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Audace - fluttering noise from engineF

Stuart Johnstone

Just got it firing!
Joined
May 10, 2018
Messages
15
Location
South Africa - Cape Town
Just under 3000 km done on and there is a noise which can be described between ticking/fluttering coming from Motor mainly between 3000-5000 rpm and only after engine is warm. Any Thoughts?

thanks Stuart
 
Just under 3000 km done on and there is a noise which can be described between ticking/fluttering coming from Motor mainly between 3000-5000 rpm and only after engine is warm. Any Thoughts?

thanks Stuart
you'll need to give us more to go on than "fluttering", can you record it or put it on youtube ?
 
you'll need to give us more to go on than "fluttering", can you record it or put it on youtube ?

Thanks for responding Paul - unfortunately Bike in with the dealer at the moment so wont be able to record it just now. Very difficult to describe a sound I appreciate as one persons fluttering is another's thumping. It is however a very distinctive "ticking" sound which is more prominent after running for a while and more so between 3000 and 5000 rpm. After 5000 rpm it either disappears or blends into other engine sounds. The flutter/ticking only started around 2200 km on the bike which had been a very quiet motor up until then. It seems to have progressively got louder though. Already been into the dealer once and they seemed to head straight toward tappets and adjust4d these but not helped much. Only one Guzzi Dealer in the country and they don't deal with many Guzzis either so nothing seems to be jumping out at them either. Been with them for over a week now. Cheers
 
Further update from Dealer

  • Firstly did an oil change to the recommended 10W60 oil which made very little to no difference
  • Then checked valve clearance once more and they all were on the mark except for one which was a little on the bigger side.
  • After all of this they found that the hydraulic cam lifters seemed to be noisy at certain RPM ranges, especially on the RH cylinder head exhaust side.
  • Once all the covers were removed they were able to hear it more clearly.
  • Subsequently they checked the part number of these hydraulic lifters and noticed that the original part number has been superseded which would indicate that the old parts might have been problematic hence the reason why my Guzzi might be getting noisy.
  • They are in the process of doing a warranty claim on these units
 
Lifters are not hydraulic but the chain tensioner is, sounds like the issue. Only 1 dealer? Are they also the importer?

Looking at the 1400 Workshop manual (see below), they show "hydraulic tappets with rollers" which could be the source of the problem if they are not filling with oil properly. Strangely enough I have reported a similar noise " ticking" on the RHS (only) head at certain rpms e.g 2500, 3500 etc. (https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/not-your-usual-valve-clearance-question.17546/#post-133009) I wonder if this explains the issue I have experienced. It's not particularly loud, but it is noticeable. I've got 13000 km on mine now and it's never got any louder


Hydraulic Tappets .
 
Don't care what book says, they are solid forks not hydraulic otherwise you would not have to adjust every 6Kmi. AND they are the same part no as the 1200 roller kit, that's solid rollers. I have swapped out lots of roller kits and never saw any hydraulics in a 8V.
 
Don't care what book says, they are solid forks not hydraulic otherwise you would not have to adjust every 6Kmi. AND they are the same part no as the 1200 roller kit, that's solid rollers. I have swapped out lots of roller kits and never saw any hydraulics in a 8V.

If you've done it then I totally believe you :). In fact just found a YouTube video that Pete Roper put up on a 8v roller cam strip and it does show them as solid. It wouldn't be the first time the manual is wrong (cut and paste job). Stuart - I would be interested to hear the final verdict on the warranty, what was changed, whether it was fixed etc.
 
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I helped get the original warranty time and make the 1st flattie tech bulletin in 09. There has been an updated chain tensioner I remember.
The Cali14 has all the latest stuff in it, usually a stone axe.
 
