Hoorah or is it?

Hi

After leaving her standing for 6 weeks or so I finally got the carbs finished and back on the bike. Hit the button and she fired up first time but there was a horrible squealing noise, have turned her over 3 time's now and it's still there. Only other thing I have done since she was last running was change the oil filter and top the level up. I can't pin down where the noise is coming from it seems to be from the most of the engine and it's very loud and sounds expensive.

Not much to go on I know but I wondered if it could be a problem with the oil change.

My wife says enough and that I should get her into the workshop on the coast, she's unable to grasp the fact that parts are hard to come by and all my manuals are in English not Spanish and their unlikely to have thier own manuals for this old bike.

Ideas anybody?

Faighaigh.

 

My starter or starter clutch would sometimes make a squealing noise. when I started the bike.
Sorry thats all I've got.

 

My money would be on the starter clutch as well. Sitting for a while and a change of oil might have left it a bit dry. Not sure if the starter clutch gets any oil pressure feed or whether it gets it's lube from spray when it's running.


Nothing else been done? covers removed? Clutch adjusted?

 

I would re-check the oil level carefully to make sure it's got the right amount since all the bearings depend on having a film of oil rather than direct mechanical contact. Then take off the side cover and remove the sparkplugs and turn the engine over with a wrench to see if it turns smoothly or if there are any strange noises. If that doesn't turn up anything you could remove the valve cover and check the cam surfaces and timing chain to see if they look OK.
The noise might be narrowed down some by using a stethoscope to try and pinpoint the noise. There are automotive ones with a probe on the end to touch against various parts of the engine to see how they sound.

 

If anything the oil level is a little high and nothing other than the carbs/boots etc were removed. No clutch adjustment and the squeal is loud and continuos. Pretty sure now that it's coming from the front left of the bike.

Mick Faighaigh

 

try to isolate it with a automotive sttethscope, or using a screwdriver pressed to your ear. Also i beleive if you search around there was a fair number of people who had a squeeling noise, that went away once warm.

 

This is definately one of those "Need to be with the bike" pproblems. But the suggestion to probe the engine with a stethascope .. (I use a long 3/8th inch diameter wooden dowel ... put one end on the area to be listened too and hold it there with thumb pressure and ... listen ... to my thumbnail.

If I had to venture a guess ... without being there ... I'd bypass the srarter with a "push start" and see if the squealing went-away. If so, those who suspected starter clutch might very well be right!

 

Thanks for the advice fella's.

From the scream the bike makes I think it may be lack of oil somewhere and to be honest it sounds so bad I'm worried about running the engine for
long.

I can't see that it has any bearing on my problem but the only other thing done while the bike was laid up was to take the rear wheel off and do some cleaning inside the rim, the tire wasn't seated right and leaked a bit.

I'll try your idea of a bump start Rick but I'll wait till some of the neighbors are around to help push the bike back up the hill.

Mick Faighaigh.

 

Squeeling after starting sort of discounts the s/clutch as it would disengage automatically but if you really want to check loosen the starter bolts and when started pull out the starter a inch....

or another , is selinod might be stuck , so remove the lead to the starter motor when started ...

more info on the noise is needed....like if running noise is gone? or only when trying to start? good luck and lets hope its trivvial

 

Hi

Have narrowed the noise down to the rocker cover and it only starts squealing when the bike sparks up. It's continuous and get's louder as the revs climb. The bike won't tick over even with the choke on and while she is running there is some backfiring.

Something to do with the timing possibly? Bit concerned about the difficulty locating gaskets so I'm not very keen on taking covers of on spec.

Mick Faighaigh.

 

I don't know about others, but I put my valve cover back on several times with the original gasket and never had a leak.

I mail-ordered my gaskets, and got good quality OEM at a cheap price from Zanotti Motor (sp?). But, I don't know about you being out of the US???

I would be very worried about the camshafts. But, I am a worry-wart.
You could eliminate this by doing a pushstart. If it goes away with the push start, then the camshafts are not the issue.

