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Whining and screaching. And that's just from me

2K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  oldgoldie 
#1 ·
Tragically, my Thunderbird is making the same whine, screech, and/or squeal from somewhere in he motor.

The noise started abruptly, and is rev dependant. Clutch and gearbox engagement does not make a difference. It is barely audible at idle, and gets louder as revs increase. The motor seems to spin freely, and the only performance issue was an occasional hesitation when opening the throttle.

Unfortunately, this started way up in the boonies in northern California on a seldom used back road.
I didn’t know exactly where I was, and didn’t want to push on to however far it was to the next town. Though I carry water, I did not want to walk the almost 15 miles to back to civilization/cell phone reception. I crossed my fingers and slowly rode back until I was able to call.

So, I got an 89 mile tow to the U-Haul truck rental in Weaverville, CA (Blessing on the American Automobile Association and their 100 mile towing limit). I spent the night where I’d set up camp at a campground in Trinity Center, CA, and then trucked my Thunderbird the 600 miles to home the next day.

I can’t tell if the noise is from the left or right, though it seems to be low in the motor rather than high in the cam area. It’s definitely not a grinding/crunching kind of sound.

I have an appointment with the dealer in two weeks. I’m into this for over $800 just to get her home. I expect that this is not going to be a cheap or easy fix. I’ll let you know what I find out.

BTW, I named my Thunderbird Nikki, after the song “Nikki, Don’t Stop” by Cool Millions. She didn’t stop. And you know what? She didn’t stop. She’s a Hurt’n Unit, but kept going until we got to where I could call for help.

I found this site with the song. Scroll down to song #7. It really illustrates the sensual link between a rider and motorcycle.
http://www.jestertunes.com/2007/04/04/ten-songs-im-totally-digging-male-edition/

As an aside, the roads and scenery in southern Oregon and northern California are truly magnificent.
 
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#5 ·
Any difference clutch in or out, engine warm or cold?
 
#6 · (Edited)
Appreciate the thoughts.

The oil level was spot on. In addition, I had changed it just before I left, along with the filter. The oil light did not come on.
Now that you mention it, there was a light amount of oil misted on the right hand crankshaft cover. Not enough to drip on the ground or get on my boot.

There was no difference with the clutch in or out, or if it's warm or cold.
 
#7 ·
Can you record the noise so we can listen to it? That might make it a little easier to identify. A simple video with your cellphone would suffice ;).
 
#10 ·
If clutch makes no difference & it goes with engine rpm, two possibilities look favourite to me..

If internal, having limped back 15miles, & not got worse (is that right?), that would tend to exclude metal/bearing parts. Which leaves the cam chain tensioner blocks, possibly tensioner mechanism slipping? I wonder if an engine stethoscope (or its budget equivalent, screwdriver to the ear) would help identify anything?

But I think external sources are just as likely. Apart from any obviously loose parts, loose engine mount bolts would increase vibration quite a bit. So I'd put a torque wrench on those at least & check around other bolts.

Can't tell anything from the sound recording, sorry.
 
#11 ·
To me it sounds louder on the left side (later part of recording), if it was the timing chain/tensioner I would expect it to be louder on the RH side of the engine. But I'm no expert so I wouldn't rule it out.

I would start with the Alternator first (cos it's easiest). Not sure if you can run the bike without the alternator in (hopefuly one of the other guys here can confirm), but if you can try running the engine without it to see if it goes away.

And as jag says check the bolt on the end while it's out.

Also maybe drop the oil and see if there's any clues in there, ie chunks of metal or rubber from seals or bits of the cam chain guides.
 
#15 ·
Get a long handled screw driver and use it like a stethoscope. with one end next to your ear place the other end on various places and components of the engine, while running, this could help isolate the problem. (I find it best to put the handle to the ear and the pointy part of the screwdriver on the engine, less painful that way. :rolleyes:)
 
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