Road Glide banner

noise fix?

10K views 62 replies 12 participants last post by  Spazz 
#1 ·
Back in July the dealer put in new cams, and adjustable lifter rods and dyno tuned my bike.
All was great for awhile, then I started to hear a noise...a metal on metal noise.
It got louder and more pronounced as the weeks went by. No to long ago I was riding on a main street ( 3 lanes one way) and I was doing the same speed as the car beside me and I could his this noise echo off his car...
The noise seems to be coming from the front cylindar area. It is not a high pitched ping... it does not sound like small nails hitting but is sounds more like banging solid rods together. I can hear it briefly at start up and it is pronounced at cruising near 45 mph with rpm in the 2500 range. So, a lignt load. I do NOT hear it when I "get on it"
So I took it to the dealer. They have been trying to find what, if anything is wrong, and after 2 days of "testing" they have not come up with anything.
I am going to the dealer tonight to talk about the issue.
I am not sure what more to say to the mechanic(s) or what other questions to ask...


BIKE: 2013 Road Glide Custom. TR555TQ cams, Fulsac headers, SE breather and SE exhaust. 10,000 miles.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Either the push rods are out of adjustment OR the lifters are going bad. I am putting my money on the lifters :wink: HD has had a lot of problems with the lifters going bad since they outsourced the lifters to Mexico. Also if your HD isn't smart enough to find lifter noise it may be time to find a new mechanic. JMO
 
  • Like
Reactions: madmat
#6 ·
Well, talked to the mechanic. He did compression and leak down test. Said compression was near 180 and leak down of less than 1%
He also said with the heave breather I would hear more engine noise.
He did find that the crossover clamp under the bike and and the alignment of the crossover were off. He started the p\bike, and I could see and here and see it rattle. The shifter linkage was a bit loose too. So they are gonna fix all that...and....we shall see..
 
#7 ·
Agree with the other comment above, most likely a lifter collapsing or a push rod backed off. Yes the heavy breather is noisy and you have to get used to it, but if they did not replace the Harley lifters at the cam install that's a no brainer. Order a set of S&S and install, you'll experience a major reduction in valve train noise.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all the info. The more I get the more confident I feel about doing it.
Near christmas I will have some time off to possibly do this.
I do have an extended warranty..makes me a little concerned but not too much
My main concern is adjusting the push rods right.
The dealer had said that if the rods were out of adjustment it would be an obvious noise, and I heard with hydraulic lifters, that does not happen much.
Would I have to re-dyno tune?
I am thinking about using a quality microphone and recording the noise and posting here....
 
#15 ·
I have decided to try and adjust the rods first. If I can do that complicated maneuver then I will put in new lifters.
I have seen a few video's on push rod adjustment and I am some what confused.
First, what order of cylinder do I do? Do I adjust the front or back PR first?
How do I get TDC on compression stroke? <--is that right...find TDC first?
In other words what steps do I do to get ready to adjust one PR. And then how to adjust the right way without the rod being to long or short.
THe PR that are in there now were installed July of this year. I have 2,000 miles on them...maybe. Then the bike was dyno tuned. Do I need new o rings for the PR covers?
I know some may roll your eyes, especially if you have done this before, but I have not. I dont want to mess anything up.
Flame me if you wish, as long as it comes with instructions..hahhaha
 
#16 ·
Make sure the spark plugs are out and you put the bike in 5th or 6th gear. Lift the back wheel off the ground. What I do is pick a cylinder to start with & put a plastic drinking straw into the plug hole on top of the piston. Rotate the back wheel by hand until the straw is at it's highest point. The 2 lifters for that cyinder should now be at their lowest point in their bores. Adjust your pushrods per the manufacturers instructions. Wait until you can spin both pushrods with your fingers before turning the back wheel to adjust the other cylinder. Repeat, do not rotate the rear wheel until you can spin the pushrods by fingers on the previously adjusted rods. You shouldn't need new o rings as long as you don't pinch, tear, or distort your old ones.
Lil Chief
 
#25 ·
Make sure the spark plugs are out and you put the bike in 5th or 6th gear. Lift the back wheel off the ground. What I do is pick a cylinder to start with & put a plastic drinking straw into the plug hole on top of the piston. Rotate the back wheel by hand until the straw is at it's highest point. The 2 lifters for that cyinder should now be at their lowest point in their bores.
Assuming he's at TDC on the compression stroke ... If he hits TDC on the exhaust stroke overlap will massively complicate the attempt at adjustment.

