INTERMITANT TAPPET NOISE

twinegar · Post by **twinegar** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:19 am

Is this the stuff?
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Item ... 0000286612

twinegar · Post by **twinegar** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:31 am

Anyone read this?
http://www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm

daves79x · Post by **daves79x** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:00 pm

Royal Purple is pretty good stuff, I think. I have a friend that sells it and swears by it for autos, at least. That's too much money for oil. You can get a good synthetic or semi-synthetic for $7-8/litre/quart easy. I think Honda's regular oil is about $5 and the semi about $7 (at least I can get it for that at my local dealer). Look around.

Dave

cbxtacy · Post by **cbxtacy** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:30 pm

I use this stuff.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/Mot ... _Oils.aspx
I use the 10 40 in my Hawk GT mainly because the bikes water cooled and I use the 20 50 in my CBX's. An air cooled engine runs much hotter oil temps and has greater fluctuation in the oil temps then a water cooled one. A local dealer (motorcycle) will get me a couple cases at a time, not to save money but for convenience because sometimes it's hard to find.

twinegar · Post by **twinegar** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:57 pm

I just came home with the Honda 20-50 dino-oil. You're right about the oil in the CBX running hot, pulling the drain plug out and spilling a little on my hand was a real thrill. If none of this works I will probably pull the head checking the lifters as I go to see if maybe one is dragging I am sure the problem is in the head some place. I will do a compression test first while hot to locate the problem cylinder.

twinegar · Post by **twinegar** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 4:37 pm

I have some new info on my problem. I drove the bike until it started making the noise again and used a short piece of garden hose to try to pinpoint the source. Squating next to the left side I heard an intermittant scraping, draging sound between the alternator and pulse generator that corresponded with the other noise. Since the pulse generator is mounted to the same shaft and if the shaft bearings were occassionally draging couldn't that cause a change in the timing momentarily accounting for the RPM change.
viewtopic.php?t=3842&highlight=alternator+noise
I realize it sounds like I am all over the place with this but I am doing the best I can to solve this.

Rick Pope · Post by **Rick Pope** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:20 pm

THis is a long shot, but easy to check........

On the same shaft as the pulser is the alternator drive. If the alternator bearings are going out, it could cause your symtoms. Three screws to remove the alternator and give the clutch a spin. Any drag or roughness in the bearings means going to your local auto supply and getting a 6201 and 6203 bearing, then getting a new seal from Honda. Simple fix, IF that's the problem. 'Bout $15 too.

twinegar · Post by **twinegar** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:36 pm

Thanks Rick. Amazing that it would cause all the symptoms I am describing throughout this post. The CBX is definitely a different animal from my other bikes. I will check it tomorrow and report. I tried to put my fingers on the alternator cover earlier to see how hot it was and it burnt my finger tips.

daves79x · Post by **daves79x** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:54 pm

If you haven't been into the alternator on this bike, and don't know when it was last serviced, you need to take a look anyway. These alternators are more maintenance-intensive than most, but easy to work on and with proper care, will give thousands of miles of service. Also make sure your clutch plates are not worn down to the oil slinger grooves and that the spring has not lost it's tension. If you find any of the above, give us a shout. Still hard to see that this is your problem. It really sounds like something amiss in the primary chain tensioner.

If you are changing the oil, drop the sump and see what's laying in there and on the screen. May tell you a bit about what's going on inside. You may be surprised at what you find.

Dave

EMS · Post by **EMS** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:56 pm

daves79x wrote: You are wasting your money on premimum gas. I have over 100,000 miles on CBXs of all years and have never run premimum. These engines were designed to use low-octane fuel and if everything is right, they will never 'ping' on regular.

Dave

I am glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks that!

daves79x · Post by **daves79x** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 6:49 pm

Now if could just spell PREMIUM right!

Dave

twinegar · Post by **twinegar** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 6:57 pm

Just went into the alternator and it spins freely so I guess it isn't a bearing issue. The plates are smooth with no evidence of bearing trouble. One of the brushes was down past the change mark so I installed a new set and blew out the graphite. What about bearings inside the crankcase supporting the alternator shaft? Any more ideas?

"Premimum" and nothin' compared to some of my type'O's but I could use a spell checker here that offers corrections.

EMS · Post by **EMS** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:21 pm

twinegar wrote: but I could use a spell checker here that offers corrections.

Have your wife look over your shoulder while you're typing...

twinegar · Post by **twinegar** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:22 pm

I don't have one of those.

Rick Pope · Post by **Rick Pope** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:03 pm

Darn. I really wish it were the alternator. It would have made me look smarter .........

Now I'm leaning towards Dave's thoughts.

And I too use regular gas in my CBXs.