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Primary Clunking

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murgas1

Member
Hi To All,

I have an 09 FLHX that has had a clunk in the primary either when going off throttle or when engaging the clutch rapidly (loading or unloading the tranny). I have heard there is a compensator issue that has not been issued as a recall but is on a case by case basis. Has anyone heard of such an issue? Also would this affect the idle as my idle has become very shaky as of late. Thanks:D
 
Lean mixtures will cause an uneven idle.

As far as the clunk, it could be a problem with the self adjusting primary chain tensioner or the compensator itself. Have the dealer check it out.
 
I have access to high octane fuel on a regular basis. Could O2 become fouled and change idle characteristics? It is unleaded 100 octane so know lead additives.
 
The 100 octane isn't a good idea, use only enough octane to keep it from pinging, usually 91 or a bit higher.
 
murgas1 said:
Hi To All,

I have an 09 FLHX that has had a clunk in the primary either when going off throttle or when engaging the clutch rapidly (loading or unloading the tranny). I have heard there is a compensator issue that has not been issued as a recall but is on a case by case basis. Has anyone heard of such an issue? Also would this affect the idle as my idle has become very shaky as of late. Thanks:D
Click to expand...

I went around and around with that "clunk" in my '08 SG. (now have 28,000 miles) Have ridden several '08's and '09's since I inquired about this and believe me, they ALL do it. Glider answered it correctly 6 or 8 months back with it being backlash in the primary chain. Have talked to several mechanics and they agree. It has to do with the self adjusting primary chain tensioner.
(Dealer obviously said it was normal but never explained it) This forum is the bomb for info! Hope this gives you a peace of mind.
 
As long as you eliminate the compensator nut backing out as the source of the problem, these newer models seem to have this characteristic. You can try Glider's suggestion for tightening up the self-adjuster, but if it still makes a clunk after these two things are done, "that's normal!"

TQ
 
High octane fuel will burn out the 02. The rear 02 adjust to the front 02 so if the front 02 is bad it can't adjust it self. good luck
 
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