So rotating the rear wheel (my preference as well) like the bike was going forward, look for the intake valve to close, and then go to TDC.
 
#17 ·
When the piston is at its top,( viewing the straw) does that means the tappets (lifters) are at their lowest point and I can adjust both intake and exhaust for that cylinder?

After I adjust the pushrods, if they seem tight, is that where I wait for the tappets (lifters) to "bleed down"?
And by "spinning" does that mean freely or just easy to spin with my fingers?

And when "re-adjusting" current pushrods, should I just get the cylinder at top of stroke, and check for "spin", and if spin is ok, then all is ok? OR should I just loosen it all up again and start adjusting from scratch...

paul
 
#18 ·
Yes, lifters should be at their lowest point in their bores, but verify visually by looking at the lifters themselves. Once both intake & exhaust lifters for whatever cylinder you're working on first are at their lowest point, you can adjust intake & exhaust for that cylinder/head.
Yes, if the pushrods are tight & don't spin freely, then wait for up to 20 minutes until they do. Very little effort is needed to spin them once the lifters are bled down.
And yes, you can check your current pushrod settings by getting the respective piston at tdc.

Lil Chief
 
#20 ·
Since the motor has been run & the lifters are, or should be, full of oil, you'll have to wait for them to bleed down. Remember, just be patient as it may take some time for them to bleed down. If they spin right away, and you can wiggle the rod in the seat of the lifter, chances are they need to be readjusted.

Lil Chief
 
#22 ·
No worries. Hopefully what I posted helps you out. As always, don't hesitate to post questions here. Someone is always willing to help out.

Lil Chief
 
#28 ·
So , here's is my plan. Not ride the bike for a few days. Take off the retaining clip from the "tube", life up the tube and hold it up with rubber band and paperclip. Assume the lifters have bled down from not riding. I will then attempt to turn each push rod. If it moves freely but does not seem "loose", then I can assume it is adjusted correctly?
In order to just check them, do they have to be at the "bottom" of the stroke, or is that just for adjustment?
 
#29 ·
If you're at tdc on the compression stroke, then the 2 lifters for that head will be at their lowest point in the bores. Check for looseness there.

Lil Chief
 
#32 ·
Here is my understanding so far:
Put my bike on my lift. Remove the spark plugs. Put the bike in 6th gear.
Pull the retaining clips on all the PR tubes, hold up the tubes with rubber bands and paper clips.
Make sure the cylinder I am working on shows that the PR's are all the way down, or on the flats of the cam.
Because I will not have ridden the bike for a few days, may I assume the lifters have bled down?
If the lifters have bled down and I can spin the PR with my fingers, and it seems snug, that is to say no side to side movement, or up and down, can I assume that lifter is adjusted properly? IF the lifter is bled down, and I notice on PR seems a little loose, will I have to start from scratch, or can I adjust from that point?
What is the best way to find TDC on the compression stroke?

* I hope if you are following this and trying to help, that you are not losing patience with me. I have read everything here and have watched a few videos on line. I do understand how it all works, and I just want to make sure all the information I get makes sense to me.
 
#34 ·
Always back the pushrods off and readjust each one by the method stated earlier. Yes the lifters have bled down and you can spin them even if they are set correct or not correct. What you are doing is starting with the lifter cup all the way up being held up by the spring in the lifter. When you can wiggle the pushrod up and down, then you are ready to adjust. You then adjust them until you have no play up and down with the pushrod. That is when you count the turns or flats for the particular pushrod you are using, to where you are extending the pushrod to .100 to .120 inches in to the the lifter. Lifters have a total of about .200 inches of adjustment which is at the bottom like a solid lifter. (Not good) Good luck
 
#33 ·
You don't need to find top dead center on the compression stroke to adjust the lifters, you only need to find the base circle on the cam which is the lowest point the lifters can be on the cam. Also there isn't any need to put the bike in 6 gear to spin the engine, just get the rear wheel off the ground then pull the spark plugs and then with the bike in neutral you can just bump the starter to turn over the engine, with the PR tubes held up you can see the lifters real good and it will be easy to find the base circle when bumping the starter. Even if the PR spin when the cam is on the base circle there is no guarantee that the lifters are pre-loaded correctly so it would be best to re-adjust the lifters. I do the starter bump when adjusting my lifters and never had any problems.
 
