it was, he cant hear it/find it.
I will be absolutely shocked to not hear the pronounced ticking I was experiencing the ride home from the other technician's shop that heard it and he couldn't figure it out the day before I loaded it up and hauled it 30 miles.
And no service charge...I even offered to pay him for at least an hour of labor and he declined..said come pick it up.
I will ride it like I stole it on the way home.
 
#13 ·
When I rode home from the shop it was 49 deg, 70mph traffic, I live right off the highway and I got home I was cold and just parked it. This weekend I rode again in reg traffic in my sub division,and I still have the ticking, most noticable in deceleration,I'll say it again, it's not something you to strain to hear-it's very pronounced. I feel like I wasted my time taking it to someone who can not establish a diagnosis for this, it's more than evindent it's occuring. I think im going to loosen and resnug the exhaust connections, if that doesn't make a difference the next person I take it to, someone is getting on the back and going for a ride with me. I'm not giving up on this :dh:
 
#14 ·
just a suggestion!

I to had that problem on my 2000 FLHRIP. now I'm old school and if you hear a noise that ain't sposed to be there somethings wrong. Well after many hours of trying to diagnose this problem I called Hot Shot Motorworks and spoke to them, well they clued me in to a lifter problem. Yes a lifter problem, so I purchased a set of their lifters and low and behold halliluagh that solved the problem. It seems not enough oil pressure is availible to keep the lifters pumped up to operated properly. Not sayin this is the same problem you have but givem a call and talk to em, cant hurt. Good Luck, Jim
 
#16 ·
Seems being persistent is starting to pay off...after 5-6 visits gathering oil change/ and other gaskets and such and generally hanging out and probing the parts counter guy to death..the master mechanic of the dealer is sick of hearing my problem and has offered to step in-bring bike by his off hours shop and said together we would remove the valve cover off-pull pushrods out to see if they were bent, and if those were fine and nothing else is evident, he suspects it will be the upper rod bearing shim on piston...only so many moving parts to cause ticking up in the jug...cant get the bike to him before 11-16...more to come.
 
#17 ·
So is the bike ticking or not? If its not, don't worry about it:beer: it was most likely a sticky pressure relief valve stuck open from sitting or a sticky lifter. All of which can fix themselves once they get lubed up again.
The old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Rings very true with Harley's .
 
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