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Ticking in valve train after cam change

fxstcb

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I have a ticking in the valve train after a Leinweber E3S cam, S&S lifters, and S&S adjustable pushrods. The bike runs great, but just do not like the ticking noise. Is this normal after installing a aftermarket cam, lifters, and pushrods?
 
I have a ticking in the valve train after a Leinweber E3S cam, S&S lifters, and S&S adjustable pushrods. The bike runs great, but just do not like the ticking noise. Is this normal after installing a aftermarket cam, lifters, and pushrods?

What lifters? Did you follow the manufactures adjustment on the rods? Some times an extra flat or 2 makes a huge difference JMO Were the S S lifters compatible with the cam?
 
What lifters? Did you follow the manufactures adjustment on the rods? Some times an extra flat or 2 makes a huge difference JMO Were the S S lifters compatible with the cam?

The cam is a bolt in cam, and the S&S lifters are a direct OEM style replacement. All the sound is comming from the left side of the rockerboxes. Could it be just the higher lift and the ramp open and closed of the cam?
 
The cam is a bolt in cam, and the S&S lifters are a direct OEM style replacement. All the sound is comming from the left side of the rockerboxes. Could it be just the higher lift and the ramp open and closed of the cam?

Sure, some times the rocker boxes have to be modified a bit to adjust for higher lift cams
 
Being it's a 99 Soft tail, I assume it is a Evo motor. If so then you have to size you Pinion gear to the new cam. When to small it makes a ticking sound, when to too big it makes a whinnig sound. If memory serves me.
 
After I redid my TC engine, I had a tick I attributed to the work I had done in the cam chest. Chased it for a couple of months adjusting the pushrods to different lenths and finally replacing the lifters. Turned out to be an exhaust leak on the front pipe. I had used the standard mesh/lead crush gaskets when I originally did the work. Was not sealing. I replaced these with the Cometic C9540. Done. No more ticking.

TQ
 
I've read quite a bit of materail about this. A certain percentage of folks do have the sound you speak of after installing an aftermarker cam. Some were able to aleviate it with adjustable pushrod adjustments. Others shimmed the rocker end play (this can be quite involved since you don't want to use too thin a shims). And yet others just had to loosen the rocker plates and center them up better before tightening them back down.

The summation of everything I've read (on several forums) is that all of the time, the above fixes did "not" always stop the noise. Sometimes any of the above fixes did stop it, but sometimes nothing stopped it. Bottom line is (unless you have a loose pushrod adjustment) it will not do any harm to the engine. You can think of it as the old solid lifter sound.

However make sure your lifters are adjusted properly.
 
Even though it says it is a bolt in cam you must make sure the cam is at the right depth, this sometimes requires a new bushing/washer between the cam and the engine case, also did you replace the cam bearing, this is another possibility. Now as Jack said about the cam lift being to much and the rocker arm bumping into the top of the rocker box the best way to aleviate that is to find the spot where the contact is made and take a dremel and grind a little out of the rocker cover probably .020 should do it. There ar so many posibilities for nois in a Harley engine sometimes its best to check all of your specs and if that don't do it just ride it.
 
After checking the noise with a mechanics stethoscope it sounds like the ticking is from the valves closing into the seat. The noise is not in the lifters, rocker boxes, or heads, but at the intake, and exhaust flanges.
 
After checking the noise with a mechanics stethoscope it sounds like the ticking is from the valves closing into the seat. The noise is not in the lifters, rocker boxes, or heads, but at the intake, and exhaust flanges.

How many miles on the top end? Have you done any valve work like new springs and valve job? Any riser washers on the valve springs? Maybe springs are in a bind? Lots of variables with valves and cams that are not compatible after a change JMO Good Luck and report back what you find Check with S S about these lifters, seems to me some of these lifters were like solids that could explain the noise
 
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