XT500 Ticking sound??

[pancho]

 Loose valve guide?

[LWC82PE]

I had a mystery noise in an engine (competition AJS 500 single) once and it took 3 or 4 tear downs, multiple head swaps etc to finally find it. When the engine first started up it sounded fine, but when it got to a specific temp a very loud clatter suddenly appeared. When engine was cooled down and started again it would come back when hot again. It would sound fine then the noise would come on like it had been switched on. Eventually i found it only after pulling the engine apart real quick while it was still warm and when the head was off i finally noticed that the cylinder sleeve made a click noise when pressed!. So what was happening was when the engine heated up the sleeve was comming loose and could move. It was not made/fitted correctly. It was a relief to finally find what the cause of the noise was.

A mechanics stethoscope is a very handy item to have as well, to pin point where noise is comming from. Pretty sure MCS has them.

[GMC]

I had an XT with the same noise so I parked it for years as I was afraid it might cause more damage if something let go.
Turned out to be an easy fix...


I sold it!

[madmxrestorer]

Does the noise go away when you labour the engine in first gear , when you just feather the clutch ? I had a TT500 C that had a ticking noise turned out to be the lash in the primary gears when the oil heated up 

[Curtis]

500Fool!!! I owe you a big cold beer    You were bang on. Part turned up in the mail, fitted up the little washer/dampner and the noise is gone!
Who wouda thunk it.
Im very happy 
Off too Harrow in 2 days

[matcho mick]

bugger,that didn't make any diff to mine,i even swapped/compared to another,unless they're both too compressed to damping??

[500Fool]

Yoo a strong man riding an XT at Harrow Curtis, I usually head up for a look but away werking till next week. One of these years I hope to ride my IT there, I'll leave the XT at home I think.

[chrisdespo]

back in the eighties one of our customers had a xt 250 with a ticking sound high up in the engine turned out to be a chip on the valve adjuster screw. only on the side but must have come into contact with valve stem at some point in the opening and closing. if it were me i would pull the valve adjuster screws out and check them, we used to keep a few of these screws in stock as it turned ou to be a fairly common ailment on the 250 i think one of my old 500 bikes even had this happen but was much less common on the big thumpers.

[OverTheHill]

Probably irrelevant to an XT but many years ago i heard of a honda single [175 i think] which you could get a needle roller conversion for the cam--maybe a powroll cam set up or something like that--& the needle bearing machining wasn't far enough out to the side by bugger all but the rocker pad was landing on the bearing outer shell. Think that was how the story went--45 years ago.