'83 Midnight Maxim - "chirping" sounds when cold start

Hey Guys and Gals,

My baby started chirping last summer. It is mainly in the morning before it warms up but comes back occasionally when riding. I don't know if it is a knock or a tick but it sounds like a bird chirping and goes faster with RPMs.

Any ideas? Thoughts?

It seems to be coming from the front of the engine but I can not be certain. As I am typing this it has stopped. ( I have it warming up for a night right).

Is it okay to continue to ride this? :? Am I going to do more damage to it?

Both my cars are Suburbans (6 kids) so i need this for daily driver. HELP!!!

Anyone around Bridgeview, IL that can help me take a look at it and help a fellow XJ Rider?

 

from my experiance (wich isn't vast) on my bike it has been the carb boots. check to be sure they are all tight and check them for cracks.

 

What oil have you got in it?

The Cam Shafts rotate within a naked aluminum "Bearing"
No half-shells. Not replaceable.

If your oil is too light you'll hear all kinds of Valve Train noise.

Try running Castrol GTX 20W/50 Oil in it and see if things quiet down.

 

Ok Changed the oil to 20W50 seems tyo actually have gotten worse.

The oil coming out was quite dirty too.

I check the Carb Boots and it does not seems to have cracks or holes. All seems to be on correctly.

Any other ideas out there guys?

 

You could try and spray some carb cleaner around the base of the carb boot where it mounts to the head. If you hear a definite change in idle while spraying one at a time you found it.

 

Try seeing if there is any slack to come-out of that Timing Chain.
If you have an automatic cam chain tensioner its easy to present the slack in front of the tensioner.

You just have to open the crankcase cover on the left side and turn the bike's engine over backward to get the chain's slack all between the crank and the intake cam.

Wrench the crank over in the normal rotation for two full turns and come to a nice sloe gradual stop.
Then, suddenly turn the engine over the opposite way pulling the slack in front of the tensioner.

The tensioner will pick-up the slack and your chirp might go away.
Might take a couple of times doing the drill to get the slack out.

 

Sounds like it might be an exhaust leak.

 

OK rpgoerlich I tried what you said and it actually did change and I could see the smallest of pin hole pulsating on the carb collar. Do I just change that out?