scary new engine noise on a roadtrip

[maelstromwar]

Hi everyone. Currently on a road trip.across eastern Canada typing this on my phone from a hostel on prince edward island.

Over the last 250 miles or so my bike has been developing a new loud-ish tapping noise from the top end. The issue increases in frequency as rpm goes up but performance seems completely unaffected so far. In the past I've owned a 68 beetle on which I've had to replace the motor. The dual port 1600 had the same push rod actuated intake/exhaust valves I see on this bike. I remember the way my.beetle sounded when the screws that set the lifter clearance got loose and needed to be tightened. Lots of noisy tapping during actuation. My lightning seems to sound the same way right now. Are the littered on the Harley motor similarly adjustable?

Thinking I need to bring her to a shop to.get looked at but I'm in an unfamiliar place and on a tight schedule with no idea where to go. I will be static for the jext two days so this is as good a hance as I will get to figute this out before I have to move on. Charlottetown, PEI is the nearest major city and I will be calling around looking for a place come the morning.

Does anyone know anyone in the area who can help? Does anyone have any advice regarding the issue? Are the litter clearances easy to adjust? How do I ft at the top end? I'm in a tight stop and I don't wajt to make things worse for my bike, please help!

Regards,
Roman

 

[Rhino1]

Just for sh*ts and giggles, you have checked the oil levels, right? And for loose stuff under the air box cover? Primary chain tension?

Otherwise, I'm thinking bent pushrod. The lifters are hydraulic and not adjustable...

 

[fireinxb]

Also, when was the last time you changed your oil? What kind?

 

[JOEL9]

He's posted in the tuber section, just noticed that[smirk]. but check your oil.

 

[2hy2ride]

Failing lifter or maybe the oil pump gear going bad. The oil pump gear noise is pretty deceptive both of these have happened to me on different bikes and they sounded very similar but the lifter was real inconsistent especially under hard low rpm throttle I first thought it was bad gas or a broke valve spring.

 

[maelstromwar]

Changed my oil with 20-50 just before stepping off. Found a few ferrous metal shavings on the drain plug magnet and became alarmed. Searched the issue on this forum and came up with a bunch of results from people worried about the same issue who were told that as long as the drain plug does not look like a chia pet their bikes were fine. As I drained the oil I did jot notice anything out of the ordinary about its color or consistency.

checked my oil a hundred miles ago and found the reserve tank approximately half full which is normal. I do not have an air box cover. How do I check the primary chain tension?

Just found out there is a Harley dealer in town. Going to call them now.

 

[2hy2ride]

Primary chain adjustment is directly under the shift lever on the underneath of the cover. Take of the small inspection cover at top with 2 torx screws and u want less than 3/4 inch more than half. Stick ur finger in the hole and wiggle the stator flywheel if its loose the main nut might have walked that could b the culprit of ur noise too. To check th oil pump gear u gotta drop the pump which is just two bolts an two sleeve nuts then u lay on ur back with a flashlight, look up in the hole at the gear u can find pics on this forum of what its not supposed to look like

 

[maelstromwar]

Well, it was a disaster. Harley guys took the motor apart just short of cracking the case open and found nothing wrong except about 1/8 of an inch of play in the crank when turning it with a wrench. Mechanics said they think the issue was caused by the previous owner trying to do wheelies.

Couldn't get a new crank installed in a reasonable amount of time or for a reasonable price so I bought a used F-150 on the island, loaded up both our bikes in the bed and drove home. Bike is currently sans push rods and the top end is loosely thrown together.

At this point I'm going to break the bike down as much as possible and bring the motor into my basement to work on during the winter. The crank will most likely need to be rebuilt. Can anyone recommend a machine shop in the states to which I can ship my crank to have it fixed?

My next question is: since I will have the motor in pieces soon anyway, what internal bits would be recommended for an upgrade?

Thanks,
Roman

 

[maelstromwar]

Also I'll need an 2000 X1 Lightning service manual. Does anyone have a used one they would like to offload?

Obviously need all the gaskets for bottom end rebuild too. Where should I buy these for an 2000 X1?

Is it possible to remove crank without dropping pistons from the cylinder? Can I push out the pins while leaving the pistons in the chamber?