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chrispudd
07-06-2009, 01:17 AM
03' xb9s 53000 kms. Strange noise coming from Engine. It sounds like a bearing and it's there anytime engine is running. I know the usual noises... humming from fuel pump, clickity clack from valve train, etc.
This noise is worrysome. most noticeable when idling( probably due to less exhaust noise) seems to come from bottom end of engine or poss primary side. Sounds like bad bearing not knocking.
Started after hiway riding with passenger to a bike rally and back. Approx 1 hr each way. Went about 150km/hr the whole time. Bike runs fine and i change my oil and trans fluid.
I appreciate any input before I bring it to the dealer, i'm an automotive tech and try to do my own work when i can. Are these bikes notorious or infamous for something letting go, or a bearing going out when this many kms have been put on? Thanks again, Chris

Stevenc150
07-06-2009, 04:49 PM
Try adjusting the Primary Chain via the Manual.

http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/2339_20090512091231_L.jpghttp://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/2339_20090512091224_L.jpg

chrispudd
07-07-2009, 10:58 AM
Thanks for the input, but i performed this earlier this year. Before adjustment the bike would surge during low speed/low throttle situations. I called it the herky jerky and it felt like a loose chain. It was! I downloaded the manual from this site, Thanks again guys! Bringing the bike to a local shop this morning, i'll report any findings or bad news..

RT Performance
07-07-2009, 08:06 PM
I was wondering mine seems to have some timing chain rattle in it.
I also did the primary and sevral oil changes it doesn't seem to be getting worse but how much is exceptable chain noise?

chrispudd
07-09-2009, 10:54 PM
I don't recall hearing any noticeable chain noise from the primary myself.. maybe some of the veteran buell guys could help. BTW no news yet on mystery noise, it's still at the shop.
:p

chrispudd
07-13-2009, 12:02 AM
Local bike shop thinks crank bearing are on the way out.. Said all was well in the primary side. So I dumped the oil and found more bad news on the drain plug.[sad]
Any ideas? thanks for the input guys, it's always appreciated! Chris

chrispudd
07-13-2009, 12:06 AM
Tried to upload photo of drainplug but it's not working right now... There's lots of metal stuck to the magnet.

Stevenc150
07-13-2009, 02:57 AM
Need to see the pics, but some metal on the drain plug magnet is normal.

gbalias
07-17-2009, 01:36 AM
timing chain?

these are pushrod motors.

chrispudd
07-17-2009, 11:08 AM
I've seen the normal amount of metal on the drain plug but this is way too much. It's more like schrapnel. these metal flakes could have part numbers on them.
Didn't take anything else apart, but would like to remove cover on right side to see the cam gears. Do i have to remove the header to take the cover off?
Sending to the dealer next week for a more thorough inspection and at least get a repair quote so i know where i'm at. I"ll post the findings..

chrispudd
08-08-2009, 04:39 PM
Okay, bike is at the dealer and they have some potential news.. Seems clutch bearing is NFG. VEry bad play and wobbling around. Cost to replace is about 590 with labour and taxes. Will keep fingers crossed to see if no other damage has occured. Ill post again when i get the call... THanks!

Thaloc
08-08-2009, 04:51 PM
Man thats a ****ty deal. Hope everything works out for ya!

taildraggin
08-08-2009, 06:28 PM
...a lot better outcome than a bad main bearing...

chrispudd
10-26-2009, 04:49 PM
More bad news for me. Crank bearings are toast. They're gonna rebuild the whole engine now... cha-ching! Bike isn't worth much broken, and I still love it.
Dealer called on the weekend and asked if i wanted a new Buell instead. Now that they've shut down Buell, they want to unload all the stuff on the floor. All bikes are half of sticker price... sure sounded good! But i'm gonna have too much invested in the old one to buy a new one and they don't take trades! D'oh!

stopie20
10-26-2009, 06:23 PM
If your doing all that you might as well send the cases out to revolution performance and have them bored for your christmas present (a 90ci big bore kit) to your self :D... let them change the bearing while the cases are split. It would prob only cost a little more than the stealership is going to charge, and instead of stock you will have a 120hp monster of a motor. [smirk]

chrispudd
12-16-2009, 12:27 AM
Dealership quotes 4 to 5 grand to rebuild.... that sounds ridonkulously high. Anyone ever have an engine built? Does this seem right? I'ts only TWO cylinders and it's air cooled!

slomo2
12-16-2009, 01:05 AM
Call up JT&S. They are out of Sonoma, California.
They build performance engines and are reasonable. They can build you a full on race motor for that price, or rebuild yours for way less.