#37 ·
The Screamin Eagle lifter instructions say to use a 1/2 inch wrench to hold the rod, and then use 5/16 to adjust the lifter. On the Screamin Eagle rod, the 5/16 is on the bottom part of the rod but I was wondering, would it work the same if I held the bottom wrench (5/16) and adjusted with the top 1/2 wrench?
Instructions say turn 2-1/2 turns.
 
#40 ·
As long as you make the pushrod longer and you count the turns, it's all the same. Do yourself a favor, clean the pushrods with some brake clean or something like that and mark a spot on the bottom and upper. I mark mind with a side grinder while they are out, some use a permanent silver or white marker pen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#41 ·
as long as you make the pushrod longer and you count the turns, it's all the same. Do yourself a favor, clean the pushrods with some brake clean or something like that and mark a spot on the bottom and upper. I mark mind with a side grinder while they are out, some use a permanent silver or white marker pen.


Sent from my iphone using tapatalk
thank you !!!
 
#42 ·
UPDATE : hahaha
So, I adjusted or should I say re-adjusted the front PR's. I used the method of putting the bike in 6th gear and rotating the tire. Put my thumb over the spark plug hole to feel the pressure, then used a long skewer stick in the spark plug hole to find TDC. I did all of this without taking off my SE ventilator breather. Although I got ready to do the PR's for the rear cylinder, I decided not to do them..I was thinking it was the front cylinder that was making the noise and not the back. As I was buttoning up the back PR tubes, I had a hard time putting the upper clip back in for the PR closest to the cylinder. So, I decided, what the hell, take off the SE breather. After I took off the breather, I headed to the dealer to buy new O rings and a gasket for replacement of the breather. As I was cleaning up and cleaning off the breather I saw what can be described as a roll of cotton, or maybe even piece of paper towel in the right (front) side of the base plate oil breather tube. NO idea how it got there!!. I removed it and put everything back together.
Fired up the bike and it all works..hahahah, but I will have to wait to actually take it out on the road.
THANK you all for your patience and understanding, especially when it looked like I was "hopeless" and "clueless" :)
 
#43 ·
Just a little tip for you. Don't half ass it if you are going to do something. While you were doing it, you should have completed the job and adjusted the back too. I'm busting your balls because you deserve it. You asked, and asked, and asked for days, then when you work on it, you don't finish it. Good luck. Just remember, it always takes longer to do it right the second time.
 
#46 ·
I understand you have done as much as you wanted to do on your bike, as you said it is yours, so if your noise didn't quiet down then you may have to do the rear cylinder adjustment as well. One of your questions about the lifters was not fully answered relating to lifter internal springs. The springs purpose is to insure that that PR cup of the lifter is all the way up in is bore for adjustment purposes even if the oil has leaked down from the lifter. So this gives you the proper starting point to begin the adjustment procedure. The preloading adjustment pushes down on the lifter cup in it's bore slightly so that when the lifter is pressurized when the engine is running the cup will not slam into the retaining lip at the top of the lifter bore. This is why Hydraulic lifters are quieter than solid lifters. Proper adjustment insures there is no lash between the lifter and the PR and therefore correct valve train operation. After adjustment, the reason you wait until the PR can be spun is because the procedure puts downward pressure on the oil in the lifter bore forcing it out but it takes time to equalize the pressure. It also makes sure you haven't over extended the PR pushing the lifter cup all the way to the bottom of it's bore, which would make the hydraulic lifter essentially the same as a solid lifter. Not good.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top