"The Tick" does NOT exist on '04 models!!!

[Dangerous Dave]

Well, since I have reason to believe that I may have a "Ticker", I've been pursuing it with my local dealers who've all been very unreceptive to the idea. One local dealer was willing to listen and call Yamaha's tech department and call me back. He called me back today after speaking with someone on Yamaha's national tech line and was told that the valve guide wear problem only existed on a handful of early production '03 models, and the problem simply doesn't exist on '04 models. I spoke with the service manager at Desert Valley who begs to differ on the subject, so I guess it's officially time to climb the food chain and call mama yama.

Let the games begin.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Post up for riders with tickers to chime in on their year. I know for a fact 04 have been fixed for ticking and some 05' for that matter.

My 03 was fixed. They did both the intake and exhaust valves on mine.

 

[Ignacio]

Officially climb the foodchain? Yamaha has never admitted publicly there's a problem....and they won't.

HOWEVER, they continue to fix tickers of bike owners that work with their dealers. DVP is one, but not the only dealer that will do this. IF you really KNOW you have a ticker RUN away now from your dealer and find one that will work with you.

If you're not 100% sure....get them to drop the header and look for excessive oil build-up in the exhaust ports.

 

[extrememarine]

fyi, My 2004 is a repaired "ticker". I have the reciept from CycleNation Yamaha in Tallahasse, FL showing the warranty repair/replacement of valves and guides dated 30 Nov 2004.

-wr

 

[exskibum]

I know Toecutter had his '04 ticker repaired. Trying to recall for sure if Highlander's first FJR was an '03 or '04 (my fading color memory had it as the latter), but I seem to recall him having it de-ticked before he stole the '06.

And like you say, why the hell would an '04 be immune when there are plenty of '03s and '05s that ticked, tick or will tick? It's enough to make you go cross-eyed when someone tells you that sort of horse **** with a straight face and air of authority.

 

[FatNakedGuy]

My 04 with 26,000 on the dial sure as hell makes some weird noises. Need to find a good dealer in the Utaaaaaaaaah area..

 

[Dangerous Dave]

If you're not 100% sure....get them to drop the header and look for excessive oil build-up in the exhaust ports.

Do "tickers" ALWAYS have oil in the exhaust ports?? I'm not seeing any oil consumption as checked at the sight glass, nor smoke out the mufflers, although I imagine it has to get pretty bad before you see anything out the pipes. My only symptom that I've actually noticed is excessive clatter at 3k (+/- 150 rpm) on light throttle or decel. Not there at 2500, not there at 3500, but very noticeable at 3 grand. Noise sounds very hard/fast/metallic/high up in the engine. Replies from others seem to indicate this is characteristic of a ticker (see my previous query here). Thoughts???

As I've told the dealers, and now mama yama as well, I have NO burning desire to have major surgery performed on my bike. But the one thing I'd like even less is to have to pay for a major repair after it's out of warranty that should have been handled while it was in.

 

[Randy]

'04 repaired ticker - exhaust side only

 

[SPORT]

"My only symptom that I've actually noticed is excessive clatter at 3k (+/- 150 rpm) on light throttle or decel. Not there at 2500, not there at 3500, but very noticeable at 3 grand. Noise sounds very hard/fast/metallic/high up in the engine."

I'm no pro at this, but my semi professional guess (I've been an aviation mech for 10 years and have rebuilt several motorcyle engines) is that 1) it probably only 'ticks' when it's hot (not at 3k when it's cold), 2) oil service is beyond 3,000 miles 3) and/or the oil used is less than 20W-50. More than likely YOUR 'TICK' is during NORMAL operating temperatures. Even a "1 bar" (according to the FJR Temp guage) may be enough to cause the 'ticking' you are referring to. What might be happening is that the oil thins and creates a 'ticking' sound at an RPM that allows the valves to, for a lack of a better term, float. If your valve guides were wearing I would expect to hear the ticking at nearly if not every RPM you ran at. I have ridden many motorcycles that 'tick' at a given RPM (such as my late 79 KZ650, as well as my 05 FJR), but that is no indication that valve guides are wearing. As stated in an earlier post, do you notice oil build-up near the exhaust valves? Take the exhaust off and rub a rag in the exhaust port. If it is extremely wet with oil then maybe it is a valve guilde. Valve guides with excessive tolerances might produce oil in the exhaust ports. For the ticking to be a warranty item I would believe that at least 3 factors need to be present.

