Author Topic: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!  (Read 17502 times)

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Offline NathanStewart

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Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« on: June 20, 2012, 11:30:59 PM »
Man, this couldn't be happening at a worse time.  My daily driver is an '03 Buell XB9S Lightning.  I believe the Buell motor is akin to the Sportster 883 engine.  I've been riding 'er 120 miles a day back and forth to work for the past three years.  The odometer is about to click over to 58k.  Today when I got to work I noticed a "whurring" sound coming from the crankcase and it changes with engine speed.  There's absolutely no loss in power and it fires right up and rides fine but it's making this horrible sound that I can even feel/hear while riding it (even with ear plugs in).

I get it home and put it on the stand and fire it up and it's still doing it and maybe just slightly worse than it was before.  I did the old "long screwdriver to the ear" stethoscope deal and listened all over.  It basically sounds like it's coming from everywhere but it seems to be really bad on the oil pump (FWIW no low oil pressure light) but I know there are a bunch of gears on that side of the engine and I'm sure it could be anything.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look for on a HD engine with this many miles?  Is there anyone in the Orange County area that might be willing to look at it?  The reason this is happening at a horrible time is because I just dropped my car off at a body shop in LA to have it fixed after it was rear ended in a hit and run back in March so I'm basically SOL.  Figures.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks in advance!
« Last Edit: June 21, 2012, 12:07:04 AM by NathanStewart »
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Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2012, 01:06:04 AM »
Nathan - I am pretty sure that an '03 Buell IS the same as a Sportster....

If the noise is present when the machine is not in motion, it is within the engine/transmission area....there are NOT a lot of things in a Sportster engine that will do this ... Having only recently done a complete teardown and rebuild of a Sportster engine/trans combo - I am thinking about what it could be.....  So... Is it possibly coming from the primary drive - as in - the chain needs to be tightened?
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Offline generatorshovel

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2012, 01:09:41 AM »
Nathan, check that your crankshaft compensator nut is still tight, and your chain adjuster nylon shoe is ok,
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I would prefer to make horsepower, rather than buy, or hya it, regardless of the difficulties involved , as it would then be MINE

Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2012, 01:14:02 AM »
Nathan, check that your crankshaft compensator nut is still tight, and your chain adjuster nylon shoe is ok,

Do Sportsters of this vintage have a compensator?.... I never knew that the drive components were/are called that .... but if you have the primary drive opened up, DO check to see that the sprockets are tight! ... and .... along with a loose chain, the adjuster shoe COULD have disintegrated!
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Offline NathanStewart

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2012, 01:16:31 AM »
Okay, that side is the easy side to get off so I'll check in there.  Honestly it's hard to tell where the sound is coming from.  It kinda sounds like it's coming right from the middle of the motor (crank bearings?) but the oil pump was most notably the loudest thing I checked.

Any other thoughts?
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Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2012, 01:21:53 AM »
There is a two bolt little round plug at the "top" of the primary case.... It is held on by two 1/4" countersunk Allen Head capscrews.... take it off and see if the chain has a lot more thant about 5/8" of up/down movement.... if it is lots more, tighten it.... there is a "setscrew" with a jam nut under the footpeg area.... (for stock "mid" control Sporties, anyway) you loosen off the jam nut and tighten it with an Allen Wrench.... until you have about 9/16" of total up/down movement....
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Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2012, 01:22:50 AM »
BTW, you do not have to take the primary cover off for this procedure....
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Offline NathanStewart

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2012, 01:32:18 AM »
Yeah, I've read about adjusting the primary tension in the service manual.  I checked it once a couple years ago but I noticed that the chain would either be really slacked or only slightly slacked depending on whether I rotated the rear wheel forward or back.  The manual didn't specify at what point the slack should be checked so I never really checked it BUT the bike has never exhibited any of the symptoms listed in the manual that would normally require the primary chain to be tightened.  I'll give it a check and will be very happy if that's all it is.
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Offline NathanStewart

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2012, 01:36:11 AM »
Having only recently done a complete teardown and rebuild of a Sportster engine/trans combo - I am thinking about what it could be..... 

What was the reason for the teardown/rebuild?  I'm trying to gauge what exactly is "high miles" for this engine and when I should think about rebuilding it.  It sure runs like a top and I ride it pretty hard (4500 rpm @ ~80mph for 60 miles at a time over the past 50k+ miles).  Hopefully whatever is going on now isn't a game ender for my bike.   
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Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2012, 01:39:00 AM »
Nathan - first get your own ride looked at!... I will explain in a minute!.... Get the maximum slack up on the top "chord" of the chain.... and then check it.... you will have to roll the rear wheel backwards to do so....
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Offline NathanStewart

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2012, 01:43:16 AM »
Roger that.  I'll check it tomorrow after I get home from work.  I'll be carpooling with a co-worker for the time being.  Thanks.
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Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2012, 01:52:43 AM »
Having only recently done a complete teardown and rebuild of a Sportster engine/trans combo - I am thinking about what it could be..... 

What was the reason for the teardown/rebuild?  I'm trying to gauge what exactly is "high miles" for this engine and when I should think about rebuilding it.  It sure runs like a top and I ride it pretty hard (4500 rpm @ ~80mph for 60 miles at a time over the past 50k+ miles).  Hopefully whatever is going on now isn't a game ender for my bike.   

Jeez man, you ask too many questions..... it's a long story.... I had "a ton" of used Sportster parts here from over the  years.... one of my sidelines is building custom Sporties.... one of my friends was here last November looking for a few "trinkets" for his younger brother's Sportster (which I built several years ago).... we laid out ALL of my parts on the work table in my storage shed .... he remarked that it looked like I had enough stuff to but together another whole bike, if I had a frame and a few other items (this was true!)... I found a frame and matching crankcases with TITLE for sale on ebay so I bought them and .... the motor and spare parts that I had here, I rebuilt into those crank cases .... the high perf parts from the spare motor all got saved - I put the bike motor together as a "stock" 883 .... "cuz a stock Sportie gets about 60 mpg.... and I was just going to keep the bike as a spare bike for when family or friends come to visit.... but a girl, who is friends with my kids saw it and has "spoken for" it.... It is almost ready to go for her....
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Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2012, 01:55:51 AM »
In the last reply the pics are of two Sporties I built a few years ago....

This pic is of the one I am putting together now
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Offline fastman614

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #13 on: June 21, 2012, 02:06:38 AM »
Also, another soft tail Sportster is taking shape... 2" top tube stretch and 2" lower leg stretch with 35 degrees of rake.... The pic shows a quick mock up on the frame jig.....
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Offline 1212FBGS

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Re: Harley Experts - I Need Your Help!!
« Reply #14 on: June 21, 2012, 03:21:53 AM »
it quite possibly is the oil pump gear..... a common failure that usualy takes out the whole motor...... he xb series is when they started replacing the gear with a brass one but a good place to start after the primary tension.... just drop the pump and see how sharp the teath are, and hope none are missing
kent