Loud motor tick

[Keats]

I just rebuilt my 416ex, and had it running for the first time today. Ran great, but there's a loud engine tick. It's timed correctly, and the valves are adjusted to .004 intake, .005 exhaust. It ticks rather rapidly and loudy, sounds like it's coming out of the top end. Still runs great, just an un-usual loud tick, and I was even asked by a fellow rider at a gas station what the tick was. I took a screw-drive to feel for vibration in the head, but it seems good. Valve's and seals are also brand new...

[bigballz400]

i have and thought the same thing...i think mines comin from the bottom end...i put a 440 in mine and notcied it tickin after about 6 hrs of ridin
no power loss jus a tick or knocking sound.......idk wat is....i run the dog sh*t out of my 440 and nuthins broke so i guess i wouldnt worry about it....bc im not bout mine jus check valves and change the oil often adn ull be alright.....its a honda...thas the reason u bout it lol

[kilgoja]

i dunno but my engine is brand new and stock and it sounds like a tractor engine to me....lol...i think that's just the way these engines sound...unless it's something really really loud

[honda6490]

Mine ticks as well, getting louder as it gets warmed up. I gotta check out my valve clearance tommrow though, I think they might be a bit off. I think the timing chain is ok I unbolted the tensioner and pushed in on it and it didnt push in very much so I dont think the chains stretched.

[bigballz400]

my ticking comes and goes......when its warm it wont do it near as often but when i first start it up its loud....idk wat is....ride it till she blows lol

[Ruby Soho]

well if you put a cam in, then its gonna tick louder than stock. adjust your valves again.

and bigballz400, is it when you give it gas it ticks, or a constant tick

[400exrider707]

An aftermarket cam in these motors is known to make them tick, and once warm they seem to tick even louder. I ran my 400ex like this for one full season of MX and all winter, never had any problems, except for the annoyance of the ticking.

bigballz400 - I'm guessing rod bearing, 12:1 on stock internals in an EX motor is pushing it.

[Keats]

it's got a stock cam.....Not sure I guess I'll just leave it alone and ride her..

[brian-250]

Check your cam tensioner, theres a spring in it that will break and let the timing chain slap around and tick.if its not broken try to adjust it and see if that helps.

[dabrowat]

Do you guys use stock valve clearence with hotcams?

[n811]

if you are using the stock cam. sometimes the decompressor will get stuck. follow the manual for adjusting the valves and it has a tip to un-stick the decompressor. This made a big difference in how loud my "ticking" was.

[Keats]

hmm interesting. I actually don't have a manual for this thing, it was rebuilt entirely without one. Would you mind transposing this "trick" for me? I'd really like to get it out of there, not knowing what is causing it is starting to get to me....

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by dabrowat
Do you guys use stock valve clearence with hotcams?

Hotcams recommends:

Intake: .005
Exhuast: .006

Stock:

Intake: .004
Exhaust. .005

I ran the hotcams recommended clearances and had the loud tick, I then tried stock clearances and still had the same tick.

[dabrowat]

Cuz i have a loud tick too, could the timing chain be the culprit too??

[Ruby Soho]

i have a hotcam stage 3, its a loud tick. not to loud but we pretty much got them adjusted good

[JW450R1]

Yea,I installed a 440 in a 400ex,with stage 2 hot cam.It has a loud ticking noise too.Called hot cams and they said if u have the valves adjusted properly and thats normal.They all are loud.So i agree with 400exrider707.

[Bill Fuller]

Sounds to me like someone turned the head over while you had it apart and dropped the pin that disengages the decompressor. It sits in the cam bed directly below the decompressor. There should be a spring and a pin in there.

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by Bill Fuller
Sounds to me like someone turned the head over while you had it apart and dropped the pin that disengages the decompressor. It sits in the cam bed directly below the decompressor. There should be a spring and a pin in there.

Dropped it where? That wouldn't cause the ticking.... I'm not sure what you are saying here.

[JW450R1]

Why even install the decompression

[Bill Fuller]

The pin is what disengages the decompressor. The tick is caused by the decompressor.

[Bill Fuller]

I have built many 400ex motors and I have never had the "common" tick you discribe from aftermarket cams. Valves out of adjustment,cam chain worn,decompressor,these are all viable options.

