Replacing the CCT (pickup rotor cover removal necessary?)

[shannim]

Sounds good. Thanks for the help. I'll make the order today.

BTW, you mentioned greasing up the gaskets. What type of grease is good?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Sounds good. Thanks for the help. I'll make the order today.

BTW, you mentioned greasing up the gaskets. What type of grease is good?

Just regular wheel bearing grease is fine (automotive), just a very, very light coating. Actually, you can wipe it off once applied. *Keep the greasy side of the gasket on the ENGINE SIDE, so the sealer will work between the pick up sensor grommit and the DRY side of the gasket.


Also, if you check your manual, Yamaha likes a coating of sealer where the rubber PU sensor wire grommet comes thru the case. (It'd likely will be fine without it, but you don't want to do it twice, should it seep ever so slightly).


*I doubt you'll be doing this again anytime soon so if you wish to skip greasing the gasket all together would be fine. Just make sure all gasket surfaces are super clean...

 

[shannim]

I don't have the service manual in front of me, but do you mean like RTV silicone? I have some DAP-branded RTV. The packaging says "Auto/Marine Sealant" and indicates it's good up to 400 degrees F.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I don't have the service manual in front of me, but do you mean like RTV silicone? I have some DAP-branded RTV. The packaging says "Auto/Marine Sealant" and indicates it's good up to 400 degrees F.

Yamaha bond No. 1215 90890-85505 is what's recommended.

I suspect the DAP would be ok, however, I'm not sure how hot the block gets in that area (in stop and go traffic, etc).

The Yamaha sealer comes in a small tube, isn't terribly expensive and you'll use it again on other parts of the bike. *I put a dab of it on the drain plug gasket when re-installing after an oil change. It should be the same product used on the center main block cases (NO gaskets used-just sealer) to give you an idea how well it works..

IMHO, I'd just get the Yamaha sealer (under $10.00 or so) and use that, so there's no later issues...

 

[shannim]

Okay, it's definitely not the tensioner.

I got all the parts in either Friday or Saturday (honestly, I don't remember which, all I remember is they showed up a lot earlier than I was expecting) and just installed everything today. New gaskets, new tensioner. The tensioner was a bitch to remove and replace because of the location and various bits and hoses in the way. I also had to use a dremel and shorten one of my allen keys since I have SW Motech crash guards installed and they just barely get in the way of getting at one of the side case bolts. Luckily I had a spare.

Anyway, I zip tied the chain as recommended and replaced the tensioner. The old tensioner appeared to be working fine with smooth operation when I was inspecting it. With the cover off and the new tensioner installed, I tried pushing on the chain guides to see if there was any extra slack. On the left run (tensioner side), it would not budge. On the right side run (exhaust header side) I could move the guide and chain about 2 mm. Other than that, I couldn't disassemble any further to inspect guides or anything.

With the cover off, I hit the starter button and the starter motor started spinning things but the engine never actually started. I'm thinking this is because of the PU sensor not being in the right place to pick up the sprocket. Anyway, with the starter motor spinning things, the right side run (exhaust header side) didn't move one bit. The left run (tensioner side) did vibrate some, though it was hard to tell how much. Maybe 5-10 mm or so? I don't quite remember.

Anyway, not being able to do anything more, I reinstalled the side cover and started up the bike. Lo and behold, it sounds exactly as it did before! I guess the noise isn't coming from the tensioner. To verify, I removed the top bolt on the tensioner and placed a small screwdriver in the hole. It wasn't vibrating at all, so I could tell there was enough tension on the chain. Either that or the plunger was pushing the guide to a point where it could not move any further and the slack was in the chain because of stretching. I experimented by turning the screwdriver to retract the plunger and immediately the noise got worse and the screwdriver started rattling. So now I know what too much slack feels and sounds like. There was a definite slapping noise and it seemed quite irregular. I then released the plunger and everything went back to the way it was before. I even tried turning the screwdriver the other way to possibly extend the plunger further and there was no change from what I can tell.

So, I guess my bike just makes a regular, periodic noise that sounds like a sewing machine. I walked away from the bike about 20-30 feet or so and could still hear the ticking noise. Honestly speaking, my engine has been running fine ever since I purchased it a couple of years ago. I've put over 16000 miles on it, commute every day, did two long distance road trips, and get great gas mileage. I typically get around 42-46 mpg commuting, but on my road trips I get upwards of 52 mpg. All that said, maybe there's nothing wrong with it and the noise is just my engine's character? Injector noise maybe?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Interesting, sounds like all is good under there...

Just curious, what weight, type oil, intervals are you using/doing?

 

[shannim]

The oil is brand new, only a few hundred miles, and I change it every 4000 miles or so. I'm using Shell Rotella T 15W-40. The jug says it meets the performance requirements for JASO MA. I've been using it for awhile now.

 

[shannim]

Well, this may be completely psychosomatic, but the engine did feel a little bit smoother on my commute this morning. Then again, I was riding a tad bit slower than normal since it was incredibly foggy. That could have just been because I was at a lower rev range. I'll observe again in the evening when I can go my normal speed (assuming I leave before dark). The bike was still making that ticking noise though. It was softer when I first started up the bike with cold oil and a bit louder when I pulled in to park. However, when I'm actually on the throttle and moving (even in first gear and a few miles per hour in the parking lot), I cannot hear it.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Well, this may be completely psychosomatic, but the engine did feel a little bit smoother on my commute this morning. Then again, I was riding a tad bit slower than normal since it was incredibly foggy. That could have just been because I was at a lower rev range. I'll observe again in the evening when I can go my normal speed (assuming I leave before dark). The bike was still making that ticking noise though. It was softer when I first started up the bike with cold oil and a bit louder when I pulled in to park. However, when I'm actually on the throttle and moving (even in first gear and a few miles per hour in the parking lot), I cannot hear it.

Can you get either a stethescope, or take a large screwdriver, hold the large end of the screwdriver to your ear, and touch the engine with the other end of the screwdriver and try to pin point where the tick is coming from?

BTW, there is another chain inside the engine that runs behind the clutch assembly, downward to the oil / water pump. There is no tensioner for that, a couple have stretched and rattled (don't re-call it ticking). Do a search, there's a couple of threads about it.

 

[shannim]

I suppose I could get a mechanic's stethoscope from Harbor Freight for four bucks and poke around, but I really wouldn't know where to start.