Cam chain noise

[Benhur]

 Dear all,

Have been doing some research on the noisy cam chain issue. The bike is an April 2017 manufacture. It is noisy compared to my Yamaha and Suzuki and Honda (yes I love Japanese bikes) but to be honest, it does not sound to me like it’s wrong…

Is there a video on line which clearly illustrates the noisy cam chain issue. I have discussed the noise with the local dealer who has said that sound is normal, and who has also said that while they have no issue ordering the silver screw top mod for me, they do not advise installing it because on a normal chain which is not noisy it may actually do more harm than good ( tightens it up too much)

The bike has just been serviced, and I have to note that post servicing the bike runs quieter and it’s actually a bit less vibey  at 5500rpm…don’t know how that is possible but there it is….

Can anyone share comparative videos etc please

R

[Mareng1]

There is a huge thread on the subject, but perhaps the one here illustrates it best - by SoCal BMW who first produced the manual tensioner.

[Benhur]

Thanks I had researched this product and video as well but maybe because of my ears or my upas, I could not distinguish the difference in sound due to the rattle….wanted to know what I was looking for…this helps but if there are more videos….twoud be good

R

[Antares]

Here is my personal video for a before and after:

Not sure why the quality got bombed but still gets the point across

The loud rattle at startup is the chain whacking against the bottom guide that will result in this:



Nothing horrible but I'd rather just not have those shavings in my oil, even if the passage goes directly to the filter from here.

[Benhur]

Hi all,

An update and a request for some advice…

So my BMW dealer acknowledged the PUMA and ordered the silver plug for me,but reported that there is no unusual  noise and advised that I should keep the plug on hand for a future date, if required.

A good independent mechanic also said he could not hear any  cam chain noise on my warm bike. I did tell him that the cam chain is noisy on a cold start up but that the noise decreased significantly as the engine grew warmer. He said he had sorted out several bikes (s1000rr) with a loose cam  chain and mine was not one of them.

He advised not to meddle with the cam chain tensioner in my case as using a silver plug might put too much tension on the chain chain for nothing. He also said it’s normal for a cold bike to manifest some cam chain noise.

What is the general wisdom here….is it advisable to still go ahead and install the silver plug on a bike with some noise when cold….the bike runs sweet and the engine is smooth as silk from 2500 and upwards…

Thanks

R

[SimonUK]

Personally I would not touch and leave it as it until the noise stays longer. There has to be some credence to not applying extra tension when it is not really needed! And 'we' are probably being swayed by what appears to be a huge number of cam chain issues being reported when it is probably a low % of problems.

I have a S1000R with 33k miles on it and a S1000XR with 34k miles on it, they both rattle a bit on cold start, but soon quieten down.

[smithy]

Originally Posted by SimonUK

Personally I would not touch and leave it as it until the noise stays longer. There has to be some credence to not applying extra tension when it is not really needed! And 'we' are probably being swayed by what appears to be a huge number of cam chain issues being reported when it is probably a low % of problems.

I have a S1000R with 33k miles on it and a S1000XR with 34k miles on it, they both rattle a bit on cold start, but soon quieten down.

And I bet both of them look like the pic above from "Antares".

Smithy.

[Benhur]

To document…

I never get a loud rattle at startup….its just that the engine is noisier for the first few seconds of operation…


Thanks

R

[Antares]

I'm not saying your engine would nuke itself, but manual has been a piece of mind addition for me. No hassle to set it up, just works and is the same cost as BMW's glorified spacer. The start up rattle is substantial and no way you could miss it, there quite literally is almost no tension on the chain at startup until oil starts flowing so it just flops around inside there. I'm sure BMW built that inside guide to be somewhat sacrifical but material from there, one way or another ends up in your oil, plain and simple, yes it's probably filtered straight out as the bottom of the timing set goes almost straight to the filter but who willingly wants metal shavings in their engine that don't need to be there?

[Benhur]

Ok your comment goes to the root of the problem…I have listened to several recordings of the engine on line and I cannot identify the rattle on line in my bike… nothing sounding mechanically wrong at all

It’s just a bit louder/ looser then when the bike warms up that is all…

Do I have a rattle or not?

R