If it was a car I would tell you to tighten your belts!

 

Do you have a mechanical Tach by any chance? My 550 has one and the cable squeels when it's really cold out. If you have one, disconnect it at the engine side and start her up to eliminate that.

 

i agree with 03 , lift the lid and see if there's oil about , it could be no oil to the cams?...

turn it over by hand and have a look/feel , is it possible to put a filter in wrong somehow? maybe something is amiss there too stopping oil pickup mick....

 

Well I took the rocker box cover off and turned the bike over but with the tank off and no juice going in so she didn't fire. With the plugs in I got the noise and it seemed to be coming from the front right cam, which appeared to be dry of oil. With the plugs out the noise was absent.

Hope this make's sense, there is a fiesta in the village tonight through till Sunday and I can't take as much falling over wine as I once could.

Mhic Faighaigh.

 

Well I took the rocker box cover off and turned the bike over but with the tank off and no juice going in so she didn't fire. With the plugs in I got the noise and it seemed to be coming from the front right cam, which appeared to be dry of oil. With the plugs out the noise was absent.

Hope this make's sense, there is a fiesta in the village tonight through till Sunday and I can't take as much falling over wine as I once could.

Mhic Faighaigh.

 

ok , do you have double vision too , too much visky ha ,, anyways now i suggest to spill some oil on the cams from the top [don't be frugle] and see if noise goes away , if does you have to find out why the oil pump ain't pumping up there.... hope this helps faighaigh...i bet the siesta/fiesta twas good.

 

Hoonz.

The fiesta was so good that after I posted on here last night (twice) I walked back up. I bloody hate myself this morning Rioja is bad to get legless on. When I feel a little better I'll give your suggestion a try.

I'm thinking of getting some flushing oil and cleaning out the whole system, I found some sludge in the filter yesterday.

Mick Faighaigh.

 

Tried your suggestion Hoonz, gave everything on top a good dose of oil but still the same. Plugs out no noise plugs in, with or without the caps on, and that front cam squeals like a pig.

Any other suggestions (polite one's only please and not physically impossible) will be very welcome.

I expect I'll have to get the bike down to the old boy on the coast and see what he make's of it, incidentally I have been told he was the Spanish superbike champ for several years. Should know his business.

Mick Faighaigh.

 

Pull your cam caps and take a peek. If you don't see anything out of the ordinary, pull the cams (a hop and a skip after the cam caps are removed anyway). If you still can't find a problem, I'd say the noise must be eminating from deeper in the motor, requiring splitting the case (no trouble, right Mick?).

 

Last time I got that involved with a bike engine was in 1964 and the bike was a Velocette Viper Clubmans. Afraid I've lost the skills I had back then but I'll have a look as you suggested Robert, then I'll try to arrange to get the her down to the shop on the coast.

Mick Faighaigh.

 

No good mick , maybe it might be better to take it to the dude....

Sure is strange though as if it was the cam only making the noise pulling the plugs should not do anything..

Bestaluck....

 

Afternoon all.

Thought I'd let you know that the "old boy on the coast" came up last week to take a look at the bike. As soon as I pressed the button he said it was air causing the noise, probably being sucked in via a bad boot or gasket. I think someone here did suggest that might be the cause. He is going to give the bike a good look over and get her ready for the ITV (MOT in the UK).

Turns out the old boy is at least 20 years my junior, something my dear lady wife takes great delight in telling everyone when he come's up in conversation. Also it was his brother who was the superbike champion he was a Yamaha race mechanic.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions fella's.

Faighaigh.

 

What ever became of this problem? Sounds to me like a starter clutch

 

Switz1.

Turned out it was probably air going in through one of the inlet boots which was ever so slightly damaged. You can follow the sorry tale (or some of it) in another thread "ERR WHOOPS still a problem" When I got the bike back the engine sounded great just would'nt go uphill which makes live difficult as I live on the side of a mountain.

Mick Faighaigh.