Doohickey Woes and Weird Noises

337 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by skypupbob, 3 d ago

D-Squared

Discussion Starter · 5 d ago

I just did my doo - never thought I'd type that - and I learned some things.

1) I'm not a good mechanic (yet). Short story short, third times a charm and everything went together well. No parts left on the floor, starter gear turned free and easy, and everything buttoned up nicely. Thank GOD Big Rock Moto filmed Eagle Mike doing an install or I would have but up the creek.

2) I'm not sure the doohickey was or is necessary. MY bikes doohickey spring was just fine after 7000 miles of hard riding. I almost decided to scrap the whole project, but part of reason I bough this bike was to wrench on it, and I had the parts and tools, and the engine was already opened up. That said, I probably shouldn't have fixed something that wasn't broken. If I end up getting another KLR, I'm not touching the doohickey. In fact, I'm going to be carrying the original doohickey lever and spring with me on the bike so I can show it to people who ask - which will probably be nobody, but still. Maybe its random and I ended up with a good spring, maybe I avoided grenading my engine at 10, 15, or 50k miles; we'll never know. But I could very easily have screwed up something vital futzing around in the engine. Which brings me to my final point, and maybe something someone here can help me with.

3) Weird noses. I topped the bike up with oil, to the top of the sight glass, and gave it a minute to settle. No, I'm not mentioning what kind bc this isn't an(other) oil thread (it was Rotella T4). Then I started the bike. Everything went fine and dandy until I turned it off. As the engine spooled down there was a loud "thunk" as it came to a stop. The bike started back up just fine, revved just fine, and ran just fine. Then it "thunks" again when I shut it off. After doing that two or three times, I recheck the oil and it's now at the bottom of the sight glass. I'll recheck in the morning to see where the level's at, but I'm worried I screwed up my engine. If it was a part floating around in the engine I'd expect the noise to be more random, not waiting around for the same moment in each start-stop cycle. I also don't think the engine would be starting up and running as fine as it is. Maybe it just needs the oil topped off? Then again, I can't find my wrist watch....

Any help on number three would be much appreciated. Hopefully I don't have to tear this thing apart again, but I will if I have to.

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LeviCurr

· #2 · 5 d ago (Edited)

I like hearing this. I am also not going to address a problem that has not presented itself. I am going to be the sacrificial lamb if need be. We will know exactly how many miles my KLR will go on the original parts.

Sorry that I cant be any help on trouble shooting your engine noise issue. But I have faith in the folks here that know these bikes very well that they will help.

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PeteK

· #3 · 5 d ago

D-Squared: did the spring exert tension on the adjuster lever when you removed it? Many springs look good, but they have stretched and no longer provide enough tension to pull the adjustment lever.

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D-Squared

Discussion Starter · #4 · 4 d ago

PeteK said:
D-Squared: did the spring exert tension on the adjuster lever when you removed it? Many springs look good, but they have stretched and no longer provide enough tension to pull the adjustment lever.

I didn't just look at the spring, I handled it, both during and after removal. If that's not a good spring, then I don't know what a good spring is (which is possible). It was harder to get the stock spring off than putting the new one on. In other words, it was providing good, consistent tension to the system, doing what it was designed to do. I knew it was doing a good job because as soon as I could see it after removing the outer case cover I put a finger on it, fully expecting it to be slightly slack like everyone described, but it was tight as a drum. When I got the inner case cover off I tried it again, and again it was tight, as was the chain in the guides. My gut told me to just leave it and try sending the kit back, but in for a penny in for a pound. Now my engine is making a noise it didn't make before. I don't blame anyone but myself. Eagle Mike makes good parts, and kit was good, the instructions were good, but the loose nut on the wrench is another story. My bike may be one in a million, but I don't think so.

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New2kaw

· #5 · 4 d ago

I may do mine later. I did the thermo bob when new. Ive talked to more than a couple kaw tech and they all say leave it be, that's its not something they see fail. Ive seen videos online from tech saying the same. One I personally know well and he now owns a klr. Back when i rode track he rode a 636 Ninja. 03 or 04. Last year of the carb on the 636r. No idea how many miles he has on his klr, may be new idk. He just said he had one. But he has worked at the dealership for 20 years.

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Art W.

· #6 · 4 d ago

In regards to your #3, do you know any other KLR riders near you that you might be able to compare engine noise to? Maybe even a friendly dealer? I know that when I do repairs, I listen more critically to sounds - basically looking to hear something that does not sound right. Possibly sounds that were always there, but I had ignored. My '09 KLR makes a sound that might be what you are hearing. I believe it occurs as momentum of the flywheels carry the piston up in a compression stroke. As the pressure builds, it forces the piston back down, basically running the crankshaft backwards. I believe that causes the starter gears to enguage making a clunk sound. That is my theory and I welcome those with better knowledge to correct me. As for other noises, many have mentioned a "whiring"noise after balancer chain adjustment. If you hear that, it is considered normal.

