I have an 09 Road King. Had the 96 swapped through Harley for a 103 stage 4 10 months ago. Probably about 6K miles on the "new" engine. I have noticed as of late that the engine makes a clattering/slapping/metallic noise during acceleration and while under load. Mostly only happens in the 2800-3700 RPM range, and is more noticeable while trying to accelerate in 5-6 gear while going up hill. It sounds like its an upper engine noise to me? Any advice before I take it back to Harley as to what this could be? Only the parts are still under warranty from the engine upgrade 10 months ago, not labor, and I think that a $4500 engine should not be doing anything other than making me smile. Thanks for the thoughts!

 

Do you think it could be pinging or detonation?

 

Sounds like time to get it tuned. Pinging under load, Too lean or too much advance in those RPM ranges. If its a stage 4 what tuner are you running? Pinging or pre-ignition is hard on pistons and the botom end. Carboned up cylinders can also cause this.

 

Sounds like.... valve train clatter.

 

yes, sounds like pre-ignition* or "pinging".

i liken this to the sound of pebbles rattling in a coffee can- somewhat irregular

when the stock ECM ( and no idea what settings have been entered into yours or by who) detects pre-ignition generally the spark timing will retard, causing a noticeable loss of power, requiring a downshift.

I would go back to whoever you paid to do this work and ask them to check over their work- they will have done some "tuning"
and maybe their settings need updating

leaving this alone can burn a hole in the piston

welcome to the forums.

Mike




* pre-ignition is when some of the fuel ignites on it's own as the piston is on it;s way up...pushing it in the wrong direction.

causes can be

too lean mixture

low octane fuel ( what grade was recommended with the stage 4?)

too advanced spark

deposits in the combustion chamber which act like glow plugs as in a diesel ( sharp metal edges can do this too) or deposits so large that the compression ratio is effectively raised

 

It had a Screaming Eagle Super Tuner when the bike was first dyno'd 10 months ago. Although it did not sound like just pinging or pre-ignition at first, I agree that this might be the cause. Since it started I have not been riding much (partially due to the heat here in AZ) and I'm bringing it back to Chandler HD where all the engine work was done. I'll keep you all informed.... Thank you!

 

Trying to accelerate from 30MPH in 4th 5th or 6th gear will cause this as well.