I am a new member here on TT. I have been lurking for a while and finally made an account.

I just did a top end rebuild on my 2003 CRF230. I did the BBR 240 Big Bore kit, the BBR cam, and The HD valve springs. They supplied me with a 130 main jet that I also installed.
The first time I went to start it I notice it making a funny ticking/clicking and I am not sure what it could be.It started up very easily and the Valves are adjusted to where they should be.
Only thing I can think of is that the cam chain tensioner is messed up. The cam chain felt loose when i took the cover off. I already ordered a new one.

It sounds just like the one in this video. Any ideas? Any help would be great!

Edited by jlipsky14, 03 May 2012 - 03:17 PM.

cam chain tensioner is a possibility but here is another. Take a piece of vaccume hose about 2 foot long and stick one end in your ear take the other and move around the engine till you hear the sound louder. One possible location is the exhaust flange at the engine, since you said you just did a top end.  If it is a exhaust leak sometimes if the hot exhaust gas can blow in your ear and make it hot if it is blowing hard enough. Another way is to stick the handle end of a screw driver in your ear and stick the other end around on the motor to isolate the sound much like a stethescope.

Edited by Confederate, 04 May 2012 - 01:00 PM.

lol confederate is the engine doctor

curious to see how this pans out.

Take the cap off of the cam chain tensioner and adjust it out and then back in. If you can feel the tensioner screw really "bottom out" instead of slowly just get hard to turn (meaning it has reached max length) then your cam chain is probably shot. Also if you can move the cam chain off of the upper sprocket much at all then it is shot.

Edited by gabechroust, 03 May 2012 - 08:49 PM.

Yep, check header pipe flange first.

I ordered a new cam chain adjuster and installed that.
Also turns out I also didnt have the exhaust gasket for the bike so I went and picked one of those up. I also doublechecked the timing on the bike since I had the motor already out. I should be putting the motor back into the bike later today.
Hopefully the problem is fixed

I put it all back together but still make the sound. Not as loud as before but still clearly there.
Sounds like the rocker arms hitting the valves. Would it sounds like this if the valves we not adjusted properly?

Yes, more valve clearance = more noise.
You replaced the cam chain tensioner but not the cam chain itself?

You also need to make sure you have all of the slack of the chain on the tensioner side of the gears before adjustment of the chain tensioner.

I replaced the cam chain tensioner because the old one wasnt working properly not because I thought the chain was stretched. The tensioner still has room to move out. When I put the tensioner in it took all the slack out of the chain ( I made sure of that). The only thing I can think of is the valves having to much movement in them. How far out of adjustment would they have to be to notice a good amount of noise?

The valve adjustment spec is .1mm or 0.004 in.   A couple of thousanths of and inch (0.002) can make considerable noise. The feeler gauge should feel like it has a slight magnetic pull on it when it is right. Also if you bend the tip on your feeler gauge it makes it easier to slip in and out under rocker arm.