1) ticking during most RPM ranges (and getting louder over time)

2) oil build-up in exhaust ports and,

3) noticing oil depletion

Again, it is not that uncommon, during normal temp operations, to here ticking at a given RPM. If it continues into a wider RPM range...say 2,000-5,000RPM; then I might be more concerned. But if it only 'ticks' at 3,000-3,500RPM...That would not concern me.

Just mt $0.02 worth

 

[madmike2]

I know Toecutter had his '04 ticker repaired. Trying to recall for sure if Highlander's first FJR was an '03 or '04 (my fading color memory had it as the latter), but I seem to recall him having it de-ticked before he stole the '06.

NorCal '04 tickers repaired (that I know of):

Highlander

Toecutter

Skyway

Do "tickers" ALWAYS have oil in the exhaust ports??

Yes, because the reason for the tick is the exhaust valves "rocking" in the guides, rather than being held stable in the grooves. Therefore, oil can "leak" past the guide/valve stem interface and deposit itself in the exhaust ports. Once they drop the header, it is apparent that there is oil seeping through.

By the time oil is being consumed in any measureable quantity, its rather late in the "life cycle" of this problem. IIRC, feejer/weejerman had oil evidence through the mufflers of his '03.

As Ignacio has already counseled, find another dealer. "Climbing the food chain" (Not exactly good phrase-ology to use on a forum that Yamaha Cypress is known to peruse.) will solve nothing as any warranty discussion and authorization will take place between Yamaha and the dealer, not you. It is entirely possible that the "tech" at Cypress (if this conversation DID take place) may not be studied in "the tick" issue.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Do "tickers" ALWAYS have oil in the exhaust ports??

Yes, because the reason for the tick is the exhaust valves "rocking" in the guides, rather than being held stable in the grooves. Therefore, oil can "leak" past the guide/valve stem interface and deposit itself in the exhaust ports. Once they drop the header, it is apparent that there is oil seeping through.

I'm just a little surprised by that. My thinking is that exhaust heat would burn away minute quantities of oil in the ports until the oil getting past the valve seals became pretty excessive. That's why I posed that particular question.

By the time oil is being consumed in any measureable quantity, its rather late in the "life cycle" of this problem. IIRC, feejer/weejerman had oil evidence through the mufflers of his '03.

That I don't find hard to believe at all. We had alot of valve seal failures on mid to late '90s Toyotas, and although they'd blow quite a bit of smoke on startup, the consumption was almost undetectable on the dipstick.

As Ignacio has already counseled, find another dealer. "Climbing the food chain" (Not exactly good phrase-ology to use on a forum that Yamaha Cypress is known to peruse.) will solve nothing as any warranty discussion and authorization will take place between Yamaha and the dealer, not you. It is entirely possible that the "tech" at Cypress (if this conversation DID take place) may not be studied in "the tick" issue.

Finding another dealer to address this issue might be easy on the left coast, but here in Ohio that's a fairly tall order. I've called every Yami dealer within a 100 mile radius of home and asked the service manager if they had any experience with FJR engines (without mentioning warranties, or ticks, or valve guides) and all said "No". The dealer who did my TPS recall last week went so far as to tell me they had NEVER had ANY inline 4-cyl apart in their shop EVER...just dirtbikes and V-twins.

I called Yamaha customer service this evening and had some conversation with them. I never yelled, cussed, raised my voice, or got angry. I simply told them that I was frustrated because I suspect I may have a problem and can't find a dealer willing or able to address it. They told me they would find the nearest dealer who had performed any warranty engine work on an FJR and direct me there. I told them I appreciated that and looked forward to hearing back from them. I'm a reasonable guy...really.

You west coasters just don't know how good you've got it to have dealers that actually know something about the products they're servicing. Most of the dealers around here are multi-line shops...I suspect it's that way anywhere. Now imagine walking into your local dealer and asking for an oil filter for your R1, and being asked what kind of ATV that is! Or walking into the service department to see if they have any valve shims and being told they don't do any valve adjustments there so they don't need any. Welcome to Ohio. Kind of ironic really, seeing as how we have the highest number of registered motorcycles per capita in the country...just nobody who knows how to fix them. I posted in another thread that I was looking for a recommendation for a dealer in my area. The closest one so far that was reported back is 500 miles away in Michigan. Finding another dealer is much easier said than done in these parts Bro.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

I'm just a little surprised by that. My thinking is that exhaust heat would burn away minute quantities of oil in the ports until the oil getting past the valve seals became pretty excessive. That's why I posed that particular question.

