It's A Ticking!

[Bananas!]

I have an 05 with 3000 miles on it. I've been hearing the tick since about a thousand miles. When I first noticed it, it was quite faint. As the bike gets more miles on it, it is getting louder. Seems to do it mostly between 2000 and 3000 rpm's.

On the way home from work today I decided to swing by the Yamaha shop and have the service manager put his ear to it and get an opinion. Of course he hasn't heard of the problem, this is all new to him. He takes the bike for a ride. When he returns I ask him if he heard the noise that I described. He says he did and he is going to call Yamaha for advice. After talking on the phone with Yamaha for about 15 minutes, with the phone propped on his shoulder, he hollers out to me and asks me what grade of gasoline I have been using. I tell him regular. He talks on the phone a little more and then informs me that Yamaha told him that there were a few problems with the 03's and that that has been taken care of. I then ask him how does he explain the tick!? He says that it is the regular grade gasoline that I'm using and that the noise is detonation. He says to run a few tanks of high test through it and everything will be fine.

What a bunch of ****! This thing has a mechanically generated noise.

Anybody know of a shop in the Orlando area that is familiar with this problem?

Any suggestions as to how I should handle this?

Bananas!

 

[FJRottie]

One thing for sure, it has nothing to do with the gas. Run high test and it will be fine.... :haha: :rolf:

You are right, they are full of ****.

You need a different shop.

 

[pennerk]

As I was going to work this morning I stopped at a light and was hearing a sound I hadn't noticed before. I had ear plugs in but I could still hear the noise. Tick, Tick... I couldn't believe my ears so when I got to work I let the bike run while I got my helmet, gloves, ear plugs etc off. I didn't hear the TICK while it was idling so it probably was something else (I hope). The bike only has 2816 miles (2005) and this would not be a good thing. I run 91 Octane even though it is $2.81/gal, just because I don't want to fight the shop when the bike starts to TICK. I'm paranoid at the best of times so it might be best if I ignore the Forum threads that deal with this dillusion.

 

[Pending]

The magic words are, "excessive exhaust valve guide wear", not "the tick" https://p083.ezboard.com/ffjr1300ownersasso...icID=1820.topic

 

[FJRocket]

The magic words are, "excessive exhaust valve guide wear", not "the tick" https://p083.ezboard.com/ffjr1300ownersasso...icID=1820.topic

Pending, thanks for pointing us to that post. Tell you what, just in case that board ever goes cablooey again, I'm going to paste APRATT's "memo" here so we have it at our fingertips. I'm not sure I have seen it over here, but I think it's very important that we see this post and read it carefully, IF WE SUSPECT EXCESSIVE EXHAUST VALVE GUIDE WEAR.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I've recently succeeded in getting a ticker repaired under warranty, with a dealer who was not exactly in my corner the whole time. I talked with a customer service manager at Yamaha USA, and now I have some advice for all FJR owners who believe they have tickers.

The guy didn't want me to give his name online. He says the whole Customer Service department should be able to help you (number appears below), and he doesn't want to be swamped with calls to him personally. If you follow the procedures outlined here and still get blown off, inbox me and I'll see if he wants to hear about it.

What follows is a combination of what Yamaha wanted me to publicize and my own opinions and experience. I hope it helps people.

First, take your bike to your dealer. Yamaha can't do anything until you do that. (They seem to think ticker owners are bitching online without taking this step; I think we took our bikes to dealers but kept getting blown off.)

Start by telling the dealer there is a lot of top-end noise and you think something might be wrong. After all, that's really all you know. The rest is speculation.

You can play dumb about The Tick at this point or you can try telling them this: Yamaha USA is actively investigating reports of top-end noise caused by (or at least correlated with) excessive exhaust valve guide wear, and based on the sound and what you've read, you think you might possibly have this.

The dealer may never heard of this. That's OK: there hasn't been a bulletin or a memo on it. Tell the dealer if the people on the Tech Line don't know what he's talking about, he should ask for his Regional Tech Advisor. Everybody at that level should be aware that this is real, that it's under active investigation, that it's not a false rumor or an Internet phantasm. The magic words are "excessive exhaust valve guide wear," not "The Tick."

