Rocker arm end play = lots of noise

[NGOT8R]

Several months ago I built a 107 motor for my '15 SGS. One of the things that I installed to ensure that the motor would be as quiet as possible were Rocker Lockers. The motor was quiet for about the first 2154 miles and then all of a sudden a tapping noise came out of nowhere. It starts about 2 1/2 minutes after startup and lasts for 4-5 minutes when idling. When riding, the sound is very loud during 1st - 3rd gear. The noise hasn't affected performance in any way, but it is annoying as hell. I've been dealing with this problem for almost 2 months now. I initially though it might have been a failing compnsator, so I deleted the compensator, installed a new primary chain and billet clutch basket, but the noise still persists. Yesterday I decided to go back into the rocker boxes to see if the source of the noise was coming from within. Before unbolting the rocker arm plates, I shook the rocker arms side to side and could see movement (end play) and hear them tapping the sides of the towers. I'm betting that this is almost surely the source of the noise. Next, I removed the push rods to make sure they hadn't lost their adjustment and they were all still locked in place. I then removed the entire rocker arm assemblies and checked end play with a feeler gauge. The front rocker arm assembly measured .013 on both the intake and exhaust side and the rear rocker arm assembly measured .007 on the intake side and .011 on the exhaust side. Not holding my breath, I put everything back together and started the engine to see if shifting things around had somehow made a difference, but it didn't. I don't blame the cause of the noise on the Rocker Lockers, but wonder if the rocker arm shaft may have eaten away at the soft brass, loosening the tolerances and revealing the noise over time? I'm hoping to hear some feedback from those of you who are running Rocker Lockers, to see if any of you have noticed an increase in noise in the top end of your motors after running them for a period of time? I stumbled across this thread earlier this morning and emailed the company a few questions. I am still awaiting a response at this point. Any thoughts or suggestions?

http://harleytechtalk.org/htt/index.php?topic=91568.0

 

[EvilTwin]

I had something similar happen but was able to correct the issue with a push rod adjustment. its could be end play but I would guess a weak lifter or push rod adjustment. what cam are you running. on a side note how are you liking that compensator eliminator sprocket.

 

[NGOT8R]

I had something similar happen but was able to correct the issue with a push rod adjustment. its could be end play but I would guess a weak lifter or push rod adjustment. what cam are you running. on a side note how are you liking that compensator eliminator sprocket.

I'm running Wood 777 cams. Can you elaborate more on your issue with pushrod adjustment, i.e., was your motor quiet after the initial pushrod adjustment and then sometime down the road became noisy and required a readjustment? I'm trying to figure out how this noise just popped up suddenly after 2100 miles.

I really like the compensator eliminator sprocket a lot. Power delivery to the ground is more immediate than it was with the compensator which had to overcome the free play before the power was delivered to the ground. I always hated that on takeoff with the compensator. Now the takeoff is perfect with the eliminator sprocket.

 

[EvilTwin]

when I first installed my ss585 cams at first I didn't have any valve noise but after a couple days I notice after she got warm I could hear the valve chatter rather loud. after readjustment the noise was gone. i didn't have enough preload on the lifters and when the cylinders warmed up and expanded the pushrod was too short. i would try that first before shimming the rockers.

 

[NGOT8R]

when I first installed my ss585 cams at first I didn't have any valve noise but after a couple days I notice after she got warm I could hear the valve chatter rather loud. after readjustment the noise was gone. i didn't have enough preload on the lifters and when the cylinders warmed up and expanded the pushrod was too short. i would try that first before shimming the rockers.

Okay thanks. I'll recheck pushrod adjustment.

 

[14 FLHX]

Mine sings like a sewing machine since new, i put in rocker lockers and it made NO DIFFERENCE.


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[NGOT8R]

Mine sings like a sewing machine since new, i put in rocker lockers and it made NO DIFFERENCE.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

How loud is your top end 14 FLHX? Mine started out quiet and progressed into a hammering noise after 2100 miles. I took the top end loose again today (practicing my proficiency), LOL and removed the Rocker Lockers from my rocker arm support plates to inspect them. What I found were signs of wear consistent with the notches in the shafts, which is what I expected, but they still kept the shafts locked, so that's good. I replaced them with a new set afterwards. You can see the wear marks in two of them. The other two looked the same. See pic.

 

[NGOT8R]

FYI, it may be hard to tell in the pic, but I can catch my fingernail on the wear marks. I am now wondering if the wearing of the brass is what allowed the noise to resurface all of a sudden, or if it could be the push rods (although they were still locked in to their initial adjustment). To eliminate the pushrods as possible culprits, I switched from my adjustables back to the stockers, so I'll see how that works out once I get the top end buttoned back up. Nevertheless, I will continue using the Rocker Lockers, as they give me piece of mind. I just wanted to share what I found during my inspection after 3300 miles of use.

 

[EvilTwin]

which adjustable push rod are you using and are you adjusting them on the bike .

 

[buckshot85]

I recently did a cam swap using Wood 777 cams, Knight Prowler roller lifters and Fuel Moto adjustable push rods. When it came time to adjust the push rods I was told by FM 4 full turns and 4 flats. This was more than the instructions said to do. I asked them about this and was told after a 1000 miles, give or take, they had noticed lifter noise and had to readjust the push rods. So they had me to the extra right away. I have about 800 miles on the set up now and all still sounds great. As far as the rocker noise, I just ignore it. My D&D Fatcat helps drown it out. Lol.

 

[NGOT8R]

which adjustable push rod are you using and are you adjusting them on the bike .

I was using the FM adjustable pushrods and yes, I adjusted them on the bike. I went pretty deep into investigating the noise yesterday. I even pulled the Wood lifters from their bores and completely disassembled them to inspect and bleed them down. They all looked great. It appears that the stock PR's have a little extra clearance inside the PR tubes than the FM PR's. I'm probably being more anal about this than I need to, but I keep trying to convince myself that I can mke the motor just a little quieter. I'll report back once I button things up and test it out.