Engine knocking noise

[vinnyirl]

Yep one sound you never want to hear.

I just replaced the oil and oil filter in my bike, I did notice some brown goo in the oil cap but as I have been driving through the winter (-8C at the worst) I think it is just condensation and I don't drive that far 20min in the morning 20 min in the evening.

Last night I took the bike for a quick spin and noticed a knocking noise when stopped at the lights (not very loud but noticeable). I stopped at a petrol station and I could hear the noise but if i let the engine idle the noise will go away if I rev the engine and then allow it to idle the noise will come back it is very sporadic. The whole drive home from the petrol station and when I was back in the garage I couldn't hear it at all. Today when driving to work I heard it again but when I arrived the noise had stopped.

There is no loss in power, no leaks (external), no excessive smoke.

This is the EU model which is fuel injected.

I have read a few articles that say the auto cam chain tensioner sometimes gets gunked up so I am assuming it might be that but what do you think?

Thanks for any help.

[Joshorilla]

Originally Posted by vinnyirl

Yep one sound you never want to hear.

I just replaced the oil and oil filter in my bike, I did notice some brown goo in the oil cap but as I have been driving through the winter (-8C at the worst) I think it is just condensation and I don't drive that far 20min in the morning 20 min in the evening.

Last night I took the bike for a quick spin and noticed a knocking noise when stopped at the lights (not very loud but noticeable). I stopped at a petrol station and I could hear the noise but if i let the engine idle the noise will go away if I rev the engine and then allow it to idle the noise will come back it is very sporadic. The whole drive home from the petrol station and when I was back in the garage I couldn't hear it at all. Today when driving to work I heard it again but when I arrived the noise had stopped.

There is no loss in power, no leaks (external), no excessive smoke.

This is the EU model which is fuel injected.

Thanks for any help.

When my bike was new I got an ocasional metalic *** noise from the engine sporadically, it went away as my bike broke in I assume it was my valves seating, yours being a 2008 it may possibly be that the valves will need adjusting.

We do suffer with condensation on our bikes in europe, I ride mine for a good few hours several times a week to stop it from setting in too much.


Edit: the noise it makes is also a word for a special of bird often procedid by the word blue, which is banned apparently. :S
I have read a few articles that say the auto cam chain tensioner sometimes gets gunked up so I am assuming it might be that but what do you think?

[csmith12]

What kind of oil did you use?
Is it full?
Miles? Time for valve service maybe?

Cam chain possibly.

Is it ticking or knocking. A hard knock could be major, a tick just may mean you need some maintenance.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by vinnyirl

.........I have read a few articles that say the auto cam chain tensioner sometimes gets gunked up so I am assuming it might be that but what do you think?

That is supposed to be cleaned and lubricated at each valve adjustment.

Don't worry about the noise, it is nothing major.

Noises coming from main bearings sound like a dull rotational knock (regularly at every other rotation), especially when the engine is pulling.

If you have condensation during the winter, you may want to replace the oil (no filter) much more frequently.

[vinnyirl]

Thanks for all the replies. I just changed the oil and I am going to change again this weekend and next weekend to flush out any goo that may be floating around.

I will take off and clean the cam chain tensioner next week end after the gasket arrives, hopefully that will solve it.
Need to install some lights in the garage to do the valves as I have a feeling it will take some time

The oil i used during the oil change was semi synthetic 10W40, and it is filled a little over the mid point between low and high.

The noise is a light tapping sound, the only reason I don't think its the valves is because as I rev the engine the tapping does not get any faster it just stops tapping at about 3-4k rpm and nothing is heard after, until I release the trottle and the tapping comes back.......sometimes.

[Motofool]

The noise may be just the timing chain slapping around at low rpms' due to insufficient tension.

Caveat: While servicing the tensioner, do not turn the engine at all (the cam chain should have tension on it at all times when rotating).

[DaBlue1]

What's the avg temp you ride in? -8c is pretty cold to try and bring the bike's oil and water operating temp up to optimum in a short trip.

How many miles on the bike?

This 20 min ride...is it stop and go traffic or expressway?

Does it make a ticking or tapping noise only when it's cold or fully warm or both?

Try adding a little oil closer to the high mark at your next oil change

[vinnyirl]

Motofool, you are no fool. I totally would have turned it, thanks for potentially saving me an engine.

DaBlue1, -8 was the worst it got, im in the netherlands so its a temperate climate usually during the winter its between 0-4. I let the bike idle for 5 min before driving. The 20 minutes is 5 minutes of city driving with many traffic lights and 15 minutes on the motorway.

Tapping noise was when the heat gauge just moved out of cold. I didn't hear it today though lets see what happens tomorrow.

[alex.s]

its been my most recent experience after completely tearing an engine apart looking for a tick that, if you just changed your oil and now its ticking, find a different oil and put in an OEM filter. the filter can change the oil flow and starve parts of the engine if it isn't correct, likewise the oil can be weighted differently or have different last-resort barriers that don't work well with the filter / oil pump combination.

change the oil again, spend the extra $2 and use kawi branded oil and a kawi branded oem filter. if the tick doesn't change, proceed to worry.

[vinnyirl]

Just in case anybody comes across the same issue this was caused by gunk in the bottom of the engine. Ridding during the winter allowed small amounts of water into the engine creating the gunk. Once removed and flushed (couple of oil changes in a row) the noise is gone

Lesson learned - If driving in cold weather take a long trip once a week to burn off all the water.

also got my water checked to see if the head gasket was gone and it wasn't.

Thanks for all the help

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by vinnyirl

Just in case anybody comes across the same issue this was caused by gunk in the bottom of the engine. Ridding during the winter allowed small amounts of water into the engine creating the gunk. Once removed and flushed (couple of oil changes in a row) the noise is gone

Lesson learned - If driving in cold weather take a long trip once a week to burn off all the water.

also got my water checked to see if the head gasket was gone and it wasn't.

Thanks for all the help

did you use the same oil as the first oil change or a different oil?

[vinnyirl]

Same oil, had enough of it