Hi guys, This is my first ever post and i'm hoping someone can help me. I have been riding for years but allways bought cheap fixer upper bikes, my goal in mind to save up and in the future buy my beautiful cbr.

Got the beautiful cbr (f4i) was running perfectly and has rapidly (9 days) started sounding worse and worse.

when bought had slight ticking at 2k rpm, so slight i passed it off as injectors, this ticking since has gotten louder and more constant. had the cct replaced 5 days ago, that took care of one sound, now im left with th clicking at all rpm, neutral, running, its all the time, its also getting louder and more pronounced over the engine each day, and im really not imagining it

and today i have noticed an oil leak from the sump area (cant quite pin it down, its higher than the sump gasket perimeter) had my oil and filter done and the oil has been topped up too high, guys at work said it wouldnt huirt the bike.... could this be the leak culprit? whats the damage? any idea on the clicking?? the bike has 9k miles on the clock so it shouldnt be valves should it? my bandit with 50k on the clock was quieter than this!!

If any one has any clue a reply would be massively appreciated, iv waited for my cbr for years and now its here i wish i had a bandit again

Oh and i forgot to mention, she idles fine (constantly up and down a lil around 1300) and screams along like a champ! i cant feel any problems in performance, just the deathly growing noise and oil leak.

bikes an f4i 2003 9400 miles

cheers!!

 

How low was the oil when you got it changed? does it still leak?
how much was it leaking?

If the leak was extensive enough then there may be damage to your valves, hence the ticking. Keep in mind it could be something simple like the chain making noise because it needs lubed or replaced. It's hard to say without more information but from what you've said I'm putting my money on some sort of valve issue due to the lack of oil. Look around your bike and check for loose bolts/screws to rule out something trivial. Let me know what you come up with.

 

Hi diguise, thanks for the reply!

the oil hasnt been low ever, only high, the leak is only very minimal. I was told by mechanics, that a lil extra oil wont do any harm so after the recent oil change i left the oil high. I think thats whats caused the oil leak! i have peeled the fairings off and i think i have tracked the leak to the cct gasket (which i just had replaced) and the cam pulse generator o-ring?? (black plastic electric thing at top left of cylinder head behind fan) so i have oredered these and will replace tomorrow and i have allready adjusted oil level to just under the top line.

But the problem is the tick has nothing to do with the oil, i only change the oil because it was all i could afford, and the noise was getting worse. im still pretty skint after buying the bike so i really appreciate any educated guesses so i can make the trip to the mechanic a lil cheaper.

The noise happens when stationary as well as moving so i have ruled out chain/sprocket
, i have tightened headers+surrounding bolts, running bike naked so not fairing noise, and the guys at work say its not valve noise (same ones who said too much oil is ok)...so im leaning towards valves myself also, can they get louder that quickly??

just aquired a hd camera so i shall post a video up tomorow!

If there is any mechanic in the uk that thinks they recognize the sound and can remedy the problem you can come down to my store and have a bks silverstone suit, 1 or 2 peice, i just dont have enough cash to pay for a valve job, i spent all i got on the bike

cheers for any help guys and thanks again diguise! what you riding?

 

Where in the UK are you dude?

I am no mechanic but I like to dabble with my CBR.

Does the tapping occur at idle or throughout the rev range? Where is the tapping coming from? listen around the engine - top suggests valves, right side suggests cam chain, bottom could be a blowing exhaust/loose screws etc etc.

Extra oil "can" have a bad effect - too much and you increase the pressure and end up blowing seals etc. Generally need a LOT too much to make this happen though. Either way did you pay someone to change the oil and fit the new CCT lifter?

I'd have it back down there as they have clearly done a crap job, for the CCT lifter, the most likely culprits are that they didnt remove the old paper gasket properly, didnt torque it down properly or left the cap bolt out.


