This is what my '86 sounds like right now

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davesax36

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So here's a video of the '86 running... crappily. I'm sure a carb sync is badly needed, but what do you guys think about this noise. The oil light is on and stays on even when filled all the way to the top of the sight glass. I filled it that much just to see if I could trick it. As I say in the vid, holding a screwdriver to the outside edge of each valve cover yields a nice whirring noise. It's not like they're silent, but I really don't hear anything super different from my '01. I'm still working on getting an accurate oil level reading through this messed up sight glass so I can figure out if it might actually be a bit low. I can shake the bike and sort of see where it is.

Anyway. Let me know what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyN66MzhGWw
 
I'm hoping. The front ones are nice and tight, but the rear ones were really hot when I went to check them. I'll look at them in the morning.
 
You say the sight glass is messed up but would you be able to see if the oil is in the sight glass while the motor is running? After checking the exhaust for leaks, I would check the oil flow in the sight glass while running this checking to see if there is a possibility the oring has "popped" out. I've read here on the forum about starting the bike and at idle you should see most of the oil get sucked into the motor. Then run the motor up to two grand rpms and make sure all the oil from the sight glass is gone and stays that way. If there is oil still in the sight glass while at higher rpms could indicate the oring problem. Just search for pop stopper and you'll see the posts I am referring to.


David Justiss
USAF First Sergeant
 
Sooooo..... The PO plugged the oil light bulb into the neutral switch dash spot and the neutral dash light into the oil light spot. Pretty much that tells me that I haven't had too little in the bike since I got it except for when I drained it to see how much oil was in there and turned the key to test if that was what was wrong with the system.

I removed the oil sensor and cleaned it out. It was definitely stuck so it's good that I did that. When I was testing it, the neutral light came on. Lucky me. I've eliminated that part as a problem. I'm gonna resync the carbs on the bench, check the exhaust junctions for leaks, and post an update. I'm going to try to clean the sight glass without removing it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I need to drop the pan and check the o-ring. It can't hurt... just takes a while in the 100 degree garage.
 
I removed the oil sensor and cleaned it out. It was definitely stuck so it's good that I did that. When I was testing it, the neutral light came on. Lucky me. I've eliminated that part as a problem. I'm gonna resync the carbs on the bench, check the exhaust junctions for leaks, and post an update. I'm going to try to clean the sight glass without removing it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I need to drop the pan and check the o-ring. It can't hurt... just takes a while in the 100 degree garage.

It would give you peace of mind
 
It would give you peace of mind
I'd like to give the guy who screwed that up a piece of my mind... Who does that and doesn't notice the freakin' oil light is on every time you start the bike or get to a stop light or whatever...

Yeah... I know. I'll do it all. I gotta pull the exhaust to take the crappy black paint off anyway.

Hey, Sean. How obvious is it gonna be which one of these wrist pins is loose? Can I just shake them all and see which one moves?
 
You'll hold the rod in your hand and then see if you can flex/rock the piston from side to side.
 
I've also got another liquid filled oil pressure gauge coming. I'll be interested to see if it gives a different reading.
 
Possibly you could try and rock the piston in the bore and see how much side/side you can get (not front/back). You may be able to also pull the cap off, push the piston up, get the rod off the crank, pull it back down and then rock the rod side to side. You don't want much lateral movement.
 
I'll see what I can get to in the next couple days. I still can't hear anything different by listening at the valve covers. We'll see where I get tomorrow.
 
Is the noise more obvious, if you try to listen from beginning of exhaust? I mean cylinder end. I have same kind of ticking noise when motor is hot, might be too much valve clearance I'm checking it today.

It was too much valve clearance in my case, I had adjusted them so that feeler went in easily and felt some drag, now I re-set all the valve clearances on front cylinders so that max. feeler gauge goes hardly in and drag is on genereous side, not loose in any way. Thats the right way to do it, atleast now I know.. What a pain to do that same valve hassle over and over again!
 
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