Give Terry Parsley a call, 707-246-0999. He is awesome with buell's

07Bolt
12-16-2009, 02:00 AM
they charge a few hours just too drop the engine; (muffler,shock,electrical) more hours to tear down, then pressing out all the parts to get to the bearings, then putting back together. The service kits, seals, stuff u dont reuse, clamps,,,i would have dropped the engine at home and taken it in for benchwork, saved a 1k or some,,,

rndrkeagle
12-16-2009, 03:17 AM
hell for that kind of money... if you feel comfortable pulling the engine out all together.... you could buy a good low mileage running engine from Buellsterparts or even EBAY.... they have complete running engines (1200's even)at Buellsterparts for under 2K....

Buy Me (http://buellsterparts.com/product.sc?productId=5&categoryId=6)

I'd tell your stealership to stick it... hell... even if you only get half the life from one of these engines.. you could replace it TWICE for less money than they're quoting you..

Pockets
12-16-2009, 09:02 PM
I could rebuild the small block in my Chevelle for that kind of cash! They're bending you over with no lube.

07Bolt
12-16-2009, 09:51 PM
yeah,,,go for the eaby set-up; i could do the swap in a few hours. so could you. save some $$$

chrispudd
12-17-2009, 03:44 AM
Thanks for the input guys i appreciate it. I put the whole thing on hold. I'll pick the bike up and tackle it myself. i'm an auto mechanic and i agree with Pockets... I could build a killer small block to replace the one in my chevelle for that price.
Thanks!

jl551c
12-17-2009, 04:53 AM
Keep us posted on how it turns out!

onelogue
12-17-2009, 06:07 AM
Wow this is one scenario I am scared to come across! :(

I would probably buy a new motor and pop in it myself.4 to 5 grand is ridiculous for a rebuild!

chrispudd
12-28-2009, 12:42 PM
Will be picking up the bike soon, I'll post when I get 'er here and let you know how things turn out. Thanks to all who provided their input and took the time to help out. Chris:)

chrispudd
02-06-2010, 07:38 PM
Got my bike back and pulled the engine.. it's now living in my downstairs. ( i love my wife!) warm, clean, lots of light. I have a bench set up in our computer room. Gonna split the cases this week, and i still suspect a crank bearing is done.Probably the left side.
My best guess so far is the clutch bearing went in the primary side making metal that ruined the seal at the crankshaft and did the bearing in.
As a side note, when i changed my primary oil last, i should have known something was amiss.. it took almost 2.5 litres to fill when the book calls for .95 litre. By the way..none of this is as hard as it looks. So far. :)http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/284_20100124123231_L.jpg

chrispudd
02-06-2010, 08:14 PM
http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/284_20100206141325_L.jpg

chrispudd
02-06-2010, 08:15 PM
http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/284_20100206141306_L.jpg

NOMADIC
02-22-2010, 08:44 AM
WOW.. Hope it goes well for ya..

Did the bearing go out in result of over filling the primary?

firebolt020283
02-22-2010, 09:00 AM
hey while it is apart you could go ahead and put some go fast goodies on it like a bigger bore kit or something like that :D.

I hope all goes well with this project.

The dealership was trying to rob you with that 5 grand quote.

chrispudd
02-27-2010, 02:18 AM
Not sure what caused the bearing failure. I bought the bike used, so who knows how it was treated before me. Perhaps sometime the oil wasn't changed and caused a small pit on the inner bearing race which eventually caused failure. It's anyone's guess really. Turns out it' s a 30 dollar bearing anyway.
Money is tight, so it may be a while before i put it together, but it's not going anywhere. I love this bike.:)

chrispudd
02-27-2010, 02:24 AM
At first i wasn't pleased with the dealer, but now i feel they treated me really well. They labelled everything and wished me luck. The service guy Nick even e-mailed me a parts catalogue with H-D part numbers. Gave me his cell number and said to call if i had any questions. That's some good service.
As for the price quote, it's not far off. They were trying to ball park the price and covered all the bases. They have to cover their ass if they're gonna rebuild it right? Considering the crank is worth 1000$ alone, it wouldn't take long to add up.
So, a big thanks to Nick and Miles at Barrie H-D/ Buell. Thanks guys, Ill keep ya posted!