The dealer should NOT get the blow-off from Cypress, and you should NOT get the blow-off from the dealer. Not any more.

The first blow-off sounds like this: "Oh, Yamahas are often noisy. I've heard R1's worse than that. It's nothing." Blow-off number two, if you show the Australian service bulletin, is: "That was a 2002 European problem, long since fixed, your VIN isn't in the affected range, it can't be that." Enough people at Cypress now know it *can* be that, and dealers shouldn't be given this answer. Not any more.

Replacing the cam chain tensioner under warranty is NOT a blow-off, nor is checking/adjusting valve clearance or doing a TBS. That's just part of the diagnostic procedure, looking for common/easy causes and fixes before going after rare/expensive ones. And who knows? You could be wrong about your bike being a ticker.

When it still ticks after fixes like this, it's time to tell the dealer about the "active investigation" and to talk to his Regional Tech Advisor as above. If the dealer says Yamaha don't know nothin' 'bout nothin' and he doesn't continue to investigate, THAT's a blow-off.

(If the dealer says "Yes, they told me all about that, and your bike does not have that problem," you might have to consider believing him. Otherwise it's a whole different category of blow-off. I can't advise you much at this point, except to have your bike listened to by a ticker expert like Warchild.)

If you don't get any love from your dealer - if you do get blown off - call Yamaha Customer Service yourself. They're at (800) 962-7926. Everybody who answers that phone should be hip to "top-end noise that correlates with excessive exhaust valve guide wear." If you get somebody who doesn't seem clued in, ask for a supervisor. Keep asking until you get somebody who knows what you're talking about. They *do* exist, and you *will* succeed. That person can work with you and your dealer: if the dealer isn't being told the right things from the tech people or isn't hearing it right, these are the guys who can fix that. (That's what happened to me, and this is how I got traction at my dealer.)

Remember, it's always possible you do NOT have The Tick. If it's been diagnosed by an expert tick-diagnoser, that's one thing. If you've just heard of The Tick and you're not sure what it sounds like, don't go charging in to your dealer demanding a full head replacement. Work with them.

Warchild's research and Dan's visit to Cypress have borne fruit: instead of getting blown off by your dealer and Yamaha, YOU WILL BE BELIEVED when you mention worn exhaust valve guides after the "easy" fixes don't fix your top-end noise.

I hope this helps. Good luck, brothers.

>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Bananas!]

Thank you for your reply. Gonna take your advice and get started on it today.

Bananas!

 

[spine60]

I guess that puts to rest the comment about no 05 units having this issue. Anyone looking for an '05 with 300 miles on it in perfect showroom condition with Blueflames, Metisse sliders, Magna Blaster horns and D&D risers?? :erm:

 

[velvet fog]

Yes, we are getting plenty of 05 tickers. Mine started at 6500 miles, diagonosed by Sunnyside at 8K. I took the route of not getting all worked up about it, just rode in and said "my engine is making a funny noise" and let them take it from there. After all, I've never heard a tick, I'm not a yamaha mechanic, wtf do I know ?

Sunnyside told me the procedure is to eliminate the simple things first by checking the cam chain and valve clearances before ordering a tick repair. The current procedure is to get a complete head assembly replacement, head, valves, springs, retainers, cams, etc.

Someone else posted over at FJR owners that Yamaha may be coming out with a fix, so I'm just holding tight for now.

 

[FatNakedGuy]

The current procedure is to get a complete head assembly replacement, head, valves, springs, retainers, cams, etc.

Did the "tick" return on any of the bikes having had the repair done?

I have an 04 with 22k and a random tapping sound on the left side of the engine. I haven't noticed a power difference but I ride like a ***** and probably never will.

Should I bring the bike in now, with the possibility of a re-developing issue another 22k down the road, or should I wait for a perma-solution to become available?

Thanks!

 

[markjenn]

How many '05s have been fixed by Yamaha? We have a lot of owner-suspected '05 tickers, but I'm not sure I've heard of a first-hand report of a repaired '05.

