Valve train noise with Woods cams

[DURWOOD]

Originally Posted by BVBOB

That is a very aggressive ramped cam you are running , you have to expect more noise than stock, noise is a relative thing, what is unbearable to some is not noticed by others. Hey Durwood, is that little man with the hammer any relation to the little man in the boat.

Could be,because both can drive a man nuts

[BMoscato]

Originally Posted by DURWOOD

Could be,because both can drive a man nuts

And they'll both make you go broke...

[Tom Arnold]

Yes I feel the pain of speed. Like I said it runs great but that TANK,TANK,TANK is getting a little old. To the point of not being comfortable in riding it 400 miles from home. As I mentioned I have talked to Gary Williams in Pearl Mississippi who started as a carb man but now is doing allot of harley parts and building a ton of 117's that he says you can ride across country with no problems. He said it should not be that loud. Guess I'm in for a 3 hour trailer trip to drop it of and 3 hours home and then all over again to pick it up to see what he can do with it. No shop in town can work on this.
Just thought I will see if anyone could help before making this trip.

[nw_guy4_fun]

Originally Posted by Tom Arnold

Yes I feel the pain of speed. Like I said it runs great but that TANK,TANK,TANK is getting a little old. To the point of not being comfortable in riding it 400 miles from home. As I mentioned I have talked to Gary Williams in Pearl Mississippi who started as a carb man but now is doing allot of harley parts and building a ton of 117's that he says you can ride across country with no problems. He said it should not be that loud. Guess I'm in for a 3 hour trailer trip to drop it of and 3 hours home and then all over again to pick it up to see what he can do with it. No shop in town can work on this.
Just thought I will see if anyone could help before making this trip.

Please let us know what happens
Gary is one sharp dude.

[wydopn231]

didn't read all threads so this might have already been said. Check the rocker covers around the springs.If you have larger springs they usualy need to be ground for clearance.I ground mine thought I had plenty of clearance.When I pulled them off for some other stuff I found that they where still hitting on 3 of them only slightly ,but enough to make noise.

[Tom Arnold]

Thanks for the info. the front cam thing you talk about makes sense. I will ask those that are more able then I. IF this can fix it I will go gear drive. If that will take half of the noise away I will be pleased, and can live with that. It's just when it sounds like it's ready to come apart makes me uncomfortable to say the least. If this is the fix it's going with billet cam plate and gear drives. I guess Gary Williams will know. Again thanks to all.

[hogger706]

Wait till you buy a new harley and makes all the same noises and comes for the factory. This what drives you nuts because they tell this is normal.

[nw_guy4_fun]

Tom Arnold
How did you make out with your persuit?

[itsafatboy]

Before you go chasing this issue , i would just throw a set of other cams in like ss 625 or something cheep if its quite you have answer , i had woods tw8g did every thing tried every lifter, did every shim , tried diff. spring rates no help , fast closing exhaust ramp speed is the issue, there are other cams that do have power and are not as loud, Tman has a bunch, i am not bashing woods because i still feel his cams hit the hardest , and i loved the TW8G , the TW9b seems to be quite enough for me , in my 116" but just save time anb money test another cam if its quite and has same or close to same lift and TDC lift you have your answer.

[C-Cat]

Originally Posted by nw_guy4_fun

Please let us know what happens
Gary is one sharp dude.

His carbs go on Reher-Morrisons engines or at least they used to. Interesting to see some of the car and snowmobile guys are into Harleys also .

[towboattrash34]

I have the woods 408-6 cam in my 117 and it is very loud. There is nothing u can do to quiet it down. Do like others said change cams to a diff brand is about the only thing I know of.

[nw_guy4_fun]

I have the same cams and 117" motor with big heavy valves and 188# valvesprings and the only time I hear anything more than a slight tick is on the hottest of days in traffic. Very quiet overall

[towboattrash34]

Originally Posted by nw_guy4_fun

I have the same cams and 117" motor with big heavy valves and 188# valvesprings and the only time I hear anything more than a slight tick is on the hottest of days in traffic. Very quiet overall

you are just lucky....... or def....lol they are louder than the fat cat.

[dbrow6272]

I bought a 2008 FLHTCU that the previous owner had built. He had the TW8G cams installed along with going to 103. I have been riding since 1968. Many different Harleys through the years. Even worked for a couple dealerships and had my own shop for a bit. Did nothing but speed work on shovels and evos. This is the noisiest cam set I have ever endured. I even called Bob Wood, and he just said check the pinion runout. What? I like the idea of swapping cams and seeing what I can come up with. I do not trust this engine for a long trip or even a 500 mile ride. It is back at the dealership at this time and I want them to make it right. I talked with the salesman today and he is going to get on it Monday. If they can't fix it I will be getting a different bike. Too bad I really like the looks of this machine but cannot stand the noise!

[BVBOB]

Originally Posted by dbrow6272

I bought a 2008 FLHTCU that the previous owner had built. He had the TW8G cams installed along with going to 103. I have been riding since 1968. Many different Harleys through the years. Even worked for a couple dealerships and had my own shop for a bit. Did nothing but speed work on shovels and evos. This is the noisiest cam set I have ever endured. I even called Bob Wood, and he just said check the pinion runout. What? I like the idea of swapping cams and seeing what I can come up with. I do not trust this engine for a long trip or even a 500 mile ride. It is back at the dealership at this time and I want them to make it right. I talked with the salesman today and he is going to get on it Monday. If they can't fix it I will be getting a different bike. Too bad I really like the looks of this machine but cannot stand the noise!

I ran the woods 8 in my own bike couldn't stand the noise, swapped out to the very similar Tman 590 silent ramp design cam, lost a little peak power but have better roll on power and a small amount of valve train noise.