What fresh hell is this? - Whining engine noise, video included

[FinalImpact]

Any chance its something in the tank?
It doesnt sound like it but maybe???

If the tank had say a marble in it and the vibes got it to resonate, empty tank = loud noise. Full tank = muffled?

You said it changed when the tank was lifted. Have you added fuel since this began?

Fuel gauge is working yes? Like the float hasnt fallen off has it?

 

[bricksrheavy]

Could it be that loose screw vibrating ?
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I like to hold my phone against a screwdriver and record the sound Then use audacity to see the waveform.
...

Wow, thanks for the tip, but honestly this is Star Trek level diagnostics for a guy like me

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Also check for air leaks around the intake manifold. Spray some carb cleaner/wd40 around the bottom of the airbox. If the engine goes screwy, you've got a leak.

Added to the checklist since I did notice some cracks where the throttle bodies connect to the engine :thumbup:

Any chance its something in the tank?
It doesnt sound like it but maybe???

If the tank had say a marble in it and the vibes got it to resonate, empty tank = loud noise. Full tank = muffled?

You said it changed when the tank was lifted. Have you added fuel since this began?

Fuel gauge is working yes? Like the float hasnt fallen off has it?

- had my ear on the tank as well - no dice
- fuel gauge working

I put my ear+screwdriver on every engine cover on either side of the bike and the sound is not coming from there, if I had to guess - I would say it's somewhere in the center of the engine beneath the tank

Tomorrow I will be draining and inspecting the oil and if I have time I'll spray WD-40 on the cracked throttle bodies "gaskets" - if not I'll do it next day.

 

[bricksrheavy]

Drained the oil, felt like a regular sommeliere while inspecting, smelling and damn near tasting it - but no gasoline. The oil is Motul 7100 10W40 and it's been run for 2500 miles/4000 km so far, the oil filter is OEM and I put a new one in with each oil change, no metal shavings or deposits. The factory color of the oil is red and the bubbling you see is caused by me pouring it from the drain pan;




Sprayed WD-40 on the cracks where the throttle bodies connect to the engine - no change in RPMs

The noise is still there, but this morning it was barely audible and only present at the very beginning of opening the throttle, if you didn't know what to "look for" you probably would have missed it.

Next step;
Gonna run Liqui Moly's Injection cleaner - never been to sure about these kind of products, but I guess it won't hurt to try

 

[bryced1]

Did any of your valves need adjustment?

Did the sound seem to come from the top end or bottom end of the motor?

Might be a long shot, but have you put the screwdriver to the water pump?

If I were you, I would probably pull the cover and check the cam chain tensioner again even though it seems to be coming from the middle of the motor.

 

[Gary in NJ]

25 years ago I built an airplane. While still in the 40 hours test flight phase I noticed that I had some sort of mechanical noise at idle after landing. I looked and didn't see anything rubbing. After quite a bit of trouble shooting I asked the local airplane genius - someone that built a similar airplane - to come with me to listen to the noise. He did in fact hear it. After looking at everything and reviewing assembly procedures his experienced opinion was "well whatever it is, hopefully it wears in before it wears out".

Turns out his advice was correct. In just a few more hours of flight time the noise went away and has never returned.

 

[bricksrheavy]

Did any of your valves need adjustment?

Did the sound seem to come from the top end or bottom end of the motor?

Might be a long shot, but have you put the screwdriver to the water pump?

If I were you, I would probably pull the cover and check the cam chain tensioner again even though it seems to be coming from the middle of the motor.

- valves were done by a solid mechanic, as I recall he said 2 were out of whack and 2 borderline but he adjusted them too
- I would say the sound is coming from the top end
- screwdriver put on the water pump, no noise
- thanks for the tip, gonna put it on the checklist if it gets worse

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"well whatever it is, hopefully it wears in before it wears out".

Turns out his advice was correct. In just a few more hours of flight time the noise went away and has never returned.

Ha, ha, ha, I like that [emoji106] - and I'm starting to lean towards that approach

 

[bricksrheavy]

Honestly, at this point I just wanna share/laugh at my misery with you guys

So this is new - it started making this periodic sound while idling after a cold start, this has been going on for the last 2 days. The "old" noise is still there, but not as audible as when I made the vid in the 1st post.

When the engine warms up it stops, as well as when I give it gas while it's cold;
https://youtu.be/CKivXb0qxWk

To quote the Allman Brothers Band;
"Black hearted (woman) Fizzer, cheap trouble and pain is all you play"

 

[bricksrheavy]

Well, we have a new development in this mystery saga

This occurred 3-4 times over a period of the last 3-4 weeks (bike is ridden daily);

Stop at a red light, first few seconds the engine idles normally and then suddenly the revs drop to ~850 RPM's like the engine's choking/about to die - give it some gas and everything returns to normal.

- this happened both after a short 1 mile trip and after a 100+ miles ride
- each time the bike was idling in neutral (I always keep it in neutral at red lights)
- I didn't notice any change in the way the engine revs/pulls/responds to throttle input while riding

Bonus anomaly;

Short 1 mile ride, shift from 2nd to 1st while entering the garage, hear a short "hiss" (sounded kinda like the wastegate on a turbo) and the engine dies - at that point I'm still holding the clutch in and coasting so I hit the starter and it fires back up no problem and I proceed to my parking space.

Paging Dr. House!

 

[bricksrheavy]

Update;

Long story short, just got off the phone with the garage - my rotor&stator are fried

Last week I got stranded because the bike wouldn't start after a 2 mile trip to the store, at first I thought the battery had died but after putting the old one I saved in (never EVER throw anything away ) it also got drained after a couple of short trips around town, making it obvious the bike wasn't charging. This hopefully explains the whining noise although I could swear there is no way that sound was coming from the left engine case cover

Hope this Odyssey has finished, best regards until the next disaster,

Mario

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Glad you found it.

Might want to invest in a volt meter (their cheap enough). You would have found the no charging issue a long time ago easily.

Also, noise inside the engine, amplifies and bounces around...