Ive got a funny noise? *now with video/sound

[DannyMcCann]

Right then ive been reading round but am a little confused, so will put several problems in this one thread All questions relate to a 400H. Before you read on the following is happening in the next week or 2 hopefully - valve clearances, oil/air filter change, oil drop and change, coolant drop and change, new plugs, balancing carbs. Havent found the bits I need for cam chain tensioner yet - read on about that

1) On idle there is a constant ticking noise, now I dont know if this is normal, but Ive tried the 'pull the clutch in' test and the noise carries on so I dont think its the basket, as you are going along I believe it gets faster, so could possibly be tensioner? (as far as I know cam chains should outlast the engines, they only need their fixings replacing every so often? Where do I buy these bits from, and can you tell me exactly what I need, there is a blade and springs iirc?)

2) At 4100-4300rpm in every gear there is a crackly/crunchy noise, if I pull the clutch in it goes away, either side of this rev range you never hear this noise, all the way up to 12.5k

3) My 1st -> 2nd -> 3rd -> 2nd -> 1st gear changes aint half crunchy, is this because of the age of the bike (1990) or do I need to sort something out?

4) I think I may have a tiny air leak? Ive read the high idling topic, whereby when slowing down to a stop the revs will hold at 2k then drop of their own accord to 1350ish, but Ive found if I brake down to below 2k with the clutch out then pull it in just as it gets to the biting point this solves the issue?

And a more generic question, what RPMs do you guys cruise at through town? I tend to stick to 3.5/4k in the 30/40mph limits, but I thought I read somewhere its best to keep engines in the mid range as they are actually doing less work there than trying to accelerate at lower RPMs? Not sure if there is any truth whatsoever in that!

Sorry for the essay!

[DannyMcCann]

ttt

[RedexRobB]

no replies??

1) The ticking noise will either be an excessive clearance or the cam chain. If it were me, id be checking the valve clearances as well as the condition of the cam lobes and followers, Theres no real way to check the tensioner other than seeing how far the tensioner piston is extended, so id take that out and have a looksie. Cargo has mentioned somewhere recently that he helped someone here with a noise at a particular engine speed and it was the tensioner, and the tiniest piece of it was broken. Both tensioner and blade are all in the region of 20-30 quid iirc, so to buy all three your looking in the region of 60-90 quid. Not to sure about cam chain lasting longer than the enigne but for the sake of 20 quid and eleiminating an additional suspect id pay the extra. Cradley Kawasaki is your friend when it comes to ordering parts

2) I think that coincides with number 1, sounds like it might be the tensioner.

3) Gear changes definatley shouldnt be crunchy, id say check your cable adjustment as well as the gear lever positioning to your foot. The only other reason for it is the clutch plates sticking if it has been stood for a long time. Possibly a worn selector fork too.

4) If you have an air leak, check the way the air box sits on the carbs, another member here has recently solved thier air box leak by using adhesive foam. Another thing to try is applying high temperature silicone sealant in between the inlets and the cylinder block. These are prone to leaking, especially when they are old.

I usually keep the bike in whatever gear suits the conditions. You cant really say you should be in X gear in town because that gear might not give you the performance you need for that moment in time. It all depends really

Hope that helps mr McCann

[DannyMcCann]

Thanks Rob, its all something to look into. The ticking might just be a normal noise the engine makes because its relatively old and unrefined? Im going to try and get a video sound clip if I can find something that will record it properly and get it up on the internet so someone can have a listen

[DannyMcCann]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk3jGDuSDr0

At 24 seconds dont worry, I think the space time continuum tried to take my phone away

[RedexRobB]

Have you checked the header pipes? Sounds remarkably like one is blowing.

[DannyMcCann]

Nope not checked this, something to look at as well, can you make out anything from the annoyingly loud ticking noise? I dropped by the Kwak dealer in Lincoln after work and the guy reckoned it sounded like the tensioner, didnt make any mention of the exhaust blowing though

[RedexRobB]

If he knows what hes doing then hes probably right. Just sounded like the exhaust, thats why i mentioned it.

Itll be either the cam tensioner or an excessive clearance.

[DannyMcCann]

I aim to look at it on Thursday on my day off from work. Im basically taking the RHS fairing off, then taking the cam cover off and this is where I will find the tensioner. The manual doesnt mention anything about a 'blade' though? So what am I looking to be broken, the pushrod part?

[RedexRobB]

start with the tensioner piston. Get the cover off of the pickup on the RHS of the motor, youll need to remove the expansion bottle. Get that off and see how far up the piston is.

you can see in my thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9454

Its the very first picture. thats what you should expect to see. The tensioner piston is in the very bottom left, right next to the pickup. Mines quite high so will need to be changed soon. Id say if yours is higher then youll need a new blade. If not then check the clearances and see where you are. MoriMan has writtena guide on checking tham should you need it

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=8002

[DannyMcCann]

Thanks for that, will be sure to refer to it. Yep have read, reread and read again Mori Mans guide on valve clearances

[MillaMeter]

Thanks for that, will be sure to refer to it. Yep have read, reread and read again Mori Mans guide on valve clearances

Hi,


How many miles has the bike done?

Sounds to me like the cam chain is fooked. The bike sounds like a machine gun when you ride it? Take the ignition pickup cover off on the RH engine at the end of the crank and check where the tensioner rod is. If it's right to the top then it's a new cam chain I'm afraid. Either that the tensioner has jammed and is not tensioning the chain.

If you're unsure, post a picture of and I can tell you from the image.

Regards

Rich