Loud ticking and oil seeping out of exhaust header

[ohgood]

I'm going to replace the timing chain sometime soon, but I was talking to a guy I know that is real good with engines but not particularly bikes. He said that the clicking could also maybe be caused by only putting in the intake hotcam and not the exhaust one because they are different degrees or something like that (dont remember the word he used). Could that be true?

 

 

no. 

 

 

a clicking noise will be from excessive play, ie: looseness between parts that shouldn't be. 

 

 

typical clicking noises on a drz:

loose timing chain tensioner- sounds like marble in a coffee can

loose valves (extremely rare, they're almost always tight)- tapping a nickle on a table

loose conrod- hammers on a metal table

loose auto decomp- deceptively odd, sounds like it's the chain until you pull the cam off and realize the assembly rotates opposite the cam 4-5 degress, when it should be solid

loose tappet - similar to valve noise, heavier

loose bearing- can get quieter with higher oil pressure or heavier oil + higher pressure (dirty car salesmen know about this one)

loose wrist pin- not as heavy as a conrod lower, not as light as a valve

loose exhaust header- very similar to a rod knocking, but usually gets quieter as the exhaust heats up

loose skid plate- vibrates at weird rpm's while the bike is moving, becomes a ghost when you stop to check

loose bore (cyilnder) aka piston slap- sounds clattery clat clat clat until you get the rpms up 

loose rings - lots of oil /fuel blow by (a paper towel on the exhaust pipe = wet in a few minutes)

loose head- oil / water mixture, piston slap (extreme), timing chain noise (extreme)

loose base gasket- oil seepage, poor running, weird heavy/dull noise 

 

 

use a piece of fuel hose up to your ear to pinpoint where it's coming from. then pull the tank off and feed the engine with an auxillary fuel source and do it again. the tank can make sounds lie to you with resonance. 

 

pinpoint it and we can help .

[SheWantsThe D-RZ]

no.

a clicking noise will be from excessive play, ie: looseness between parts that shouldn't be.

typical clicking noises on a drz:

loose timing chain tensioner- sounds like marble in a coffee can

loose valves (extremely rare, they're almost always tight)- tapping a nickle on a table

loose conrod- hammers on a metal table

loose auto decomp- deceptively odd, sounds like it's the chain until you pull the cam off and realize the assembly rotates opposite the cam 4-5 degress, when it should be solid

loose tappet - similar to valve noise, heavier

loose bearing- can get quieter with higher oil pressure or heavier oil + higher pressure (dirty car salesmen know about this one)

loose wrist pin- not as heavy as a conrod lower, not as light as a valve

loose exhaust header- very similar to a rod knocking, but usually gets quieter as the exhaust heats up

loose skid plate- vibrates at weird rpm's while the bike is moving, becomes a ghost when you stop to check

loose bore (cyilnder) aka piston slap- sounds clattery clat clat clat until you get the rpms up

loose rings - lots of oil /fuel blow by (a paper towel on the exhaust pipe = wet in a few minutes)

loose head- oil / water mixture, piston slap (extreme), timing chain noise (extreme)

loose base gasket- oil seepage, poor running, weird heavy/dull noise

use a piece of fuel hose up to your ear to pinpoint where it's coming from. then pull the tank off and feed the engine with an auxillary fuel source and do it again. the tank can make sounds lie to you with resonance.

pinpoint it and we can help .

Here's the sound

http://youtu.be/SytPl1lqvNc

All valves are in spec, noise does not go away when mcct is adjusted, not in the bottom end. It started after I did a BB kit and intake cam. The noise started the second I fired it up after the install. It sounds like the ticking speed increases as the rpm's increase. Let me know what this may sound like to you. Timing chain has 22k on it with acct. Thanks for the suggestions as well. Some new things to test that I would not have thought they were.

