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Himalayan excessive tappet noise

Roy Gavin

Well travelled
Thank you, I must have misunderstood. When someone references a roller rocker arm to me that is a roller at the valve stem end.

We normally use wire gauges at work which prevents incorrect gap readings associated with valve stem wear and that's what I use on my engines that require adjusters after they have enough mileage on them for wear to be a factor, but that usually take quite a bit of mileage with modern engine and valve metallurgy. If an engine is low time/mileage regular gauges are fine.

The most accurate measurement method and one which one of our engine manufacturers requires, is to use a dial gage on the rocker arm to measure travel. Wear does not affect that method and is the most precise, when required.
Yep, used a dial gauge too - some manufacturers like Norton and Velocettle gave valve timing as valve lift at TDC so you needed the gear anyway, as they didn't have marks to line up.
Some SOHC motors had an asymmetrical cam which stopped at the correct correct spot anyway, but nice to check.
You also needed to measure the end float on the crank, etc, so a dial gauge was pretty essential if you worked on old Brit iron.
 

RotorWrench

Well travelled
Location
USA
The only issues I have with that video is how he determines if he is on compression stroke and his use of feeler gauges.

Feeling the rocker arms for looseness is never 100% accurate. You can be on compression TDC and have tight tappets, that's why we check and adjust, especially on low mileage engines or they were improperly adjusted previously. Just put your finger over the spark plug hole while turning the engine and when you feel air blowing out or pressure, you're on the compression stroke, 100% accurate, no question about it.

His use of the feeler gauge can easily result in excessive gaps based on the feel because he's bending his gauge tip during measurement. But what he does do that helps mitigate an incorrect measurement is to check with the next larger size gauge as a go-no-go. If you can't get the next size up to insert, you are probably good to go with the setting, at least very close.

Bending the feeler tip or using bent tip gauges makes accurate measurements much easier, especially in confined places.

Below is the method that will give you an accurate measurement. The tip needs to be in the same plane as the gap surfaces for proper feel.

20220806_164335.jpg

These were made just for tappet adjustments. They're nice but I just use tapered tip gauges and bend them myself.

200-1707k_tappet_feeler_gauge_002-002-card_01.jpg
 
Last edited:
The only issues I have with that video is how he determines if he is on compression stroke and his use of feeler gauges.

Feeling the rocker arms for looseness is never 100% accurate. You can be on compression TDC and have tight tappets, that's why we check and adjust, especially on low mileage engines or they were improperly adjusted previously. Just put your finger over the spark plug hole while turning the engine and when you feel air blowing out or pressure, you're on the compression stroke, 100% accurate, no question about it.

His use of the feeler gauge can easily result in excessive gaps based on the feel because he's bending his gauge tip during measurement. But what he does do that helps mitigate an incorrect measurement is to check with the next larger size gauge as a go-no-go. If you can't get the next size up to insert, you are probably good to go with the setting, at least very close.

Bending the feeler tip or using bent tip gauges makes accurate measurements much easier, especially in confined places.

Below is the method that will give you an accurate measurement. The tip needs to be in the same plane as the gap surfaces for proper feel.

View attachment 6506

These were made just for tappet adjustments. They're nice but I just use tapered tip gauges and bend them myself.

View attachment 6508
 

beersmith

Total noob
Location
usa
I have a 21 Royal Enfield Himalayan that started making a noise in June call Royal Enfield they told me if it wasn’t effecting performance, keep on driving it. It started getting louder so I stopped driving it. I could not get in to service at a dealer till August , 2 half hours away.



Its been 3 months since I took bike in to get worked on, dealer said the were waiting on parts.

I emailed Royal Enfield customer service 3 times and no response, emailed marketing no response.

I called on the phone and got lied to saying the bike parts were sent over night they never got them, lies, lies they even told me bike was done I called dealer service and they said they were still waiting on parts. I finally got my bike back on November 19 2022. Over 3 months later.



Would I buy another Royal Enfield NO their customer service is terrible.

But do like the bike



Just got the bike back and it’s winter time.

It had a kink in the timing chain, must been a defect.


