I have a tick/rattle

[wj_hurd]

I have an engine noise. Its a steady rapping, and it goes away with RPM. Its not a KNOCK like a rod, its not a heavy slap like a piston or wrist pin. Its kinda like a lifter tap. Steady and then smooths out with a little RPM, then will come back at low idle or lower RPM's. This occurs hot or cold.

Could this be a cam chain tensioner? Is this a normal sound? I have had it since I got the bike, and never had heard another one close up like mine, I have had nothing to gauge it by.

I could attempt to video the bike and get close to the engine and try and pick up the sound, not sure how well it would work though.

Oil Rotella 5w40 FULL SYNTH
Filter - K&N

I can tell you last year, when I had a FRAM filter I purchased from WALMART on the bike, it was actually louder. I put the K&N on and it quieted down. Could this be an oil pressure issue? Should I run a thicker oil? I'm up for the oil change and was going to go with Rotella again, but I'll wait until I get some feed back from ya'll!

Thanks in advance!

[enforcer]

The ticking you hear are hydraulic lifters. If it got better with small changes, try thicker oil yet. I.e. Rotella T vs T6. 15W-40 quieted mine down a little.

If it's not the lifters, it could be you're tensioner. They do tend to break or go bad. It's not a cause for concern, just annoying. The only way to be sure and to fix it is to tear down the top end, otherwise it's just speculation.

[wj_hurd]

The ticking you hear are hydraulic lifters. If it got better with small changes, try thicker oil yet. I.e. Rotella T vs T6. 15W-40 quieted mine down a little.

If it's not the lifters, it could be you're tensioner. They do tend to break or go bad. It's not a cause for concern, just annoying. The only way to be sure and to fix it is to tear down the top end, otherwise it's just speculation.

Any adjustment to the lifters?

[enforcer]

The ticking you hear are hydraulic lifters. If it got better with small changes, try thicker oil yet. I.e. Rotella T vs T6. 15W-40 quieted mine down a little.

If it's not the lifters, it could be you're tensioner. They do tend to break or go bad. It's not a cause for concern, just annoying. The only way to be sure and to fix it is to tear down the top end, otherwise it's just speculation.

Any adjustment to the lifters?

None, they're self adjusting hydraulic.

[p90fool]

Hi all, new member here. All I would add to the above is to check your filler cap is not loose, mine rattles like crazy at certain RPM.

Unlikely I know, but it would be a shame to start tearing the bike down if it was that.

[JamesC]

I have an engine noise. Its a steady rapping, and it goes away with RPM. Its not a KNOCK like a rod, its not a heavy slap like a piston or wrist pin. Its kinda like a lifter tap. Steady and then smooths out with a little RPM, then will come back at low idle or lower RPM's. This occurs hot or cold.

I think I may know what is happening here. I had a tick, tick, tick with my Intruder that drove me nuts. I could not for the life of me figure out where it was coming from. It would smooth out at highway speeds, but around town it was maddening. The problem shocked me, and it was a simple fix. The gas cap for the intruder is not round, there is that tapered tail end on it. If the factory gasket wears out, the tail end will tap against the gas tank. To see if this is your problem, start your bike in neutral and listen for the tick. Give it a little throttle, it should get louder. Now hold your hand down on the gas cap really hard, and twist the throttle again. If the tapping stops, that's your problem. Here is the fix: buy a package of round rubber O-rings from the plumbing section of a hardware store. Turn your gas cap over and find one that will fit over the key assembly. Roll it down over that like it was a condom. You may have to try several sizes to get the right one. This should quiet the tapping. Hope this is the problem and not something more serious. Ride Safe, Bro.

[wj_hurd]

I will try the gas cap, but I'm pretty confident its not it.

[wj_hurd]

I will try the gas cap, but I'm pretty confident its not it.

Confirmed... the rattle is NOT the gas cap.

It's much lower and I'll have to take a screw driver and use it like a scope and listen to where the rattle is.