[400exrider707]

Well its hard to say seeing as we have no clue what cam he is running, but with the hotcam, there is no decompressor, unless you pressed it off the stock cam and had it pressed back on to the hotcam, if not then not decompressor, and the plunger and spring should be removed. If not then why would it tick? There is no reason for the decompressor to tick.

Bill have you ever built a 400ex motor using a hotcam stage 1? That is the cam that is notorious for engine tick, it is very loud and very noticeable. I tightened clearances up and it still ticked. Ran great and nothing wore out prematurely. Just nature of the beast as far as Im concerened.

[Bill Fuller]

I have never built with any Hot cams do to the quality control issues they had.TC cams for me:muscle:

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by Bill Fuller
I have never built with any Hot cams do to the quality control issues they had.TC cams for me:muscle:

I know their original cams had problems with the sprockets, but nothing in the last few years has had any problems that I'm aware of, is there something other than that? The TC's are a hardweld cam if Im not mistaken correct? Requiring hardened rockers and stiffer valve springs?


Keats, if you could tell us what cam you're running we could probably help you more.

[Bill Fuller]

TC cam is a "drop in" no hard faced rockers needed. The sprocket ordeal scared me away and the fact that they couldn't contain the problem.

[dariusld]

Originally posted by Keats
it's got a stock cam.....Not sure I guess I'll just leave it alone and ride her..

I would have someone else adjust the valves and see if the sound goes away.

[Bill Fuller]

I would bet money that the pin has been lost.

[dariusld]

I put my money on valves not adjusted correctly. Tell us who wins the pool.

[CDCHONDAS]

setting valve lash on stock cam with decompressor can be decieving to the novice. it is possible to set the exhaust right hand valve way to much gap if you didnt get the decompressor to release if it was set.

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by Bill Fuller
I would bet money that the pin has been lost.


He's running a stock cam. The machine wont even start without that plunger and spring installed with a stock cam. It sounds like he either has a bad/stretched timing chain, bad chain tensioner, or the valves are simply out of adjustment specs.

[Bill Fuller]

Excuse me but I know about this problem because it happened to me when I built my 426 back in 2000. Someone turned the head over and the pin and spring fell out. I completed the build and ran it for a race or two like that. It was after looking at the parts microfiche that I discovered the pin. I tore the motor down and welded the decompressor until my TC cam showed up. It will run without the pin disengaging the decompressor trust me.

[ex_911]

i have a 2002 ex and it has a hot cam in it i am not sure of the "stage" of the cam but there is a loud ticking coming from, sounding like the top end and i thought it was the valve settings but i had them set and put it back together and it ran as good if not better but the tick didn't decrease in sound any i am also wondering what the stock valve specs and what do they differ with the hot cam installed thanks

[ex_911]

ttt

[JW450R1]

well,for a stage 2 hot cam intake 13mm,exhaust 15.i called hotcams and they said to adjust them a little tighter like intake 12mm,exhaust 14mm.i haven't tried it yet.i'm going to get a few more hours on my 440 rebuild then adjust them to there specs

[ex_911]

thank you for that my valves are set at 10mm and 12mm rite now my friend found the specs and i was wondering would the vavles being off a little bit make a huge power loss? is there a difference in using a car feeler gage? or is there a certain gage i am sapose to use? because another buddy had a 03 ex and he told me there is a power loss some wheres in there but there is lots of compression.... and i just blew the bearings outta the axle god damn

[ex_911]

ttt

[SandNut777]

Originally posted by brian-250
Check your cam tensioner, theres a spring in it that will break and let the timing chain slap around and tick.if its not broken try to adjust it and see if that helps. I agree if you didnt reset the timing chain tentioner. you probably screwed up the spring on the tentioner Get a new timing chain tentioner and the tick will go away.I did the same thing to mine I replaced it and the tick is GONE.

[XXXRACER165]

When I built my 440, the Hot cam wouldn't even rotate in the head. I had to grind a groove in the head where the 2nd from the left lobe went to let it rotate freely. That would deff cause a loud tick.

[JW450R1]

The stage 2 cam for my ex went right in.Did you install the decompression?