Engine clicking/tapping 700S

[rs15]

Hey there, I just bought an 84 700s. There is a loud clicking/tapping coming from the engine. The clicking speeds up as I rev the bike up. It sounds like its coming from just below the valve cover but I'm not totally sure. The engine runs great other than the clicking. I'm sure someone has had some experience with this problem. Thanks

[SirSeanSean]

Like this? http://nighthawk-forums.com/index.php/topic,9091.0.html

[gammer]

  rs15

First off...got any pics of your bike?  
Where are you located?

Now trouble shooting...do you have a Honda manual?
Ticking from underneath the valve cover should indicate that you have a bad hydraulic tappet. Either its lost the ability to bleed itself or maybe its stuck in the down position (had that happen to mine once and it made a ticking sound).
If it were me, I'd take the valve cover off, remove the cams and inspect all the hydraulic tappets. The manual is a must for attempting this job. But its not that hard to do (if you have a manual).

[NightHawked]

  to the Forum. Sure would be nice to take a peak at your new ride. Enjoy

[rs15]

Thanks for the welcome. No pictures yet. I actually bought an 84 S about a month ago that has a shift linkage problem right now. And yesterday I bought two more 84 S model (the clicking bike and another parts bike). I do have the manual and service manual. I'm hoping its something with the valves rather than that other thread with the bearing going out. I will have to check out the service manual once. Thanks

[gammer]

Start simple...check the tappets first. Hopefully that's all it is.

[rs15]

Well a buddy and I tore it apart. Neither of us have much experience with motorcycle motors, but he is a tractor mechanic and I have had plenty of work on other engines. The motor for my parts bike was already out so we tore that apart first to make sure we would do it right on the good bike. Not what i was hoping, looks like a bearing is going, because there are indents from the valves on the pistons. I will post pictures once i figure out how to and i guess i will have to read up on fortyhourdays thread.

[gammer]

That's a bummer rs15.

If there is anything I can recommend when you go to do your re-build, is take your time and do it all. Get a gasket kit, measure all the bearings and replace any that are worn. Get the cyls honed and replace the rings. Do the valve seals (comes with the gasket kit).

There are many of us on here who have rebuilt these engines, so we can help you out as much as we can.

[rs15]

Where is the best and cheapest place to get the parts? I wasnt hoping it was going to be this much work but oh well i guess. The guy i bought it from told me a shop took the parts bike motor out and he said the crank was bad, but i dont see a crack or anything and now i'm wondering if the same thing happened to those bearings because the pistons also have indents from the valves. I am almost debating taking the whole good running engine out of my 1st hawk and fixing the tranny and throwing it in the 2nd hawk and then fix the 2nd hawk's motor on the bench and throw it in the 1st hawk...if that makes sense.

[gammer]

I think he means the crank shaft is bad.

Parts will have to come from the Honda dealer.

Swapping engines would be the easiest thing to do. Perhaps, if you can use tranny parts from the one with the ticking to fix the one with the tranny problems. You said it had a shift linkage issue? What exactly is it doing?

[Laminar]

Here's a complete gasket set:
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=&store=Main&catId=&productId=p260720&leafCatId=&mmyId=11481

[rs15]

I do mean crankshaft when i said crank. I also have a complete lower end sitting in a box from the parts bike. Not sure if it is a tranny issue or the shift forks but it is stuck in second gear.

[gammer]

I know that with this engine, you can take the bottom end apart, without having to remove the cylinders and head. But keep in mind, that if you pull the pistons out at any point, best practice is to get the cyls honed and install new rings. Otherwise, when the old piton rings go back in the cyls, they won't be seated like they were before they came out, and you will most likely burn oil.

[rs15]

any idea what the problem is if it is stuck in 2nd gear?

[gammer]

Probably one of the shift forks has been forced out of its groove in the shift drum. I had two of these engines that were stuck in gear by the PO. I just separated the cases, inspected everything, put the shift forks back in properly (they weren't bent or worn) and it it shifted fine after that.
Hopefully that's all it is with yours too.

[rs15]

I'm stuck right now, i cant get the case split. It looks like it has been taken apart before because there is no gasket, there some kind of gasket sealor instead.

[gammer]

There is no gasket that goes between the cases...you are supposed to use gasket maker to seal it...or preferably Hondabond.
There are a couple of hidden bolts that hold the case together. One is down in a recessed area on top of the case on the left side near the alternator. I believe there is another one on the top of the case by the clutch too.

[rs15]

alright thanks i'll have to look at it again

[gammer]

Whatever you do, DO NOT use a screw driver (or similar) to try and pry the cases apart. It can damage the surfaces and make it harder to seal up...or worse it could break part of the case.
Once all the bolts are out it should need no more then a few whacks around the edge with a rubber mallet and possible a quick tug to pull the bottom part of the case away from the top of the case.
Also, some of the edges of the case are sharp, so gloves might be a good idea too.

[rs15]

Are there any bolts inside the case that hold it together?

[gammer]

Yes. There are the larger bolts that are near the crank journals that need to be removed from the inside. You need to remove the oil pan and oil strainer to see them.

[martian]

any idea what the problem is if it is stuck in 2nd gear?

I'm a late comer to this thread (probably too late) but you did check for broken / missing springs in the clutch basket before you split the cases right?

[rs15]

The tapping is going on with one bike. The 2nd gear issue is with my other bike. I have not looked into the 2nd bike yet.

[rs15]

Do i NEED to take the alternator off in order to split the case? I looked at my other lower half of the case and counted 26 bolts need to come out in order to split it. I have all 26 out but i dont have the alternator off and i still cant get it to split.

[gammer]

Alternator does not need to come off to split the cases. The cross shaft needs to come off though...