Hey
Got a question for those of you who have had a "pinging" issue. My bike is an '06, stage 1 download with SE A/C and SEII slipons. Im running a PCIII with map from dynojet. Runs very very well, but at time, in particular with I increase throttle I can hear something of a rattle sound. I cant identify it better than that. But I have also heard this rattle or knocking sound at idle. The HD tech....well, all of them in the shop, said something about the chain and counter balancer noise that goes with a Softail 88B.
The bike runs great and no heat issues or any type problem, but the knock or rattle kinda bothers me. Im considering unplugging the PCIII to see if the noise is still there. Again, they told me some 5000 miles ago that it was a normal sound........but it kinda worries me. One other thing, I do run 93 octane fuel, period.
Suggestions?
Thanks

 

an '06 what? i may have missed it in the post. Being fuel injected and being remapped, I can't imagine it would be true pinging, pinging usually being caused by low octane gas or advanced timing. I would hop off the bike if you can hear it at idle and see exactly where it's coming from. I use a stethoscope for engine noises, but just listen closely and see if you can identify the general area, and then start holding stuff and see if you can get it to stop.

 

Sorry....2006 FLSTCI, its in my signature.

 

Does the sound come when you roll on the throttle in too high of a gear? Say 40mph and you roll the throttle in like 5th gear?

Where it happens will help clue us in.

 

No, I get the knocking stuff when I lag it in the gears. I dont have my tach on yet, so I cant give the rpm range, but its like if Im crusing and then roll on the throttle hard, for a couple of seconds I get the "noise".....just about for two seconds. May be normal for my engine, like I said, I had the HD techs take it out and they came back saying it was ok.

 

5th gear is too high for 40 mph and grabbing throttle.

You are probably rattling the compensator because you are lugging it....

 

Yep...probably compensator or spark knock. Mine will knock when I load it in too low of a gear. If you look at the timing tables it is no surprise. Too much timing in that area...but the real answer is to downshift.

Just learn not to lug the motor and you will be ok.

 

Balancers don't make knocking sounds. The only thing you might hear is the chain. If you hear knocking at idle it's most likely your comp is loose or your pistons have been beat to death and trying to turn sideways in the bore. Piston slap from too much clearance. I'd check the comp first. If you're running 93 which is rediculously high octain for a stock engine ping should not be possible to achieve unless you are in way too low of a gear for the load. Even then it would be some effort involved to make it ping.
Once again the dealer has fed you a line of BS. This sound is not normal and should be taken care of before it eliminates itself in the form of destroying something expensive. The key here is rattling at IDLE. Fix that , run the engine at more rpms in a given gear and it should be ok.
Ron

 

It is normal for a compensator to knock if the motor is lugged.
Your motor is talking to you, it is begging you to,
Quit lugging it!!!
Continued low speed high torque loads WILL pound the bearings out of it. Read Donnie Peterson's take on this.

Rev it up! You are not going to hurt it or wear it out any faster.
It will actually last longer reving it than lugging it guaranteed....

 

I have to agree...but I think the OP isn't too terribly experienced in this....the idle noise is likely just the HD valvetrain. To someone who doesn't know what one sounds like, it can sound noisy.

The rattling when he rolls on the throttle is almost certainly one of the two issues already mentioned and I would bet he simply needs to downshift to cure the problem.