If you think you might have a ticker but it is in the very early stages where it comes and goes and isn't very loud, my suggestion would be to ride it for awhile until the symptoms become a little more clear-cut, rather than attempting to get Yamaha to fix it now. While I have sympathy with folks with the problem, it really is something you can over-worry.

- Mark

 

[Bananas!]

I took the bike to a different shop this morning. Went in and told the service manager that I am concerned about the unusual noise (ticking) coming from the engine. As we are walking outside I tell him that he is probably going to have to ride it to hear it properly. He tells me to fire it up anyway. I run it up and down between 2000 and 3000 rpm's and there it is! I ask him if he hears it (because I damned sure could!). He says yes he can hear it. I ask him what he thinks about it. He says that it doesn't good. He says that I should make an appointment to have his mechanic thoroughly examine the bike to determine the cause.

I then tell him about the "detonation" theory that was floated by the other Yamaha shop (and who ever they were talking with at Yamaha). He agrees with me that the noise is definately not detonation.

I have an appointment next Friday morning to get this checked out. I'll post the findings.

Thanks for all the helpful advice.

Bananas!

 

[Ramblin Man]

Ahh Yes. Sounds like you found a dealer that gives a **** or at least wants your business. Good luck with it.

 

[Coyote]

Mine is an ’05 with 6,500 miles and I’m beginning to suspect it’s a ticker. But hoping it’s just normal Yammy noise. While doing the TB sych I heard a tapping and listened around the head. Strong ticking sound on the right side. I’ll be listening.

 

[velvet fog]

The current procedure is to get a complete head assembly replacement, head, valves, springs, retainers, cams, etc.

Did the "tick" return on any of the bikes having had the repair done?

I have an 04 with 22k and a random tapping sound on the left side of the engine. I haven't noticed a power difference but I ride like a ***** and probably never will.

Should I bring the bike in now, with the possibility of a re-developing issue another 22k down the road, or should I wait for a perma-solution to become available?

Thanks!

I posted up earlier with that question and the only response was 1 very high mileage that only got a valve guide replacement the first time around.

This noise is not random, it's there every time you run the bike. Sounds like a sewing machine at idle, with real noise between 2 and 3K rpm.

At WFO this year, I was letting people listen to it. Someone said they couldn't hear anything unusual. That was until the guy next to me started his non ticker and everyone noticed how quiet it was.

 

[snikr]

Strong ticking sound on the right side. I’ll be listening.

My 04 with 14600 miles on her is now starting to make a little ticking noise on the right side when it's cold (first started up). It goes away when warmed up and it's real faint to begin with. I have the YES so I'm going keep a ear peeled and see what happens.

 

[FatNakedGuy]

If you think you might have a ticker but it is in the very early stages where it comes and goes and isn't very loud, my suggestion would be to ride it for awhile until the symptoms become a little more clear-cut, rather than attempting to get Yamaha to fix it now. While I have sympathy with folks with the problem, it really is something you can over-worry.
- Mark

Thanks Mark. That is where I was headed, just wanted to hear it from someone else. No worries here, if it blows up I'll tow it in.

Thanks!

 

[RTSR1/FJR]

All this talk about running premium or regular gas got me thinking. The manual states to run Regular. Does the '04 or '05 require premium? I didn't think there was a difference between them. Why would a dealer tell you to go against the manual? One other question is, are these tickers running premium or reg.? This out of the '03 manual:

 

[markjenn]

Every FJR made has had the same fuel requirements: 87 octane US.

The people who have looked at the ticker vs. non-ticker trends have never been able to discern anything with the available data. There was a rumor floating around for while that Chevron's Techron was THE thing to prevent the problem. Frankly, it really doesn't make any sense that there would be correlation with fuel grade and type. Ticking and detonation realy have nothing to do with one another.

Finally, it has been shown over and over that dealers say REALLY stupid things.

- Mark

 

[Craig in Denver]

I have an 05 with 3000 miles on it.

IF it's ticking, it has to be the earliest ticker on record. I'd ride it til it has oil dripping out the exhaust.