Ticking valve

[Coffinator]

Hi!

I have an 88 with 37k on the clock. My engine makes a ticking noise when it is warm.
I've probed around with a stethoscope, and the noise is loudest when you put the probe on the valve cover bolt, over no3 cylinder exhaust valves.

I took the valve coves off, and measured the valve clearances, and they are a bit tight, as one would expect on this engine. The cam looks fine. The buckets spin, and everything looks ok.

If i roll down a hill, and kill the ignition while leaving it in gear, the sound is quite noticeable,compared to while running/on idle. It's actually a bit difficult to spot while the engine is running.
I find it a bit concerning that the noise is so easy to hear, while rolling in gear without ignition..
I found this video on youtube, and my engine sounds exactly like it(without the noise from the carbs).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMc2WWW5Ul8

Anyone have any idea what it could be?

 

[ninjaneer]

i personally haven't heard of a resolution and believe some guys are writing it off to it just being the nature of the beast. i most definitely could be wrong with this conclusion. if the guys have figured it out without my knowing, i guess i need to improve my thread-following skills. as you can see, this is a popular subject: http://www.vmaxforum.net/tags.php?tag=tick

 

[Coffinator]

Yeah, looks like a common concern.. Thanks.

I rechecked my valve clearances, and found one of my exhaust valves to have a clearance between 0.35 and 0.4 mm. This is out of spec. could be the problem.

The pad replacement chart is kind of confusing though.. If you measure your exhaust clearance to be between 0.16-0.20mm, the chart has no replacement pad for you. But if your measurement is within spec, you are supposed to replace your pad, according to the chart.. What's the deal with that?

 

[SpecOps13]

My 89 makes a lot of valve train noise at an idle. Drove me nuts, it's so much noisier than my 94.
My 94 doesn't even make the same kind of horsepower though. I've learned to ignore the noise
and satisfy myself with rolling burnouts.

 

[gamorg02]

the oem chart in the service manual is WRONG in certain spots. here is a correct one from haynes...

 

[Coffinator]

Thanks!
According to the corrected chart, I've ordered the wrong shim for my noisy exhaust valve=| Now I have to wait another week before I'm back on the road :bang head:

 

[bazwell]

Mine ticks. I got the impression from other people on here that V-max's are just like that.

About 6 months ago I did my shims. 3 out of 16 were OK, the rest were off by varying amounts. They are all within specs now.

It makes exactly the same noise still! :biglaugh:

 

[ninjaneer]

Thanks!
According to the corrected chart, I've ordered the wrong shim for my noisy exhaust valve=| Now I have to wait another week before I'm back on the road :bang head:

it's prolly too late for you i reckon, but for those who are planning on re-shimming, Sean loans out a shim kit (Shim Kit Loaner Program) that consists of all the shims you can possibly need as well as the shim tool. simply pay for shipping and replace the shims that you take from the kit with the shims you take off the bike.

 

[hh3130]

Mine is ticking when the engine warms up. I plan to check the valve clearances on the weekend, but what is the procedure to check the cam chains and tensioners?