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front eng noise and metal flakes in engine

thanks for all input greatly appreciated I just did the compression test again and number one cyl. was at 102 lbs. and the rear cyl. was at 115 lbs. and then I fired up the bike and it starts out sounding normal after about ten minutes the engine starts knocking and I can hear it without the stethoscope so I listened with my stethoscope and it is in the front cylinder you can hear it at the top and bottom of the cyl. it is loudest at the valve cover right above the pushrod tube and I have metal flake in the eng behind the cam cover and in my oil tank so I am guessing it is everywhere in the engine thanks for the cyco idea I am gonna order my new cam chain guides from them does it matter if I use oem cam chains from Harley or should I go aftermarket for them as well is it possible to port and or gasket match the heads and polish them my self or anything else I can do myself to increase hp. I was trying to find tdc by using my cam gear marks and could not see a mark on the smaller gear to line them up right so can I just find tdc by putting my front piston at top dead center and be good to go thanks again guys :small3d026:jake the snake :hii
 
Your 1st post you said you bought the bike 2 weeks ago, dealer or private party? your issue may be the reason the previous owner got ride of it. If you have as much metal flaking in the engine as you described you have a serious problem in my opinion. The front cylinder knock sounds like a wrist pin going south on you. At this point I would concentrate more on where all the metal flake is coming from and what is causing front cylinder knock then trying to get more HP.
 
Totally agree with Jeff; sounds like the previous owner saw the writing on th wall and traded rather than repair and also agree that you need to get the motor healthy again before planning any performance upgrades.

Here is my take on your situation and what I would do. As I see it you have two options.

1. Take the bike back to the dealer if you purchased from a dealer and try to work some kind of a deal; they sold you damaged goods.

2. Bite the bullet and repair; sounds like that is the path you are on. So, let's revisit the compression test first; both cylinders are reading too low and the variance from one to the other is at the max. I want to verify that the compression test was done properly before chiming in.

Is the bike carbureted or fuel injected? If the bike is carbureted, you would have to remove the carb from the boot to get accurate readings since the carb slide is vacuum operated and would not open at WOT with a "dead" motor. If carbureted, pull the compression test again, properly with carb removed from boot and you will see higher readings. A stock TC88 with the top end in good condition should see 160ish psi.

So, for a moment let's assume the worst, the compression readings are accurate. It's time to refresh the top end with cylinder boring and new pistons and rings. However, before you tear into the motor, contact Blackstone and get their oil sample kit and send them an oil sample. Additionally, consider purchasing the Roque Chopper complete oil change kit and do a complete oil change before you disassemble the motor which will get most of the metal contaminated oil out of the motor. No need for expensive oil and for the cost of the oil, you might do two complete oil changes. Get a couple of those gallon jugs of Shell Rotella 15W40 and follow the instructions that come with the kit; there are also instructional videos on their website.

While your cylinders are being bored and pistons fitted, you can address the cam chest and replace the OEM tensioners with the CYCO units. I would also recommend replacing the oil pump with the Drag Specialties higher capacity pump; it will cost about half what the OEM replacement pump will cost. Best to use the OEM cam chains as they have been "polished" with 56K miles of use.



You can use the cam timing marks to set piston at TDC as shown in the below photos. First photo is the cam timing positions for TDC on the rear cylinder which is commonly the #1 cylinder; the second photo is similar for the front (#2) cylinder. Or you can simply rotate the rear wheel with plugs removed and when you hear the compression whoosh from the cylinder you are working on, you know that piston is coming up on the compression stroke. You can insert a straw or something similar into the plug hole and watch the piston move up, down and through TDC. For future reference, pushrod adjustment must be done with piston at TDC on the compression stroke to insure both valves are closed.





I would not recommend port/polish heads as a DIY project. Bean at BigBoyz offers a "street" port job for $299, very good work for what it is and reasonably priced. Machine work such as boring cylinders, decking heads and drilling/fitting compression releases will add to the cost. Bean does a good job, still hand ports AFAIK. He retains the stock valves/springs, ports intake and exhaust, new guide seals and valve job.

Pick a set of torque cams and have Bean work your heads around the cam set, put the motor back together and it will be a different bike. Once running and after the first oil change at 100 miles, collect another oil sample and send to Blackstone so you can compare the before/after reports.

We have addressed everything but the knocking which could piston slap but could also be a small or big end rod bearing; let's hope not because that puts you in big bucks territory for the repair. However, you will have to check that out. It would be unfortunate to build a nice 95" motor only to fire it up and hear that knocking again.:shock
 
I hope I am wrong, but I would pop off the heads and barrels and look at the pistons. If this metal has gone thru your engine as mine did your pistons are probably scuffed badly and the piston jets are clogged.Cut open your oil filter and lay out the media to see how much debris is there
 
thanks for the ideas and help my bike is fuel injected yes I bought it from a jap bike dealer the paperwork says as is so I think the problem is mine now the bike made some valvetrain noise when I looked at it and it sounded like the cam chains were out of adjustment I have heard this sound on my jap bikes and adj tensioner got rid of it on them, and the small cam sprocket on my bike does not have any markings like the one in your pics, don't I have to have the crank out of the engine to check runout on it or access through bottom of engine? looks like I better get a hold of blackstone and go from there. thanks again :small3d026: jake the snake :newsmile091:
 
You don't need to have the crank out in order to check runout. If you don't already have one, an HD service manual should be very high on your list of things to acquire.
 
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