Warren, I ran the synthetic Rotella in my 1400 once. It's not worth it, IMO. Just run the conventional Rotella and change it every 3,500-5,000 miles. I changed it on the short end due to the Florida heat, YMMV. Another thing I would do from time to time is run some Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas tank. MMO isn't a great idea in the crankcase, but you could do it at the end of an oil change cycle so long as you don't leave it in there. They claim it is an upper cylinder lubricant when run in the gas tank.

Which Rotella are you referring to Keith?
1.) Shell Rotella T 15W-40
2.) Shell Rotella T5 10W-30 Synthetic Blend
They both appear to have the JASO approval rating.

And to be honest, I have had the rattle since I purchased the bike. It has never gotten worse, or better for that matter. I'm willing to try the heavier weight oil. I just want to make sure its not too heavy.

Thanks again for your responses.

[Lechy]

Intruders all develop an un-locatable rattle or tapping on the top end. I have my suspicion it is the tappet rod bushings but as it has not caused any problems I have not delved into it further.
[emoji41]

[wj_hurd]

Intruders all develop an un-locatable rattle or tapping on the top end. I have my suspicion it is the tappet rod bushings but as it has not caused any problems I have not delved into it further.
[emoji41]

I think you hit a hat trick with that comment Lechy! That is exactly where I hear my rattle. [emoji106]

[BRONX INTRUDER]

Video clips of this sound ticking tapping slapping? lol.

[enforcer]

I will try the gas cap, but I'm pretty confident its not it.

Confirmed... the rattle is NOT the gas cap.

It's much lower and I'll have to take a screw driver and use it like a scope and listen to where the rattle is.

Warren, I ran the synthetic Rotella in my 1400 once. It's not worth it, IMO. Just run the conventional Rotella and change it every 3,500-5,000 miles. I changed it on the short end due to the Florida heat, YMMV. Another thing I would do from time to time is run some Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas tank. MMO isn't a great idea in the crankcase, but you could do it at the end of an oil change cycle so long as you don't leave it in there. They claim it is an upper cylinder lubricant when run in the gas tank.

Which Rotella are you referring to Keith?
1.) Shell Rotella T 15W-40
2.) Shell Rotella T5 10W-30 Synthetic Blend
They both appear to have the JASO approval rating.

And to be honest, I have had the rattle since I purchased the bike. It has never gotten worse, or better for that matter. I'm willing to try the heavier weight oil. I just want to make sure its not too heavy.

Thanks again for your responses.

Either T or T6 (not T5, not heavy enough) work just fine.

[wj_hurd]

I was running T6 5w/40.
This weekend I'll get the T 15w/40 for her and a new K&N filter.
See what I gain after running that.

[BRONX INTRUDER]

Wondering if a bad oil filter would cause the tapping? Not letting oil flow as freely as it should?

[hurleyfrank]

I got some noise on the right side of my bike, at one point i was thinking i got a problem. Figure it out, the metal part holding the header against the engine is slightly bent and just put pressure on 2 points on it; only a exhaust leak! Let say i was happy to find it.

[enforcer]

I got some noise on the right side of my bike, at one point i was thinking i got a problem. Figure it out, the metal part holding the header against the engine is slightly bent and just put pressure on 2 points on it; only a exhaust leak! Let say i was happy to find it.

Strange noises can drive you crazy. Just be glad you have a shared primary.

[hurleyfrank]

Shared primary...? Primary what? Please enlighten me!

[enforcer]

Shared primary...? Primary what? Please enlighten me!

Primary drive. VS models have everything contained in 1 unit. Harley has 3 separate components. Motor, trans and primary. All with their own fluid.

No real advantage, except to the MoCo's bottom line. More parts to break. That's why I buy aftermarket/improved parts for my bikes instead of OEM.

[BRONX INTRUDER]

So Wasn't spark plugs or exhaust. I changed oil and filter and the tap faded away after a few minutes. Hope it stays that way. lol.

[NE_FL]

Using the term "rattle" made me think of spark knock/pre-ignition, so it wouldn't hurt to try a higher octane gas.