Update
 

Attachments

Laserman

Well travelled
Staff member
Location
Yuba City, CA
Thanks for posting that, @beersmith , the link design is interesting on that chain. Even if you were a good home mechanic it might be tricky to diagnose that issue, IMHO. The LS410 does have a rather long and thin timing chain for what it is, looks like something that could use an upgrade. I wonder if a bad stall or the like can cause that :\

Hopefully was just a defect, like you said. I do recommend downloading the service/engine manuals and watching some videos on servicing the Himmie, it's really a simple thing to wrench on, long as you're motivated! It'll save you at least $100 an hour too :p
 

Preeeethamm

Total noob
Location
Bengaluru
One of my Himmas has developed a fairly loud tappet ticking sound at about 5,000 miles. I've double checked the valve clearance and everything is good. Oil level is good and has not changed recently.

Anyone else have this? Normal?

Even I'm facing the same issue on my 2023 BS6 Himalayan after riding for 1200 kms. The local garage boy told it was the same tappet issue on Himalayan and said he'd worked on it before but suggested me to get it done in the showroom since the bike was in warranty period and they would simply mark it as damaged.
So went to the Dealership and said the issue and they responded well with the issue and the sound is gone now.
 

Dool2

Well travelled
At TDC, this is the problem, firstly you are looking at the mark on the Flywheel and trying to line it up against the casting mark on the case, so not accurate.
I use a socket handle to turn the engine away from TDC and check the clearance closer to where the Roller is on the back of the Cam Lobe, so back for inlet and forward for exhaust and set 9 and 3 thou tight.
I you look at the Cam at TDC you can see that the Rockers are not sitting right on the back of the Lobes.
 

Dool2

Well travelled
I have a 21 Royal Enfield Himalayan that started making a noise in June call Royal Enfield they told me if it wasn’t effecting performance, keep on driving it. It started getting louder so I stopped driving it. I could not get in to service at a dealer till August , 2 half hours away.



Its been 3 months since I took bike in to get worked on, dealer said the were waiting on parts.

I emailed Royal Enfield customer service 3 times and no response, emailed marketing no response.

I called on the phone and got lied to saying the bike parts were sent over night they never got them, lies, lies they even told me bike was done I called dealer service and they said they were still waiting on parts. I finally got my bike back on November 19 2022. Over 3 months later.



Would I buy another Royal Enfield NO their customer service is terrible.

But do like the bike



Just got the bike back and it’s winter time.

It had a kink in the timing chain, must been a defect.


Update
The Kink was quite obviously not there in service, there is not enough slack in the Tensioner for such a deviation, the chain may well be crappy but it didnt look like that when it was driving the Cam, Dealers dont often tell the truth .
 

Roy Gavin

Well travelled
At TDC, this is the problem, firstly you are looking at the mark on the Flywheel and trying to line it up against the casting mark on the case, so not accurate.
I use a socket handle to turn the engine away from TDC and check the clearance closer to where the Roller is on the back of the Cam Lobe, so back for inlet and forward for exhaust and set 9 and 3 thou tight.
I you look at the Cam at TDC you can see that the Rockers are not sitting right on the back of the Lobes.
Yep, but both valves are still closed for a reasonable time either side TDC on the firing stroke, usually at least 20 degrees.
 

Dool2

Well travelled
True so TDC is not so important, for setting the Valve Clearance, but the Clearance is!
Too tight or too loose ? I would go on the tight side and keep an eye on it.
Ear plugs could be advantageous.
 

wachuko

Well travelled
True so TDC is not so important, for setting the Valve Clearance, but the Clearance is!
Too tight or too loose ? I would go on the tight side and keep an eye on it.
Ear plugs could be advantageous.
Why? Everyone mostly suggests loose better than tight….

200 miles before I do my first service…so I have been following this thread closely…
 

SherlockOhms

Finally made it
Location
North East
I'm not really sure why you all are so obsessed with finding TDC. Half the comments in this thread are asking how you even find TDC. Then it complicates matters that there are two TDCs. You do the adjustment, and then question whether it was the correct TDC... Then you wonder if you were supposed to stop at the T or the line...

All you need to do is ensure one valve is open while the other is closed. Then you work on the closed valve. Rotate and repeat on the other valve. That's it. That's how it is done at the shops, and also how it is done one small engines like lawnmowers etc. If there is a reason against this, I would be interested to know.
 
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