Edited February 3, 2015 by SheWantsThe D-RZ

[Gsxrstuntdrz]

Here's the sound

http://youtu.be/SytPl1lqvNc

All valves are in spec, noise does not go away when mcct is adjusted, not in the bottom end. It started after I did a BB kit and intake cam. The noise started the second I fired it up after the install. It sounds like the ticking speed increases as the rpm's increase. Let me know what this may sound like to you. Timing chain has 22k on it with acct. Thanks for the suggestions as well. Some new things to test that I would not have thought they were.

Sounds like auto decomp to me, hang on while I dig up a video

Quoting myself from another thread

?ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1414848404.291908.jpg?ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1414848416.246707.jpg

Luckily it doesn't seem to be a super common problem but mine failed. When it goes it makes a wicked tap every time that pin hits the valve bucket. Not to mention if one of those pins make its way into the motor it could cause some major damage. I never found my small pin, I think I got lucky and it came out during an oil change and I didn't notice

Had to go way back in time to find this video, but this what a failed auto decompression mechanism sounds like:

Listen for the single sharp tap with every rotation of the cams.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Gsxrstuntdrz

[Gsxrstuntdrz]

Sorry for the double post, can't upload pics while editing. Mods feel free to merge.

These are pics of a failed decomp. Notice the big pin. This is held in place by a smaller pin in a "T" shape. When the smaller pin shears the bigger pin is free to move around as it pleases which causes the tap as it smacks the valve bucket.

Take off your valve cover and try and wiggle the pin with your finger. If it moves about freely you've found your problem and will either need to cut the mechanism off the cam or just upgrade to hotcams.

Doesn't explain the oil leak (that sounds like valve seals) but it sounds like the mostly likely culprit for your tapping.

Let us know what you find.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Gsxrstuntdrz

[SheWantsThe D-RZ]

Sorry for the double post, can't upload pics while editing. Mods feel free to merge.

📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1422992692.257509.jpg📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1422992702.277992.jpg

These are pics of a failed decomp. Notice the big pin. This is held in place by a smaller pin in a "T" shape. When the smaller pin shears the bigger pin is free to move around as it pleases which causes the tap as it smacks the valve bucket.

Take off your valve cover and try and wiggle the pin with your finger. If it moves about freely you've found your problem and will either need to cut the mechanism off the cam or just upgrade to hotcams.

Doesn't explain the oil leak (that sounds like valve seals) but it sounds like the mostly likely culprit for your tapping.

Let us know what you find.

Thanks! When I first thought about what could be causing the noise that popped into my mind but never really looked into it. I'll check that when I get home.

[Rock Monster]

Replace the timing chain and guides and report back.

Your chasing your tail on this whole subject.

If your timing chain is worn you will not remove the tapping sound with anything else.

 

I have not heard of anyone having trouble with installing intake cam only.

[SheWantsThe D-RZ]

Replace the timing chain and guides and report back.

Your chasing your tail on this whole subject.

If your timing chain is worn you will not remove the tapping sound with anything else.

I have not heard of anyone having trouble with installing intake cam only.

I just got around to working on it again this morning and when I took the cams out I noticed marks on the part of the head the chain runs through

Im assuming it should not look like this? Now I'm convinced that the chain is slapping against this wall and thats whats causing my noise. Anyone seen this before? Oh, and my auto decomp is fine.

[ohgood]

I just got around to working on it again this morning and when I took the cams out I noticed marks on the part of the head the chain runs through

📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1423054965.131408.jpg📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1423054974.464803.jpg📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1423054986.999097.jpg📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1423054994.849777.jpg📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1423055002.950316.jpgIm assuming it should not look like this? Now I'm convinced that the chain is slapping against this wall and thats whats causing my noise. Anyone seen this before? Oh, and my auto decomp is fine.

 

 

those are marks from removing blobs of aluminum from the casthings with a die grinder (at the factory prior to assembly) and not caused by the timing chain. 

