Help! Engine noise

[Rushnar]

I just bought an 88 voYager with 55k..I'm hearing an engine noise that sounds like more than a tick..more like a quiet knock..I just changed oil with rotela 15w40..3 quarts 22 ounces..I drained 4 quarts out..the noise is always there .cold or hot..I hear it most at idle or cruising at low rpm..at higher rpm listening to it whIle parked its still there but engine reving higher makes it less noticeable..I listened with a,screw driver..seems to be coming from lower part of motor..could this be a dry lifter?..should I worry about it?..I'm praying it's not a rod knock..thanks in advance.

[cushman eagle]

A misfire can produce a sound like a knock ,as the lash in the drive train takes up the uneven loading.Can you tell if the engine is firing on all four cylinders?.Do you have an infrared thermometer you can aim at each headpipe and see if they are all about the same temperature?

[Rushnar]

No I don't have one .doesn't seem to have a misfire..motor sounds even..responsive..pulls very hard..and it was just at my mechanics shop..but I didn't notice noise till after I got it back..I'm not sure if it was there from when I got it or not..plus it does it at idle so I don't think it's a miss causing drive line noise..it comes from the motor.

[triton28]

the Hydraulic Lash Adjusters, (lifters), are located in the cylinder head as outlined in Red/Black in the photo.

Generally lash adjusters will tap if not holding pressure. Valve trains without HLAs will tick when too much clearance is present between the rocker arm adjuster/locknut and the valve stem top. Shim systems I can't comment on for noises.
Roller/ball bearings are usually a continuous growl sound.
Loose pistons can be a rattle sound.
Journal inserts, either crankshaft or connecting rod, can be a rhythmic knock.
BUT, not being able to hear this noise, it is impossible to accurately tell what it is.
No disrespect intended but sometimes a new acquisition does have it's own quirks and noises one is not used to.
All motors do have some noises but if you are convinced that it requires some further diagnosis I would recommend you contact Mr. Carl Leo at voyagerparts@bellsouth.net
He is one of the most knowledgeable persons who could help you. Perhaps you can check the noise against another Voyager XII.
Sorry about not being much help but good luck,
Dave

[Bulrid8]

Mine was a little noisy when I got it. I took out 10oz of oil and replaced it with 10oz of marvel mystery oil. Quieted down a lot. Some noise is going to be there in any engine. Ever heard them crappy HD's! They sound terrible.

[ekap1200]

No I don't have one .doesn't seem to have a misfire..motor sounds even..responsive..pulls very hard..and it was just at my mechanics shop..but I didn't notice noise till after I got it back..I'm not sure if it was there from when I got it or not..plus it does it at idle so I don't think it's a miss causing drive line noise..it comes from the motor.

Hello from N.J. . your first post says you just changed the oil , ( 3qt's 22 oz's )
So my question is what did you take it to your mechanic for ?
Is he familiar with the voyager ? Many are not , and many won't even take the voyager into the shop as the younger mechanics have little or no knowledge of them.
And did you drain the oil, from both drain plugs ?
Seems strange you did not notice a noise until it went to your mechanics, If you hear it now you should have noticed it before... I would give him a call and make sure he did not look at the sight glass and add oil , thinking it was low, or is it a loose high tension wire to one of the spark plugs. We don't know what he did or looked at or adjusted, just a thought...
Is there anyone close to you in the AVA that you can reach out too and ask for a second opinion after they hear the engine. Not much we can do not being able to hear your noise, or take it for a test ride.
I have just one other question, when you say you hear it cruising at a low rpm , just what rpm is that ?
Gene K.

[cranky]

And did you drain the oil, from both drain plugs ?

... old and lazy, took mine in... they forgot the front drain... sigh.. cost
me another complete oil change!!!!!

[Rushnar]

Thanks everyone. .good news!..I took it to my mechanic who has rebuilt countless motors for the track and street..he said it was cam chain noise. He said it's very common with kawasakis..he said no worries just ride it..I'm so relieved. .

[ekap1200]

Keep up on your oil changes , and use some sea-foam in the crank-case right before you change it out. get the engine up to temp,out on the road and let that oil/sea-foam run for a half hour ride or so them, dump it and use some good oil... the adjuster could be gummed up a bit and not self-adjusting .
Ride it , put some miles on it. Do a good two hundred mile day with clean hot oil washing things out. Enjoy it , its a big engine your sitting on , has to make noise , there is allot going on there. It may some time quiet out a bit one morning starting up.

[SgtSlag]

Make certain the oil is the correct viscosity, as well... I ran Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic in mine, for a while. It is 5W40, I believe. The bike calls for 10W-40: it started to get noisy, so I switched back to 15W-40 T (replaced by T4), and it quieted down, considerably.

The SeaFoam ekap1200 suggested, is really top notch stuff. Use it once, in the crankcase. That is all you will ever need, with modern oils (API SH+), as the newer oils are very high in detergents, plus they do not break down, creating sludge, like the earlier oils (API SG and earlier, were terrible at forming sludge in the engine...).

If you put SeaFoam in an engine's crankcase, and the oil darkens within a few minutes, to 100 miles, change the oil and filter, immediately, as this indicates dissolved sludge is now in your oil, having been removed from the engine/transmission.

Did this on a '79 Honda 750, with 12,000 miles on it, in 2008; I used modern oils, SM+, but in 1979, they only had SG oils... Idled, on the center stand, for five minutes, shifting through all five gears, shutting it off when the oil reached 180 F, minimal operating temperature where it will suspend crud in it. Oil went from caramel colored, to coal black, that fast, five minutes... After 3,000 hard miles, in bad weather, bike overloaded for every mile, repeated the process: oil never changed color; rode it 300 miles, without a color change. Changed the oil/filter, just to be safe, as SeaFoam will thin the oil, slightly. Cheers!