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Sounds like Marbles in a Tin Can.......

6K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  Stick_FSMC 
#1 ·
Well, the 2012 RGU started making a horrible racket last Friday night. Sounded like there were marbles behind the Cam Cover.

I took it in on Saturday morning and they agreed that it didn't sound good. Now I'm waiting for the verdict. They won't get to it until at least tomorrow, but I think it probably has something to do with the Cam Tensioner/Cam Plate. Just a guess, but I have heard of issues there.

There's 59K miles on the bike, so I'm not surprised. Good thing is that still under the Extended Warranty, with $0.00 deductible.

I'll keep you guys posted on what they find.
 
#4 ·
Well, I went down to check on the bike this afternoon. Looks bad. One of the tensioners was stuck, the cam plate was all chewed up, the oil pump had major score marks, the lifters and their rollers were scored as well and there was a pile of sparkly metal in the bottom of the motor.

Dealer says it may need a new engine. Since I have the zero deductible warranty, and this would be covered, I don't mind that.

I told them to continue the tear down to determine the full extent of the damage, and if it does indeed need a new engine, please work up a quote on the price differential on a new 120ST as well.

I don't know if I will go that route or not, but it doesn't hurt to have the quote.

If I do go with the 120ST, a new set of cams may be in the near future as well. I may want to swap out the SE259 for the hotter SE266's. (same as in the 120R) :grin:

As before, I'll keep everyone posted.
 
#5 · (Edited)
If you do go with the 120ST and want to upgrade the cams, look into T-man, S&S, Woods, Fuel Moto etc. The 266's do put out better max power but are not the best for everyday riding. Talk to a reputable builder about cam choices for where you want the power. Another option is to just keep the 259e's until the 1yr factory warranty is up and you can use that time to do some thorough research. Bottom line is that if you are going to change cams from the start and void the factory warranty on the engine do it with a better cam than the SE266. Just my 2 pennies

Hope they take care of you and good luck!
 
#9 ·
Yea, I don't think I will be able to get an aftermarket engine out of the MoCo.

I'm still not sure if I will get the 120ST. I might just have to go with a straight replacement of the 110 that's in there.

But if I can swing it, I would love to have the MoCo pay for most of the cost of the engine upgrade if possible.
 
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#11 ·
Got the news that the Warranty Company OKd' the new engine. Long block to be ordered on Monday. In the process, the SE255 cams are being replaced with SE259 cams. A little bit hotter, but not too wild.

Still have to wait for the engine to get here and into the bike, but at least I don't have to buy the new engine.
 
#13 ·
110" Long block got here on Tuesday. Also, the new cams shipped on tuesday, they were on back order. It's getting closer! :grin:
 
#14 ·
Just got the call from the Dealership. Bike is ready to be picked up. Now this day just can't get any slower. I have to wait until the end of work to go get it. It's been only 5 1/2 weeks, but it feels like more.

To recap:
New Long Block, updated cams from SE255 to SE259E. So this should be a little peppier without going to wild.

I'll post more later today after I get the bike back.
 
#16 ·
Will do!

I have to do the ECM flash since the EPA won't let the dealer do that now, but I have the software and the cables to use my SE Tuner.

Unfortunately, when I fired it up yesterday, I was forced to do an update on the software. It completely deleted my old version and all of my saved maps. I guess this is part of the new EPA arrangement, but now there are a lot of missing items you used to be able to configure.No more option to input the type of injectors and a bunch of other stuff you had the option of choosing. It's pretty basic. I haven't checked to see if the mixture can be adjusted or not. I'll figure that out later, but for now, I'll put a canned map in based on what I have and go from there. I can't leave the current map in since I changed the cams and the SE259E's have a longer duration and higher lift than the SE255's. It would run way too lean if I did.
 
#20 ·
Will do!

I have to do the ECM flash since the EPA won't let the dealer do that now, but I have the software and the cables to use my SE Tuner.

Unfortunately, when I fired it up yesterday, I was forced to do an update on the software. It completely deleted my old version and all of my saved maps.
While I've seen some fairly persistent update nags, I've never seen one that was actually mandatory. So you should be able to just say no. I generally do - but I work in IT - so I kinda saw this coming..

The tuning files may be recoverable if you had - the default depending on Windows version - Previous Versions feature running. The default SEPST storage location is:
C:\ProgramData\Super Tuner\Delphi\Tuning Files

Right click the Tuning Files folder and select properties.
In the properties dialog select the Previous Versions tab.
If PV was enabled there will be a list of system created backups that can be opened to retrieve your missing tune files (hopefully..).

Also, if you need a fresh copy of the install for an older - less crippled - version of the SEPST software, I saved a copy of the install file for versions 7, 8 and 9.

This is the kind of shit that happens when a corporation is "properly" incentivized to push something out of existence. And frankly I wouldn't be the slightest bit shocked if an "Infotainment" system update suddenly closed the peephole the aftermarket party tuners have been using to access the ECM. It's easy enough to do when you're the guy that designed the system. And it's next to impossible to Reverse Engineer past it if there is no longer an opening to pick at.

As for me I'll be keeping my 10 for a very very long time, while sitting back and watching the show.
 
#18 ·
OK, First Impressions - The Bike:

I've only put 56 miles on it so far, but Seat of the Pants dyno says more power and a little more torque.

I'm not giving it the total baby treatment, but I'm not abusing it yet either.


Second Impressions - The new Tuner software.

I hate it! They've trashed the functionality I liked and made it a lot more difficult to work with. I have never claimed to be proficient at tuning, but I could at least make sense of the process.

Overall I'm happy with the new engine and the way the bike feels with the new cams. It gives the bike a better response and a deeper rumble. We'll see how it does tomorrow.
 
#21 ·
I may hit you up for a copy of v 9 of the software. That's what I was using before.

So far, the bike seems to be doing well. I rode it up to Sparks, NV for ribs with some friends. I now have almost 400 miles on the new engine since Wednesday evening. The bike is stronger and keeps wanting to creep up to 90 if I don't watch it on the freeway. Sounds better too.

Almost ready to put the spurs to it. Only 100 more miles. ?
 
#23 ·
#24 ·
No bump on the compression yet. I was happy to get the cam upgrade with the new Long Block. It does run better though. At this point it didn't cost me anything

Further down the road I plan on popping the heads off and replacing the head gasket with a .030 to bump the compression a bit. Maybe down the road a bit more, I'll consider the 117" bore kit. I think you can get that with increased compression.
 
#25 ·
Engine break in process completed. I put about 245 miles on it today for a total of 643 miles since the new engine was installed.

Bike is running great! Much torquier (sp?) than before. I'm happy with the upgrade. At some time in the future, I'll get a dump run on it, see what it is generating g, but I'm just going to enjoy riding it for now. ?
 
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