 

 

your video is hard to diagnose. pull the cams out and inspect the auto decomp. if it rotates at all on the cam, cut it off. 

Edited February 4, 2015 by ohgood

[SheWantsThe D-RZ]

no.

a clicking noise will be from excessive play, ie: looseness between parts that shouldn't be.

typical clicking noises on a drz:

loose timing chain tensioner- sounds like marble in a coffee can

loose valves (extremely rare, they're almost always tight)- tapping a nickle on a table

loose conrod- hammers on a metal table

loose auto decomp- deceptively odd, sounds like it's the chain until you pull the cam off and realize the assembly rotates opposite the cam 4-5 degress, when it should be solid

loose tappet - similar to valve noise, heavier

loose bearing- can get quieter with higher oil pressure or heavier oil + higher pressure (dirty car salesmen know about this one)

loose wrist pin- not as heavy as a conrod lower, not as light as a valve

loose exhaust header- very similar to a rod knocking, but usually gets quieter as the exhaust heats up

loose skid plate- vibrates at weird rpm's while the bike is moving, becomes a ghost when you stop to check

loose bore (cyilnder) aka piston slap- sounds clattery clat clat clat until you get the rpms up

loose rings - lots of oil /fuel blow by (a paper towel on the exhaust pipe = wet in a few minutes)

loose head- oil / water mixture, piston slap (extreme), timing chain noise (extreme)

loose base gasket- oil seepage, poor running, weird heavy/dull noise

use a piece of fuel hose up to your ear to pinpoint where it's coming from. then pull the tank off and feed the engine with an auxillary fuel source and do it again. the tank can make sounds lie to you with resonance.

pinpoint it and we can help .

What is the tappet? Ive done everything I could possibly think of and on your list this seems like the last possibility. Also the noise is not there when I first start it up. About 30 seconds later the tapping starts if that helps any ideas. Edited March 28, 2015 by SheWantsThe D-RZ

[707LAKE]

What is the tappet? Ive done everything I could possibly think of and on your list this seems like the last possibility. Also the noise is not there when I first start it up. About 30 seconds later the tapping starts if that helps any ideas.

tappet = valve bucket

[GVDRZ400SM]

What is the tappet? Ive done everything I could possibly think of and on your list this seems like the last possibility. Also the noise is not there when I first start it up. About 30 seconds later the tapping starts if that helps any ideas.

Mine does the exact same thing. You hear it when the motor gets warm. When it's cold it's quiet as hell .

[150ron]

Did you get it all sorted out yet?  seems like all your issues started when you installed the BBK,  hope you get it sorted out. 

[SheWantsThe D-RZ]

Did you get it all sorted out yet? seems like all your issues started when you installed the BBK, hope you get it sorted out.

Nope, I haven't gotten it sorted out yet. May just take it to a shop and let them deal with it. I just so badly want to be able to ride it again.

[Rukix]

I had a noise like that last fall, changed the timing chain, did all the locktite fixes, and still had it. I cut the auto decompression valve off because it was loose and bingo the bike is quiet. I needed a stronger battery to start it after though.

[GVDRZ400SM]

Any fix yet dude ?

[ohgood]

I had a noise like that last fall, changed the timing chain, did all the locktite fixes, and still had it. I cut the auto decompression valve off because it was loose and bingo the bike is quiet. I needed a stronger battery to start it after though.

 

 

same here. the auto decompression mechanism gets sloppy at the pin to camshaft junction, and rotates instead of staying at the same speed as the camshaft. since the drz is a not-so-smooth thumper, the cams change speed between power and exhaust strokes, just like the rest of the engine. the auto-decomp, however, just keeps hammering on that pin junction, until it starts making noise...

 

then it makes more noise...

 

then it flies apart and causes serious head damage. 

 

a stretched timing chain (from the ACCT) and around 20,000 miles should be a good indicator of when it's time to cut it off. 

[Gsxrstuntdrz]

Mine didn't even make it to 20,000.