Fazer rattle

[Collier]

 Hi all,

Just bought a 2002 Fazer with 43,000 on the clock.
The bike is in very good condition with paperwork showing yearly servicing for at least the last 7 years.

There is a noticeable rattle which sounds like it's coming from the clutch, although it doesn't disappear when the lever is pulled in. If I increase the revs it remains but seems to become higher pitched. When I put it in gear and pull away it seems to disappear.

I'm worried it could be something major, like the engine is about to die!

Any advice, appreciated.

Cheers
Myles

[darrsi]

More than likely cam chain rattle, which will be coming from the top middle part ofthe engine, quite common with these bikes.
Sometimes it will go away when the bike oil is warmed up, or it could also simply be in betwwen clicks of the cam chain tensioner.
I mainly do quite short runs to work on mine and it took around 7 months for the adjuster to click to the next level.
My chain has been changed though as i found the noise quite irritating.
Although annoying i would be inclined to leave it for a while in case you are between clicks, unless you bought it from a dealer then i would maybe point it out to them.
The chain wears over time and stretches and when at it's worst the tensioner which pushes on a guide to take up the slack can only click notches so far until you get a constant rattle, which is when the cam chain would ideally need replacing.
   

[Collier]

Hi, thanks for the reply. The noise is definately coming from the bottom of the engine. Top end is quiet.

It sounds like it is coming from the clutch but remains with lever pulled in. I've bought a carbtune, so will balance the carbs and see if that makes a difference.

[Collier]

Balanced the carbs and had a really good listen to the rattle with the fuel tank out of the way. Darrsi, it does sound like the cam chain after all, the sound must vibrate throughout the engine, which is why I thought it was coming from the clutch area.

I removed the carbs and pulled out the tensioner, it still had 4 clicks to go. Does this mean the chain is fine for now and doesn't need replacing?

[darrsi]

Balanced the carbs and had a really good listen to the rattle with the fuel tank out of the way. Darrsi, it does sound like the cam chain after all, the sound must vibrate throughout the engine, which is why I thought it was coming from the clutch area.

I removed the carbs and pulled out the tensioner, it still had 4 clicks to go. Does this mean the chain is fine for now and doesn't need replacing?

Don't see why not, i presume the last click would've been calculated as the safe wear limit.


Does the noise go away at all when warm or is it constant?

[anutz]

have a listen to my engine - some links in this thread, i have a cam chain rattle i think right now.....as darssi said most likely tensioner has not "clicked", and in my case i just replaced the tensioner gasket so its even more likely that its not fully clicked and stuck in between...

http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,17258.msg198858.html#msg198858

[darrsi]

4 clicks away, just wait.
I had just started the bike up and was putting my lid on and the bike went silent, i honestly thought there was something majorly wrong, the silence was deafening. 

[anutz]

i look forward to when it clicks - really annoying as when i rebuilt the head it was lovely, but i forget the gasket, so when i put that back in it then sounds rattly.....so just time i suppose....

[darrsi]

Tensioner gasket?
Shouldn't really matter, apart from possible leakages.

[anutz]

yep....it leaked....and oil was pooling under the starter motor, so i needed it, once i installed it, all was fine....

aside from the tensioner now being in limbo...

[darrsi]

Mine leaked 'cos the previous owner had put 4 litres of oil in the bike.

[Collier]

Hi again,

Been running the bike regularly since passing my test 2 or 3 weeks ago.

Bike is running well and pulls nicely, I'm now pretty sure the rattle is coming from the clutch.

Bike is quiet when cold and the rattle appears once warm - I assume this is down to the thinning of the oil when hot, reducing the dampening effect on the clutch plates. If I pull the lever in the low clutch hum disappears but the rattle remains. Sounds like the clutch plates rattling around.

Have had the cover off and the plates are in good shape. Pressure plate bolts are tightened to spec. Clutch seems to function fine, no slipping.

I was thinking of removing the clutch plates after a good run, refitting the cover and starting her up to see if all is quiet. Is this a good idea, would any problems arise?

Cheers
Myles

[His Dudeness]

Have you balanced the carbs?

[Collier]

Hi, yes I've balanced the carbs a couple of times, although it is a struggle to get them very precise as the levels don't stay very steady.

[MARCO69]

new to the site guys,and have just bought my first fazer fzs 1000 on a 03 plate 35k it is my first naked 4 cylinder machine,my question is that when i am slowing down say to stop at a junction,with the clutch lever pulled in and reving the bike i get a low rattle form what appears to be front lower part of the engine,once the bike has nearly stopped free wheeling(in gear clutch in)there is no noise,bloody love the bike but this is very frightening me any help would be very much appricated cheers marco

[darrsi]

new to the site guys,and have just bought my first fazer fzs 1000 on a 03 plate 35k it is my first naked 4 cylinder machine,my question is that when i am slowing down say to stop at a junction,with the clutch lever pulled in and reving the bike i get a low rattle form what appears to be front lower part of the engine,once the bike has nearly stopped free wheeling(in gear clutch in)there is no noise,bloody love the bike but this is very frightening me any help would be very much appricated cheers marco

Hello Marco, ask the question on the FZS 1000 section, it's not that we won't help, it's just that they'll be more familiar with the bike.

[anutz]

just an update, i think my tensioner finally clicked today, no more noises now from the bike, when i start it, no cam chain rattle