My money is on valves/exhaust

 

just to ease your mind a bit....the valves in our f4i's are shimmed valves so when they wear they would actually get tighter and create less chance of a tap and if extreme start making a whining noise. as for the oil the general consensus with all the guys i know on f4i's is dont put more than 1 quart over but up to it is fine. they run more for wheelies and stuff. now i (and everyone one here it seems) would first point to the cct but since you said you replaced it and it stopped one tick im sure the other tick it something different. try checking your stator. maybe there something rattleing in there and hopefully you arent hearing the beginning of bad bottom end bearings! good luck and let us know what you find.

 

Unless there is excessive carbon build up on the valve surface preventing them from closing, or camshaft lobe wear for that matter

Out of interest, what makes the whining sound?

 

ive seen a couple that never got serviced or treated right that ended up with exessive wear and misshaped and started metal or metal worse than fingernails on a chalkboard sound. theye must have beatten the motor to hell everywhere they went.

 

Hi guys!! Got a day off, not had one in ages so i'm ripping straight into the f4i!!

going to look at my plugs, airbox, and as james suggest my stator (thanks!)...thats as soon as i work out what a stator is and where it would be! lol

Oh and to donny brago i live in the stab happy area of hackney!! (east london) If you ever feel like meeting up to work on the bike i can repay you in copius amounts of bike gear the tapping seems to be coming from the top primarily but more to the left than the right.

Tapping occurs loud at idle and just as soon as you give it a lil throttle its really amplified so from 1300-1600 is where its loudest, after about 2k you can hear it but engine noise takes over, if you stick it in like 4 or 5th gear and do 30 at about 2.5 you can hear it cos the engineis so quiet...I do not ride around like that by the way!!!! just trying to diagnose this god damn ticking!! funny thing is i work in a dealership and i just keep getting told its fine, someone will come out, listen to tick over, hold her at a few different rpm's and just say she is fine and walk off.... i dont know what to make of it..

The thing is i used to be a sound engineer, I can listen to a sound and tell you how to reconstruct it, detect the slightest change in timbre or attack, so i am uber sensitive to the sound. But i can honestly say its getting clearer and louder. guys at work arent listening to me, yes they can hear a "mild" tick, but it was not present before, and is getting louder, i'm no qualififed mechanic but it doesnt take much to realise something has happened and is progressing quite nicely... its like they want it to blow before they will look at it!!!

Got my hands on a hd camera at the sec so i will try my best to post a vid up when i report back tonight!! any requests as to what areas i make the camera listen too?

Thanks again guys i really appreciate the help, i only hope once im a lil more seasoned with this engine i can help other people too.

take it easy!

 

should i look in my clutch?? the bike had been down the road that side from the previous owner, also the stator cover (books rock!) on the other side is scuffed slightly...making me think the previous owner got side swiped and dropped the bike exhaust side down, but also the stand is missing its foot...this doesnt add up..it cant have been that bad a spill cos the bikes hardly marked...

Dammnit...wish i went all inspector gadget before i spent all my money on it!
it was sounding fine when i payed!! I'm not gonna let this put me off hondas lol.

right, spark plug time!

 

I am never near London I am afraid mate.

I know you have had previous bikes but IME most bikes have some inexplicable noise that is nothing to worry about. Coming from the top left under the valve cover then it could well be the valves (surprising after so few miles) are you confident enough to do a valve clearance check? It is very easy with a good manual, it only really becomes a bit tricky if any need adjusting but even that is within the realms of most DIY mechanics (me for instance).

The added benefits of this are that you need to do it every 16k anyway, you will have to remove the tank so lifting it up a bit and starting the bike for a closer listen to exactly where it is coming from would make sense at the same time and whilst you have the valve cover off you can have a quick look around for damage in that area. May well just be injectors so worth having a listen to see exactly where it is coming from.

I cannot imagine it is clutch damage causing top end noise tbh, stator and clutch covers are pretty hardy so unless they are dented bad then I wouldnt worry about the clutch. Also worth mentioning that every CBR I have ever seen has had a noisy clutch, whirring in 1st and sounding pretty naff in general, it is nothing to worry about.