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New2kaw

· #7 · 4 d ago

Art W. said:
Possibly sounds that were always there, but I had ignored

Very possible

I see that every day in my shop. I'll fix the massive exhaust leak and roaring wheel bearing and the customer ask if the other noise was there before. Lol.

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D-Squared

Discussion Starter · #8 · 4 d ago

New2kaw said:
I may do mine later. I did the thermo bob when new. Ive talked to more than a couple kaw tech and they all say leave it be, that's its not something they see fail. Ive seen videos online from tech saying the same. One I personally know well and he now owns a klr. Back when i rode track he rode a 636 Ninja. 03 or 04. Last year of the carb on the 636r. No idea how many miles he has on his klr, may be new idk. He just said he had one. But he has worked at the dealership for 20 years.

I did the thermo-bob at 43 miles and am glad I did. At the 1000k mark I rode that bike down to Key West and back (to Kansas) without burning a drop of oil, which I checked at every fill up.

Art W. said:
In regards to your #3, do you know any other KLR riders near you that you might be able to compare engine noise to? Maybe even a friendly dealer? I know that when I do repairs, I listen more critically to sounds - basically looking to hear something that does not sound right. Possibly sounds that were always there, but I had ignored. My '09 KLR makes a sound that might be what you are hearing. I believe it occurs as momentum of the flywheels carry the piston up in a compression stroke. As the pressure builds, it forces the piston back down, basically running the crankshaft backwards. I believe that causes the starter gears to enguage making a clunk sound. That is my theory and I welcome those with better knowledge to correct me. As for other noises, many have mentioned a "whiring"noise after balancer chain adjustment. If you hear that, it is considered normal.

Unfortunately no, but I can look for some. I can always ride it back to the dealer I bought it from. I wouldn't call them friendly, but maybe I can get a tech to lend me his ear. I tend to always pay attention to noises my bikes and cars make, and this is definitely something new. The whirring noise from the left side of the engine has decreased with the new spring, but it's still there. I tried again this morning and on first startup and shut off the thunk noise didn't happen. It came back on the second and subsequent cycles.
The idea of the piston moving backwards sounds compelling, but I didn't think that was supposed to happen on a properly working engine. I did have to turn the crank to get the rotor holder in place, but I also saw EM do that in the video. Thanks for the input.

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PeteK

· #9 · 4 d ago

D-Squared, thanks for the feedback on your spring. If it had plenty of tension on the lever when it was in the bike, it was still doing its job. I would hope that it was after only 7000 miles. Maybe Kawi finally improved the springs in the Gen3's, compared to the springs in the earlier bikes, which are notorious for losing tension and/or breaking off at the ends. Only more time will tell. If numerous Gen3's get to the 20,000+ mile range without failures, then I think we can conclude they did something to improve the stock adjustment system.

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D-Squared

Discussion Starter · #10 · 4 d ago

I decided to blow off work early today and sort this issue out. The bike starts fine and runs fine. I hopped on and did a lap around my little midwestern town and everything worked great; so, my wife followed me to my local dealer in case anything happened and one of their techs came out and listened for the noise - which didn't happen when I turned the bike off for him. We tried it again and heard the noise, but it was much quieter. Tried it again, and again the same noise but quieter. He said there's no problem, the bikes fine. The funny this is, I heard that noise when I was sitting on the bike with my helmet on and normal riding earbuds in, and it sounded normal. I'd just never heard it standing next to the bike in a closed space (the garage) without my helmet and ear pro on. So, @Art W. wins the prize for correct diagnostics.

Lessons learned:
1) I need to relax and not catastrophize the unexpected. The bike just needed to be run a little bit for all the parts to resettle and the oil to be properly distributed throughout the system.
2) It's always good to test things out and consult a professional if I'm unsure. Having the peace of mind for my ride next week is worth the trip to the dealer.
3) Don't fix what ain't broke.
4) My wife isn't paid enough.

Thanks to all for your contributions advice and banter. The community that comes with the bike may be it's best feature.

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LeviCurr

· #11 · 4 d ago

Congrats , RIDE MORE WORRY LESS!

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Biggs3118

· #12 · 4 d ago

For some added insurance/peace of mind you could pop off the oil filter cover and inspect the oil filter for tiny metal shavings.

If the filter looks clean then stick it back in and I'd say you're good 2 go.

Best wishes

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D-Squared

Discussion Starter · #13 · 3 d ago

LeviCurr said:
Congrats , RIDE MORE WORRY LESS!

Wise advice. On the way to and from the dealer I remembered why I like this bike.

Biggs3118 said:
For some added insurance/peace of mind you could pop off the oil filter cover and inspect the oil filter for tiny metal shavings.

If the filter looks clean then stick it back in and I'd say you're good 2 go.

Best wishes

That is a very good idea! Thanks!

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skypupbob

· #14 · 3 d ago

When it comes to KLR noises, I have learned to put the earplugs in real tight and just ride!
It will be fine. KLR's make noise.

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