Valve train noise

mrflexicoil

mrflexicoil

Joined
Jun 11, 2014
Messages
4
Location
alberta
Bike
2004 Honda ST1300
I have what I would call " Valve train noise" and I am trying to determine what and where it is coming from. I have check the valve clearance and they all seem to be a bit on the tight side of the specs. I was expecting them to be loose not tight. That would make up some of the noise that I am hearing. Is there a way to determine if it is the cam chain itself. The bike has over 235000 kms on it. The valves has been set at least twice that the previous owner has told me about. Is there a chain adjustment that I should be looking for? From what I have seen in the Tech manual I do not see anything but maybe I am missing something. I have found a
LIFTER, TENSIONER in the parts manual but I am not 100% sure what this actually does. Can someone tell me please. Is that my possible problem.
 
mrflexicoil said:
I have what I would call " Valve train noise" and I am trying to determine what and where it is coming from. I have check the valve clearance and they all seem to be a bit on the tight side of the specs. I was expecting them to be loose not tight. That would make up some of the noise that I am hearing. Is there a way to determine if it is the cam chain itself. The bike has over 235000 kms on it. The valves has been set at least twice that the previous owner has told me about. Is there a chain adjustment that I should be looking for? From what I have seen in the Tech manual I do not see anything but maybe I am missing something. I have found a
LIFTER, TENSIONER in the parts manual but I am not 100% sure what this actually does. Can someone tell me please. Is that my possible problem.
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I can't say for sure what the source of the noise is, but I can offer some of my experience in setting the valve clearance. It's actually more common for the valve clearance to tighten as the engine wears rather than loosen, so what you're measuring is likely normal engine wear. If the valve clearance is out of spec it would be worth adjusting them (doing so on my bike noticeably improved start-up and fuel economy) but it may not be the root cause of the noise. The cam chains are tensioned by a spring and should shelf-adjust to hold the chains at the correct tension unless the chains themselves have stretched so much that the tensioner has run out of travel. You can access the tensioner on the left-hand side of the bike fairly easily - if you don't have a manual I can post the relevant info. If the tensioner is at its maximum travel then to my knowledge the only fix would be to replace the timing chains. I don't think there is any way to manually adjust the tension.
 
Camrysandcoffee said:
If the tensioner is at its maximum travel then to my knowledge the only fix would be to replace the timing chains. I don't think there is any way to manually adjust the tension.
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What you posted is correct, but I cannot remember anyone posting a thread discussing cam chain replacement. There have been a few discussions about the tensioner on the 1100 (which uses a kevlar or fiberglass belt) but none for the 1300's timing chain. I believe the chain is bathed in engine oil so wear is minimal.
 
My bike will make some noise if oil level is below lower sight glass line. I had to install a level on my bike to insure correct oil level. The difference from the upper oil level line and the lower line is about 5 ounces oil.
 
Can you post a sound clip of the noise. It may help narrow it down. You stated you were expecting to find loose valves... are you saying the sound mimics valve clatter or is it growling like a chain? Big difference...
 
Camrysandcoffee said:
I can't say for sure what the source of the noise is, but I can offer some of my experience in setting the valve clearance. It's actually more common for the valve clearance to tighten as the engine wears rather than loosen, so what you're measuring is likely normal engine wear. If the valve clearance is out of spec it would be worth adjusting them (doing so on my bike noticeably improved start-up and fuel economy) but it may not be the root cause of the noise. The cam chains are tensioned by a spring and should shelf-adjust to hold the chains at the correct tension unless the chains themselves have stretched so much that the tensioner has run out of travel. You can access the tensioner on the left-hand side of the bike fairly easily - if you don't have a manual I can post the relevant info. If the tensioner is at its maximum travel then to my knowledge the only fix would be to replace the timing chains. I don't think there is any way to manually adjust the tension.
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If the balancer shafts are out of adjustment then it will sound like gravel rattling around in there.
 
ST1100Y said:
Also the plastic guides will wear down at some point...
The OP mentioned 235,000km/146,875miles... so IMO replacement is overdue... :unsure:
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Well, you are entitled to your opinion for sure but there have been many ST1300s where 148,875 miles was just a moment on the way to 200, 300, or even 400,000+ miles. I've been here a long time and can't recall a single post on a problem related to wearing out timing chain tensioners, chains, or guides.
 
Camrysandcoffee said:
I can't say for sure what the source of the noise is, but I can offer some of my experience in setting the valve clearance. It's actually more common for the valve clearance to tighten as the engine wears rather than loosen, so what you're measuring is likely normal engine wear. If the valve clearance is out of spec it would be worth adjusting them (doing so on my bike noticeably improved start-up and fuel economy) but it may not be the root cause of the noise. The cam chains are tensioned by a spring and should shelf-adjust to hold the chains at the correct tension unless the chains themselves have stretched so much that the tensioner has run out of travel. You can access the tensioner on the left-hand side of the bike fairly easily - if you don't have a manual I can post the relevant info. If the tensioner is at its maximum travel then to my knowledge the only fix would be to replace the timing chains. I don't think there is any way to manually adjust the tension.
Click to expand...
Is the "lifter, Tensioner" what keeps the chain at the correct tension? I did not see in the manual anything about making an adjustment to that device. How can you check that to see if it has maxed out the travel?
 
dduelin said:
Well, you are entitled to your opinion for sure but there have been many ST1300s where 148,875 miles was just a moment on the way to 200, 300, or even 400,000+ miles. I've been here a long time and can't recall a single post on a problem related to wearing out timing chain tensioners, chains, or guides.
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I have heard of many units with way more miles on them too and I want mine to get there too, but I don't want to have big trouble that could have been avoided with a little TLC. I like to do the easy cheap maintenance before it turns into a big problem.
 
Bmacleod said:
Can you post a sound clip of the noise. It may help narrow it down. You stated you were expecting to find loose valves... are you saying the sound mimics valve clatter or is it growling like a chain? Big difference...
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I will do that when I get it back together. Going to work on that today and see how far I get. Maybe I am concerned for no reason.
 
Do not overlook starting a conversation with Larry / @Igofar.
His Igofar reviews thread has seemingly become a casualty of the forum hosting swap a while ago.
 
mrflexicoil said:
I have heard of many units with way more miles on them too and I want mine to get there too, but I don't want to have big trouble that could have been avoided with a little TLC. I like to do the easy cheap maintenance before it turns into a big problem.
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I’m all for doing the recommended maintenance and did so beyond 135,000 miles, only after then stretching the valve checks out. I also know too many times of the “it wasn’t broken until I fixed it.”
 
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