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I think I bought a lemon


Ryan_c_F

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Heard a new noise develop about a hundred miles ago, sounded like an intermittent tapping, not unlike a wobbly cam chain tensioner.

 

It's not gotten a hell of a lot louder, but it's definitely more regular now. I can hear it more clearly from the left side than the right, 

 

Just changed the oil on Saturday morning. Felt something in the bottom of the oil that seemed... gritty? Didn't see any fragments, and I couldn't pick anything out of the oil after the initial touch, but was unsure if this was metal shavings or what.

 

I'm assuming this is extraordinarily bad. Really kinda heartbroken atm.

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@whaler - 05 fz1, 20xxx miles on it

@Casper and Tonik - have a hard drive, do not have the torx driver needed to disassemble to harvest the magnet.

Did manage to find one shard of... something... in the oil that I still have. Didn't seem to be dirt... Was maybe gnat-sized and hard, couldn't break it up with my thumbnail, so probably metal.

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Top end noise usually isn't that expensive to fix. It's normal to find some sediment in oil, cam chain tensioner and sliders are plastic and do wear. If it is the tensioner it's not that bad of a job, will need new tensioner guts, head gasket, and an afternoon or two. Noise could also be valve lash, tho I'm pretty sure that motor is shim under bucket, which don't usually go out of whack, at least not in 20k miles. Other possibilities are wrist pins or piston slap but I seriously doubt it, those motors are built pretty well. Main thing is to not panic, anything mechanical can be fixed and engines are surprisingly simple inside once you get past the initial anxiety of the unknown.

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@Tpoppa -- I haven't seen too much on yamahafz1oa.com, not a member of 998. That'll be my next stop but I know there are a lot of competent mechanics on this site, and I always look here first.

 

Dime -- I have a video clip but the sound was kind of washed out -- think I was holding my phone too close to the bike while recording. I'll see if I can re-do it this afternoon and get it on youtube for reference.

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At 20k i think it wouldn't need adjusted but when they need adjusted, they normally tighten up instead of getting lose. Yamaha998 forum is kind of meh. Fz1oa is the one to go for. Ravenrider on fz1oa is who I would talk with. He's rebuilt many of fz1 engines, and knows the bike inside and out.

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It's easy to default into freak out mode when your bike starts fucking up on you. Just remember that unless you put a rode through the cases or cook off the main bearings or strip transmission gears, it's able to be fixed and not horribly expensive. Also, I'm betting you can find a used motor online for around a grand and swap it in.

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Yeah, stay calm for now.  An engine that is running with strange noises is still running.   That means nothing vital has failed. Yet.

 

It's easy for me to armchair quarterback this and tell you to pull the motor, crack the cases, and inspect everything...  But you're probably safer starting small.   Still, if you can take it apart, I'm sure someone here can help you get it back together!

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It's easy to default into freak out mode when your bike starts fucking up on you.

 

This.  MC engines are noisy and ticky, it comes and goes.  A bit of grit in the oil is very normal. Don't freak out man.

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How does it compare to this?

I can hear valve noise in my bike too, the pitter-patter stuff, but the new noise is slower and deeper. It's really hard to hear in my video clip. I'll get a better one at home today.

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just invite a bunch of us over.  We will gladly test-ride your bike for a few hours, then stand around drinking beer while we listen to the bike idle in your driveway and give our best guesses as to what might be causing it :D

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Take a long screwdriver and place it at different points on the engine and put your ear up to it. This works well if you don't have a stethoscope. You'll be able to hear internal noise a lot clearer.

 

Also, if you are really worried, save some of the oil and you can send it away to a lab for a SOAP analysis. They'll tell you exactly what is in the oil. 

Edited by blueskeyes
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Take a long screwdriver and place it at different points on the engine and put your ear up to it. This works well if you don't have a stethoscope. You'll be able to hear internal noise a lot clearer.

 

This is really good advice. I feel bad I didn't think of it sooner.

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I have never tried that, but I have two 3' screw drivers that go largely un-used.  Let me know if I need to bring one to work for you to borrow.  Can arrange to drop it off after work, or you can pick it up during the day or something. 

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