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[Keats]

Sounds like there was a adjustment done to the pushrod or how do you explain oil leak.

adjusting it too long makes the most since.

Did the bike come with adjustable pushrods?

I thought stock motors came with solid pushrods?

[Midnight Rider]

Probably put adjustables in it when the 103 kit was done...that's just speculation though.  Stock is non adjustable.  Again, speculation...but, either the pushrod was adjusted too long, not locked down, and got longer on the ride home, OR was adjusted way too short, the lifter bled down overnight, the pushrod dropped out of the rocker arm, then got bent.   

Either way, this does not sound like a coincidence...the tech f'd up big time.

[grc]

Sounds like there was a adjustment done to the pushrod or how do you explain oil leak.

adjusting it too long makes the most since.

Did the bike come with adjustable pushrods?

I thought stock motors came with solid pushrods?

It's not a stock engine.  High compression 103 kit, SE251 cams, etc.  And the OP indicated he was charged $100 to adjust the pushrods.  Sounds like the "mechanic" did a really fine job getting the tubes reinstalled, since at least one leaked like a sieve.  So if he screwed up the easy part, I'd say the odds are pretty good he screwed up the hard part as well. 

Question.  Is the guy who owns the bike going to have someone other than the same guy check this out, or is he just going to take the word of the guy who already screwed up and then tried to lay it off by saying it was ready to fail anyway?  Who is running that shop, and what does he have to say about the situation?  There is no way I would take the word of the mechanic, and I'd start out talking to the service manager if there is one and the dealer if there isn't.

Seized valves or dropped guides, broken or loose rockers, and a few other things could cause this, but the obvious first choice considering the work that was performed immediately before the failure is a loose pushrod jam nut.  If the pushrod screws itself back in, the pushrod can come out of the cup on the rocker arm and/or the lifter.  If the rod isn't contained in the seats at both ends, it can easily be jammed and then bent as the cam turns.  Something has to give in such a situation, and the weak link is the pushrod by design.


Jerry

[StevesCVO]

The tech adjusted the pushrods and immediately thereafter something bad happened with a pushrod.  If you're thinking it through any more than that you're thinking about it too hard.

I'm not sure i would let this so called tech touch my bike again.

[SBB]

Seized valves or dropped guides, broken or loose rockers, and a few other things could cause this, but the obvious first choice considering the work that was performed immediately before the failure is a loose pushrod jam nut.
Jerry

I think Scott had the same thought early on in this thread.

If he road the bike home before the clattering began - it's sure possible the locknut on a pushrod was left loose. 

I'm glad the two of you jumped in to try to help.

 

SBB

[1sharprdkg]

Am I alone here? If I had noticed "OIL" anywhere on my engine when I went to pick it up, a huge "RED FLAG" would have went up in my head, the owner and I would have had a serious chit chat. Have you or the new owner of your old bike had any work done at this shop in the past? Needless to say I would find someone else to do my work. Good luck!

[sadunbar]

Any follow up?   

[FAST380]

boy o boy, like I said in OP, I purchased the bike, rode if for a few months and sold it. It always had a noisy valve train. Turns out the rocker arm assembly was loose. You could see that it had been wearing for a long time. Part of it finally broke of, wedged itself between the valve/head/and rocker arm. When it did this, it held the valve open and didn't let the rocker arm move anymore. Broke the rocker arm body, not the arm, but what the arm attach's to and then bolts to the head, big break in it. I am sure the valve is bent, although the head wasn't off. Oil pump is scratched up from metal shavings being passed through it. Lifter is shot, push rod shot, not good!! I am sure there is more damage in there. Hope the piston is good, hope it didn't do any lower end damage. The bike ran fine, had good oil pressure.

All that SUCKS for the new owner. I feel real bad, but I never did anything to the engine. Bought it, rode it for about 3K miles, sold it. He has since put on about 3K miles himself. What is your opinion? Guess I am looking for support that I have no responsibility, or a reason why you would stand behind a bike that you had nothing to do with the build.

[JCZ]

If you put 3k miles on it and had no knowledge of it, he put 3k on it since he's had it.....I don't see where you have any obligation.

Of course if it were me.....and I knew about it ahead of time.....then I'd feel responsable.  But only if I knew ahead of time.

Makes one wonder if it was that far out, how did the tech that adjusted the pushrods not know something wasn't quite right.

[FAST380]

The tech didn't necessarily do anything "wrong" but he sure didn't do him any favors either!! When he took the bike in, he asked the tech to listen to it. The tech said "wow" that is excessivly loud (I think it must have been getting louder right before it broke), the tech told him to take it back to where the engine was built. I asked the tech, the bike has 20K miles, 2 different owner since it was built, why take it back to the builder? They aren't going to do anything for him, that is why he brought it here. The new owner of the bike said, do the service and check the valves, see if it helps..... The rest is history

[SBB]

If you put 3k miles on it and had no knowledge of it, he put 3k on it since he's had it.....I don't see where you have any obligation.

I agree.

SBB

[sadunbar]

If you put 3k miles on it and had no knowledge of it, he put 3k on it since he's had it.....I don't see where you have any obligation.

Of course if it were me.....and I knew about it ahead of time.....then I'd feel responsable.  But only if I knew ahead of time.

Makes one wonder if it was that far out, how did the tech that adjusted the pushrods not know something wasn't quite right.

Absolutely agree.   

I'm sure you sold the bike "as is".  If you had no knowledge of a pending failure - then you have no moral or legal responsibility.  Caveat emptor....

[firefighter156]

boy o boy, like I said in OP, I purchased the bike, rode if for a few months and sold it. It always had a noisy valve train. Turns out the rocker arm assembly was loose. You could see that it had been wearing for a long time. Part of it finally broke of, wedged itself between the valve/head/and rocker arm. When it did this, it held the valve open and didn't let the rocker arm move anymore. Broke the rocker arm body, not the arm, but what the arm attach's to and then bolts to the head, big break in it. I am sure the valve is bent, although the head wasn't off. Oil pump is scratched up from metal shavings being passed through it. Lifter is shot, push rod shot, not good!! I am sure there is more damage in there. Hope the piston is good, hope it didn't do any lower end damage. The bike ran fine, had good oil pressure.

All that SUCKS for the new owner. I feel real bad, but I never did anything to the engine. Bought it, rode it for about 3K miles, sold it. He has since put on about 3K miles himself. What is your opinion? Guess I am looking for support that I have no responsibility, or a reason why you would stand behind a bike that you had nothing to do with the build.

Don't beat yourself up. I don't see where you did anything wrong.

[grc]

I don't see where you have any responsibility at all as long as you sold it "as is" and didn't misrepresent anything.  Depending on what that mechanic was told, however, I think he might owe someone something.  Was he told to investigate the problem, or was he told specifically to just adjust the pushrods?  If the rocker arms were that loose and worn, you would think an experienced mechanic would question all the excessive slop when doing the adjustment.  And when the adjustment didn't reduce or eliminate the "wow that is excessively loud" noise, did he at least ask the owner if he wanted him to go further or did he just send him on his way with a ticking timebomb?


Jerry