chrispudd
02-27-2010, 04:16 PM
here is a pic of the bad inner race...http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/284_20100227101528_L.jpg

gbalias
02-28-2010, 04:26 AM
at least it WAS what they said.


woulda been REAL ugly if you got in there and everything was fine, and it was something simple. that scenario sounds more like HD. haha. charging for an engine rebuild and only changing a rocker cover or something.


keep the progress updated.

gear2078
03-31-2010, 06:25 AM
How are the repairs going?

chrispudd
04-02-2010, 02:33 AM
Repairs going slowly due to $$$. Gotpinion bearing and races will start assembly this weekend. Service guy at h-d dealer picked up my parts for me and delivered them. A 45 min drive one way. That's some great service!
Home renos are slowing down so hope to get it all together soon. Big thanks to Nick at Barrie Harley/Buell! :)

gear2078
04-02-2010, 04:23 AM
Good to hear you are getting some support! My experience with my local HD is that many of the employees are good and friendly people, its just the front of the house (owner and sales people) that won't give me the time of day regardless of two new bike purchases. As a result, I drove three hours to buy my 1125CR from another dealer.

chrispudd
04-04-2010, 02:16 PM
Installed outer race in right side case, and inner race on crank. Upon reading the service manual some more, i think i need the inner race needs to be machined down. It says " the new inner race must be ground by a competent machinist". Another small set back, but i'm still learning. There's a huge table of precise measurements to follow when choosing a crank bearing depending on your race sizes. WOW! I'll keep ya posted though..:)

Thorivola
04-05-2010, 04:20 AM
are you replacing the crankshaft? I'd figure you might as well since if you put a new crank, pistons, and the lower end bearings in you'll basically have a brand new engine.

it cost me about $850 for all the rebuild parts, but I'm doing all of the labor myself entirely and I have access to a lathe, presses, and all the other proper tools like that.

gear2078
04-05-2010, 08:31 AM
It must be nice to have access to all of the proper tools, the Hardly Ableson powerplants in these bikes can't be too terribly difficult to work on considering how many complete morons have torn down their Sportsters and made them run again. I have shifting issues and a lot of primary noise I worry about on my XB12, I'm afraid I will be tearing into it sooner than later.

chrispudd
04-06-2010, 11:44 PM
Thorivola, you ve done this before? Please shed some light for me. Why does the new pinion(crankshaft) bearing need to be ground down? I bought a new inner and outer race and new bearing but still need to call a favor from a machinist?
With millions of possible bearings to buy off the shelf Harley wants me to grind a new race to fit a new bearing... Duh!
Did you do this? Or just rebuild top end stuff? I'm using my old crank. Thanks for any help. Chris.

DrogeN Omen
04-07-2010, 02:39 AM
i have a strange rattling loos metal noise also
but not sure where its coming from.

i am hoping its a damaged muffler as i hit it on the curb side as i rode off the foot path. ended up breaking one of the muffler ring clips that secure the muffler to the bike.

gona check the muffler tonight see if there is anything loos inside it, take it off the bike and give it a shake, might borrow a mates xb12SS new 60db silent pipe to double check nothing wrong with engine... fingers crossed it the muffler and not something more serious...

chrispudd
04-18-2010, 03:19 PM
I'll start a new thread after this post.. got new bearing ( green one) and 2 new races.
inner race :#24658-87
outer race #8881
green bearing#24660-87

New races must be machined, they do NOT come sized for any bearing! Like i said, i'm learning here, so i also figured out that when something is a press fit, the part shrinks or expands accordingly. Have your races measured while installed. Then do your math and have them machined.
Big thanks to Dan at Midland Tool and Machine for putting up with me and my dilemma.
Total cost for machine work : $60.
Thanks for all your posts and advice. ill post more as i reassemble. I miss riding!
Final sizes: inner race : 1.5648
outer race : 1.2502
There is a running clearance of .0002 to .0008"

chrispudd
05-24-2010, 12:49 PM
http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/284_20100524054015_L.jpg Finally got that picture of my drain plug when this noise first happened.... This can't be good! ( see new post of rebuild)