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[DesertHOG]

So somewhere along the line, within the last 7k miles my engine has developed a loud pinging or clicking noise. Almost as if a rock, foreign object, were rattling around someplace. As I am trying to sell the bike, potential customers are leery of any noise coming out of the motor.

Background on recent work.

In San Francisco during WC GTG this year, the clutch bearing disintegrated and left me stranded. Got towed to Dudley Perkins and in the end they replaced a number of items. Clutch bearing, Clutch pack, Clutch push rod, hydraulic line/control on clutch grip and door bearing (out of tolerance/worn). They showed me the tiny bearings that were rolling around inside the housing. So it's all back together, strong as ever and I am on my way. 52.5k miles

Somewhere around Zzxyz, CA I notice a sputtering. I don't think much off it as it goes away when rolling the throttle. However, when I get back to Albuquerque I take it to the dealer and they find my rusted X-pipe. Header pipes replaced and they happen to find a leaky head gasket, so they get that repaired. 55k miles

Mind you all of this is under warranty.

One the MV GTG Trip I notice rough shaking on the right floorboard going over small bumps and road snakes. At Knoxville HD I get 57.5k service and remove my center-stand, thinking the chatter was coming from the stand as one side had wobble. I head back to Albuquerque and the rough shaking is still there. Plus I start noticing this loud pinging/clicking noise.

I take the bike to Santa Fe HD, guys who put on the new head pipes, we discover they didn't install the heat shields well and it's rubbing against the right floor board. So that gets fix, free of charge. Now that all the chatter/rumble is taken care of the only remaining issue is this loud clicking and the guys at SFHD tell me they can't figure it out unless they tear the motor down. (This is after the get there stethoscopes out of course).

So, I take the bike to another shop - they haven't figured anything out either but we talk about the possibility of a bearing being left in the transmission housing (or some such place, this is where my motor knowledge falls short). We call Dudley Perkins just to see if there might be a remote possibility of leftovers in my motor. They say they had their best man on it so highly unlikely. However, "Irish" the service manager suggests that high mileage motors (59k miles now) have been none to have the "piston jet" come loose and fall into the cylinder. Piston Jet, explained to me, is a small piece of metal with a hole that is used to squirt oil through into the cylinder for piston lubrication.

So now we are at the point where I have to pay for a semi-educated teardown to find out the cause of this loud pinging/clicking and only when we understand the failure will the ESP kick in to cover the  repair, not the diagnosis.

The noise does not change pace with the revolutions of the motor. It is sort of rhythmic .. "Click................click.. click"  "Click................click.. click"  and gets louder at higher speeds. However, you can hear it at idle as well.

Thoughts? Piston Jet failure? Extra bearing floating around the transmission housing? Could it be something else? Hopefully something simple.

Any help in identifying this issue/failure to reduce the time/tear-down for diagnosis would be appreciated.

DesertHOG aka Simon
2011 FLTRUSE 110ci

[willyB]

Hmmmmm.

I don't have any ideas but I'll be interested to hear the potential reasons from the folks on here.

Good luck!

[muddypaws]

Compensator..

[JCZ]

Simon, are you saying that you're paying for the diagnosis and the extended warranty (svc. agreement) is paying for the repair?  I've never heard of such a thing.

You may remember that both Terrie's and my Street Glides developed a noise that could be described the same way.  In the end, the crank had sissored.  Her motor was replaced completly.  Mine was a complete rebuild from the crank, up.

On a good note for me, I had a good working relationship with the dealership and so they let me take the new flywheel to have the pin welded, shaved and balanced for a much more reliable motor.

If I remember correctly my bike had "low" milage of about 60k also.  That use to be considered high mileage for a Harley but with today's much closer tolerances, I've saw quite a number of bikes with over 100k on the clock.  We've got a few right here on this forum.  This ain't your granpa's Harley.

Keep us posted, let us know what they find out.  Hope to see you in San Simeon.

[Boatman]

Have you seen what you can get for a trade in?  May be worth taking a little less and not having to deal with it?  Just throwing it out there.  Good luck!

[DesertHOG]

Have you seen what you can get for a trade in?  May be worth taking a little less and not having to deal with it?  Just throwing it out there.  Good luck!

That boat sailed.

[SHRADER]

Lifter or Compensator depending upon which side of the bike the noise is on.....

[Boatman]

I would have someone you really trust drain all 3 holes and check for excessive particles on the drain plugs and cut the filter a part and check the pleats for metal and what kinds of metal (could be plastic tensioner particles).
The problem is with your miles it could be anything.  Even could be your cam tensioners worn out.  We don't have xray vision so you try to find which component and starting tearing down a little at a time.  Really wish you the best in this endeavor. 

Like Shrader stated, lifters and compensators cause the most problems and hope it is something that easy.

[DesertHOG]

Lifter or Compensator depending upon which side of the bike the noise is on.....

Noise is all over and come on strong on the top end when travelling at speed. Compensator has been checked out okay. They are pulling the rocker boxes right now.

DH

[DesertHOG]

I would have someone you really trust drain all 3 holes and check for excessive particles on the drain plugs and cut the filter a part and check the pleats for metal and what kinds of metal (could be plastic tensioner particles).
The problem is with your miles it could be anything.  Even could be your cam tensioners worn out.  We don't have xray vision so you try to find which component and starting tearing down a little at a time.  Really wish you the best in this endeavor. 

Like Shrader stated, lifters and compensators cause the most problems and hope it is something that easy.

Gear cam installed so not the cam chain tensioner.

[rheiner]

Here's a look at my rear exhaust valve after 11k miles on the engine of my 2009 SEUC shortly after it started to ping.

[Jswerve]

Here's a look at my rear exhaust valve after 11k miles on the engine of my 2009 SEUC shortly after it started to ping.

Oops

[FLH91]

ouch

[ltank]

Do you have the original lifters? They can make a tapping sound. Any good mechanic could hear it. I am not impressed with the Harley Dealer Mechanics.