Gear Idler Shaft Play

VMAX  Forum

Help Support VMAX Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

dougi45

Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2015
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Location
vancouver
I searched and could not find very much... I hear a knocking at my starter clutch at idle. .. ( my carb's are synced ) ..funny thing if I play around with the sync and unbalance the carb's the knock goes away. Changing the starter clutch did nothing for the knocking so I tore off the engine cover again and looked ..stator is secure (rick's) no movement there but noticed the gear idler shafts, both have a fair bit of play on them ,, I also noticed small hairline stress cracks on the cover side where the idler shafts mate up...is it normal to have play on the gear idler shafts and could this be the source of my knocking sound when the bike is at idle or when the bike is decelerating ..Thank you in advance!
 
I've seen loose starter clutch's cause this but not sure i've seen loose step up gears or pins? They are usually very snug when installed and even the lack of a gasket can cause the step up gears to bind. The last time we had a noise like that it ended up being small ends on the rods that were causing the noise. Never did give up after running it for 3 more years until we had to do trans work (which is when we decided to fix it).
 
I've seen loose starter clutch's cause this but not sure i've seen loose step up gears or pins? They are usually very snug when installed and even the lack of a gasket can cause the step up gears to bind. The last time we had a noise like that it ended up being small ends on the rods that were causing the noise. Never did give up after running it for 3 more years until we had to do trans work (which is when we decided to fix it).

yep, they are pretty loose both the pins and the gears... when you say gasket do you mean for the engine/stator cover..thanks Sean
 
Yes, just in case i'm not understanding what parts please shoot over a picture
 
Perhaps I don't understand how the starter system works but surely the idler gears only move when the starter is working?
If that is the case then as they are normally stationary I wouldn't have thought that they would cause a noise under normal running conditions.

...or have I got it wrong?
 
Perhaps I don't understand how the starter system works but surely the idler gears only move when the starter is working?
If that is the case then as they are normally stationary I wouldn't have thought that they would cause a noise under normal running conditions.

...or have I got it wrong?

I think you have something there .. should there be this much play in the idler gears
 
Another thought is that the other end of the shaft is supported in the flywheel cover?
Memory my be faulty here so you would need to look.

Assuming my conjecture in my last post is correct AND the shaft(s) are also supported by the cover then I can't see this as being the issue....assuming that you have the dowels in place and are using a gasket.
 
Another thought is that the other end of the shaft is supported in the flywheel cover?
Memory my be faulty here so you would need to look.

Assuming my conjecture in my last post is correct AND the shaft(s) are also supported by the cover then I can't see this as being the issue....assuming that you have the dowels in place and are using a gasket.

Thx Max this makes sense these gears are only for start up and the dowels do fit in the engine cover as well.
 
I don't see that as being the source of the knock, Doug. Our engines can be a bit noisy. Does the sound change when you pull the clutch lever in, while idling? I've got that going on, but not worried.
 
I don't see that as being the source of the knock, Doug. Our engines can be a bit noisy. Does the sound change when you pull the clutch lever in, while idling? I've got that going on, but not worried.

no it does not go away when i pull the clutch in..
it goes away a little after the bike has warmed up but not very much..
I'm going to pull the flywheel tomorrow.. thank you
 
I've seen loose starter clutch's cause this but not sure i've seen loose step up gears or pins? They are usually very snug when installed and even the lack of a gasket can cause the step up gears to bind. The last time we had a noise like that it ended up being small ends on the rods that were causing the noise. Never did give up after running it for 3 more years until we had to do trans work (which is when we decided to fix it).

Could this be my problem ..there seems to be a lot of play in the ring gear.
Perhaps I did not install the flywheel properly when i replaced the starter clutch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV0pnmSeBps&feature=youtu.be
 
Could this be my problem ..there seems to be a lot of play in the ring gear.
Perhaps I did not install the flywheel properly when i replaced the starter clutch.


Hey, curious if this was the issue? I just replaced my starter clutch and after install noticed this much play on my ring gear as well.
 
Looks like normal in and out play. You would have to remove the flywheel to examine the actual clutch body for cracks or damage to the looseness of the bolts holding it on.
 
Looks like normal in and out play. You would have to remove the flywheel to examine the actual clutch body for cracks or damage to the looseness of the bolts holding it on.
Thanks Sean.

I put everything back on and now the bike wont start. Saw another post about the cover being too tight and clearance was off, but I used a brand new gasket and not silicone when reinstalling...any ideas?
 
Won't turn over or won't spark and actually start.

Turning over, wont spark. I looked at another post and saw your comment about stator wires being possibly pinched, last night in the dark I played with the wires a bit and released a bit of tenision where it plugs into the stator cover and it fired up. But after a minute or two died again, so I must have a bad connection there or a pinch. Going to pull the case today and see what that full length of wire is looking like.
Thanks again for the help!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top