If you've done it then I totally believe you :). In fact just found a YouTube video that Pete Roper put up on a 8v roller cam strip and it does show them as solid. It wouldn't be the first time the manual is wrong (cut and paste job). Stuart - I would be interested to hear the final verdict on the warranty, what was changed, whether it was fixed etc.
Will let you know the outcome on the warranty Steve and thanks to you and Paul for the various comments which certainly have helped and which I have also shared with the workshop (dealer)
 
Will let you know the outcome on the warranty Steve and thanks to you and Paul for the various comments which certainly have helped and which I have also shared with the workshop (dealer)

Hi
What was the outcome. Was it the chain tensioner? Has the ticking been resolved. What was the cause.
 
Hi
What was the outcome. Was it the chain tensioner? Has the ticking been resolved. What was the cause.

Hi - Thanks for the interest. I only received the Bike back this last Saturday. Endless waiting for the part (lifters) to arrive. Anyway they replaced the lifters and I had a look at the old lifters when collecting the bike which showed some signs of quite light surface scruffing but there nevertheless. Bike is running well - and I have yet to take it for a long run. Still "the usual engine noise" though and more so as oil reaches operating temperature. I have not heard the fluttering noise I first heard yet so perhaps this was the issue although the mechanic mentioned that the tensioners " could be a factor contributing to the noise but that unfortunately as these are hydraulic units that are situated inside the engine, they cannot be replaced by manual units like on most Japanese or German motorcycles.
 
These engines/bikes make all types of noises so I'm not sure I'd ever be able to distinguish the clacking from the ticking from the fluttering from the chattering from the … well you get the idea. :)
 
Hi - Thanks for the interest. I only received the Bike back this last Saturday. Endless waiting for the part (lifters) to arrive. Anyway they replaced the lifters and I had a look at the old lifters when collecting the bike which showed some signs of quite light surface scruffing but there nevertheless. Bike is running well - and I have yet to take it for a long run. Still "the usual engine noise" though and more so as oil reaches operating temperature. I have not heard the fluttering noise I first heard yet so perhaps this was the issue although the mechanic mentioned that the tensioners " could be a factor contributing to the noise but that unfortunately as these are hydraulic units that are situated inside the engine, they cannot be replaced by manual units like on most Japanese or German motorcycles.
The reason I ask is because I think my 2016 Audace does the same tick sound from the left side. No ticking sound at idle. It picks up with revs and then either disappears or blends in up at the top end. I usually only notice it when the bike is hot. Also I think it happens under power but not deceleration.

The valves were set about 2000km ago by a Guzzi dealer. Although that is no guarantee they are right. However the tick does not match the rpm, so I assume it's not excessive tapet clearance

So are you saying your dealer replaced the lifters based on the ticking sound. Also you need to ride a little more to determine if the ticking sound has been resolved.

Also the chain tensioner is not really replaceable as it means tearing down the motor.

Thanks
 
Any chance you have an exhaust leak? This might sound like "fluttering" for some listeners.
Yes it may be. I am having a local Guzzi mechanic listen and ride it on the weekend. I have gonover and tightened every bolt/nut on the exhaust. My issue sounds pretty much the same ad Stewarts above. I am interested on his outcome.
 
Have had many older Brit and Italian bikes in over 40 years of riding. All noisy, on my 1400 most ticking, clittering and clattering has turned out to be loose nuts and bolts on heat shields, windshield, bag bars etc. Hardest to find was the pocket knife in the bottom of rt saddle bag.
 
Thanks to all again for your replies. Sadly since my last response the sole importer and distributors for Guzzi in RSA went into liquidation. I am fortunate enough though to have Eurobike in Cape Town who despite not been the accredited dealer for Guzzi only work on Italian bikes and the mechanic (Stretch) Old school and years of experience. He has gone over the bike with a fine tooth comb and cannot explain the flutter. He initially thought exhaust but quickly ruled that out. The flutter is definitely more prominent under power and even there when decelerating. Stretch says absolutely nothing wrong with any of the “ vital” tests on the pike and performance spot on and basically says probably just a quirk and quite normal. I have tried hard to resign myself to this but still believe that a “noise” is wear and tear somewhere and continue my search. Interestingly enough I have contacted Guzzi Italy on numerous occasions asking them whom I can use as the bike is still under warranty- but not a peep from them - so quite disappointing for a company with the history they have.
 
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