Location of sound leads him to CB
CB runs in a bearing, yes?
I can only presume that's what he's thinking

..L.T.A.

 

Yes but not a lot of load and it has its own separate screened oil system and hydraulic tensioners with a roller chain. The one mentioned had a tic. It was the crank piston pin bearing spun. It's tapered like rod end. When it spun, the wide side was hitting inside of the piston.

Mine stripped the alternator rotor spline. Harley went to a serration to stop this. Dealer worked on it twice and could not figure what was wrong. Probably just thought the compensator bolt was loose.

As the alternator rotor just being driven by the compensator slipped, it wore on the face. It finally let the chain get so far off center, it was nipping sprockets. I finally went in under warranty and discover the problem. You cain't carry parts in. They told me to put it back together and they would fix it and I was lucky they weren't voiding the warranty. Finally, the manager gave me a little discount on parts.. Bought the only thing they get out of me is I show up for free barbeque..

Note not all part show here are out of motors described. Just use for close examples. Spun bearing was a different looking rod. An 04 compensator finger does not have a sprocket on it. But it's a good compensator with harder and better steel.











An 04 comp..

 

Without hearing the noise, I would not speculate but as has been suggested try to pin point the noise with a mechanic's stethoscope since noise does travel and in the TC motor very difficult to pin point. Having said that, there are many other sources of such a noise; Ripsaw has referred to one; certainly a couple of sources in the cam chest; primary chain could be a little loose and making contact somewhere. I ran into that one on my '05 Deuce; only presented at idle but was more of a periodic "snap"

At any rate, if it is a bearing making the noise; it will worse and that is when it can be addressed. Pulling the motor, splitting the cases for the noise the OP describes would be OTT for me.

The OP will seriously regret removing the balancer system; the bike will be unrideable.

 

Read this article. http://www.hotshotmotorworks.com/didja_know.htm

 

oakie dokie
rode out to HF and bought mechanics stethoscope.
I'll poke round with it tomorrow to see if I can better isolate the area of the new noise
Stay with me, Guys
Thanks

tried to vid the sound on phone, but I don't think it's clear enough to hear

..L.T.A.

 

OK, guys here's what I got

poked all over cold start up yesterday
Poked all over hot just now after a 50 mile ride

I couldn't isolate it to one spot.
Just the general area it resonates the most.

It's below the jugs, front left side..
Primary and engine case above the motor mount is where it's the strongest

Not as noticeable on the cam side and little to nothing in the heads

..L.T.A.

 

Does it go away when you bump up throttle? At idle, Harley's cylinders fire opposite each other but not exactly 180. That makes the noise worst at idle.

It's the compensator 3 fingers. Don't worry with it. It won't break or leave you stranded. It will probably sound like that at 50k.

Bet when you change the primary fluid, you will see a little metal shavings on the magnet. Check primary chain then at 3 or 4 places.. Set it 5/8 to 3/4" or so at tightest area
Adjust clutch.
That setting will last 100 K.

Use Formula +. Don't try to fix it with witches brew

 

yes it does.
goes away around 1300 RPM
(idles around 1100)

I've used BelRay primary since I've owned it,
Been changed for the third time recently in the 11k I've put on it


..L.T.A.

 

Ought to be good. Oil is not going to stop the fretting that has happened. Just a slight defect in material and harding, it just a cast rough part. Hurts nothing. The sand casting bumps don't rub off smooth. And sometimes even pull out little areas.

I call it fretting, but it's a combination of things.
If you have a big difference in the chain slack at different points from chain uneven wear, it makes it even worst noise since that make comp move more..

Chains don't wear even since some ****** them forward and some use them as brakes.

My slack varies a 1/4 ". I got it that close only by indexing front sprocket and the inner part to crank. When alternator rotor went, it damaged crank spline but I reworked it pretty good.

I made sure there was no play in spline before going back together and Loctiting the nut bolt. I still have all my finishing tools from my toolmaker apprenticeship. I used a small custom made walking ball peen hammer on it. Crank is soft.

Real easy for 10B spline to have shake. If it does, rotor slips one way going fwd. Other braking. It either loosen comp nut of shucks spline.

Why the went to serration. It's closer and much cheaper to produce in the machine shop world.

It's very possible your rotor spline is gone and you hear it slipping driving on face. Part man told me he had replaced a dozen already that year. (Long ago)

The 04 rotor was an extremely poor design. Way too thin in spline thickness length. The 1/4 spacer should have been a part of it. Harley's engineering worked for Mickey D's last week, the ones that works on new designs.

 

Thanks, Rip

I sure hope you're right.

any way I can easily confirm that?
"easily" meaning not much more than pulling the primary cover.

I do have a factory service manual and a couple tools I can be dangerous with
But I really don't want to pull the clutch and comp

thanks again
and thanks ALL


..L.T.A.