Dave, It is frustrating. I just had my '03 done at Motions in Marietta/Atlanta. My bike started using oil but it never smoked or made any significant noise. They had found the #3,4 exhaust valves were getting loose in the guides. They had installed a new head/valves and now my oil usage is not a problem.

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...c=21769&hl=

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...c=23034&hl=

Good Luck with your repair and watch out for the maintenance items!

 

[Ignacio]

Finding another dealer to address this issue might be easy on the left coast, but here in Ohio that's a fairly tall order. I've called every Yami dealer within a 100 mile radius of home and asked the service manager if they had any experience with FJR engines (without mentioning warranties, or ticks, or valve guides) and all said "No".

Try increasing your radius. Last time I checked the FJR goes about 200-230 miles on average before needing to be gassed up....and some board members have ridden 1500+ miles (West Coast members by the way) to have their tickers looked over.

 

[drc32-0]

Hey Dangerous Dave-there is one dealer in Ohio that has some experience in fixing '04 tickers.Doug Kane's in Zanesville fixed mine and I know he fixed at least one other FJR .Mine had about 36,000 miles and long out of warrenty when it was repaired-no charge.Give him a call,if you don't want to bring the bike all the way over here he might be able to help your dealer get it set up.Be sure to talk to Doug though,I don't know if the other guys in the shop know much about this problem.Tell him Denny('04 FJR) sent ya-I need some leverage on an '08 KLR.

 

[exskibum]

I need some leverage on an '08 KLR.

Sweet! Loving the blue '08 KLR I bought last week!!!

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Hey Dangerous Dave-there is one dealer in Ohio that has some experience in fixing '04 tickers.Doug Kane's in Zanesville fixed mine and I know he fixed at least one other FJR .Mine had about 36,000 miles and long out of warrenty when it was repaired-no charge.Give him a call,if you don't want to bring the bike all the way over here he might be able to help your dealer get it set up.Be sure to talk to Doug though,I don't know if the other guys in the shop know much about this problem.Tell him Denny('04 FJR) sent ya-I need some leverage on an '08 KLR.

See...that's why I like this forum. Damn good database! I'll give them a call tomorrow. It's only 130 miles from my front door to theirs, that's not bad at all.

I called Yamaha customer service last night to explain my dilema. They said they'd find the closest dealers to me that had experience with warranty repairs on FJRs. They called me back today and referred me to a dealer in Clarksville, IN. I spoke to the service manager there who was extremely courteous, but said his problem is that he's slammed with work from his regular customers and can't really afford to lose the use of a tech for 2-3 days on a big motor job. I can certainly understand that position, but I'm afraid everybody else is gonna be in the same boat...it IS riding season around these parts. I will definately give your guy a call tomorrow (found him online) and see if he can take on the job. At least I'm finally getting somewhere with this. Yamaha customer service has actually been very helpful (even if my local dealers haven't), as have several members of this forum...even if I did get bumped to "thread hell". :glare:

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Well THANKYOU drc32-0!!! I called Doug Kane Motorsports in Zanesville, OH at your suggestion and by golly I think I've finally found the right place to go! (man I hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that!) I spoke with a guy there named Chris who says he knows what a ticker sounds like and knows how to fix them. He's also more than happy to address the issues I've been having with shifting/clutch release. And unlike the dealer in Indiana who said he didn't really want to tie up his shop with a big motor job during the busy season, Chris said he'd be happy to put me on the schedule whenever was convenient for me, although he's currently booked until Early Sept. We both agreed that since I'll be making a big trip mid-sept, it would be a bad idea to tear the bike down early sept in case of complications such as parts availability. I was even more impressed to learn that they do 100% of the work in-house, including regrinding the valve seats. Most shops around here would sublet the head work.

I don't know about anyone else here, but lately I've had a deplorable number of run-ins with companies that don't return phone calls and don't follow through on their promises. I'm pleased (and at least a little surprised) to say that Yamaha customer service has NOT been one of those companies! The rep I've been dealing with the last few days has been courteous, helpful, and did everything he said he was going to, including calling me back EVERYTIME! Between the help I got from Mama Yama and the excellent tip from drc32-0, I think I'm well on my way to getting my bike fixed, and fixed right. Now if only I could get that kind of service from one of the FOUR Dayton area dealers! I don't know why Yamaha doesn't hold their dealers accountable to deliver good service to back up a good product. It really shouldn't be this hard to find a good dealer, I'm just glad that I think I've finally found one.