Chain rattling problem

[Chris59]

About 500 miles ago I bought and had fitted a brand new chain, front and rear sprokets, and it was all running perfect, no noise at all.
Just recently the chain has started rattling, making a clanking noise like its hitting something on the way round, i put it on its stand and stuck it in 1st gear, and it seems its coming from near the front sproket, has anyone any ideas?
Ive tried adjusting the chain many times, but no luck =(

[Thorn]

Try removing the front sprocket cover and ensuring the front sprocket nut is still there !!  :eek

[Chris59]

Yeah i had a look
Its still there
Im all out of ideas, because its making the same noise my old rusty chain did before it got replaced, but this ones brand new!

[red98]

could be chain tension  ...is the chain hitting the underside of the swinging arm at the front ?

[darrsi]

Have you been lubing the chain?
500 miles in crappy, rainy weather with added salt from the roads can cause a sticky link in a chain if it's not looked after, or if it's left sitting still for periods of time.


The other thing to check is rear wheel alignment, if it's slightly not straight that will cause lumpiness in the chain as well as it tries to correct itself.
Check it again and make sure the rear axle nut is correctly torqued up and the adjusters are done up properly.

[Chris59]

I use it for work and my hours are unpredictable, so it could be sat in the garden for up to 5 days doing nothing, but its the only place i can put it, wish i had a garage or some form of shelter =(
That was my initial thought the links could be a bit dodgy, but if it was a certain link wouldnt it have a set rhythm, it would clang at the same point each time it goes round?
With the noises im hearing it doesnt, its just random, i could run round 2 times without nothing then clang 3 times on one rotation, so it still leaves me clueless, gonna take it to my local garage on monday if i havnt figured it out by then =/

[Lez72]

I apologise if i have missed something but before you take it to a garage and have them charge you money for something you can probably fix yourself try these simple steps. Some have been mentioned above.

It could well be decent weather tomorrow (Sunday), so if you have time (i mention the weather because you say you keep the bike out in the garden and nobody wants to work on a bike in the pouring rain or freezing cold), go out into the garden and give the chain a jolly good soaking of something llike GT85, WD40 etc or better still a proper chain cleaner. Let the fluid penetrate the chain and get a clean rag and wipe off any excess. Do this a few times. Not only does this clean the chain but it allows you to feel any stiff links it may have. Loosen the rear wheel, recheck the adjustments and retighten. Taking the front sprocket cover off and physically checking the tightness and condition of the front sprocket would be adviseable. Also give the sprocket cover a good clean whilst its off as no doubt it will be full of crud. When adjusting the chain, make sure that when you push upwards on it, it can just touch on the underside of the rubber chain guide towards the front of the swingarm.
Once you are happy with the adjustments give the chain a good lubing. I personally just use GT85 as a lube and find it keeps everything in check but this is all just from my own experience.

Good Luck 

[Chris59]

Cheers ill give it a try and see what happens, gonna order some of that stuff now

[Lez72]

Cheers ill give it a try and see what happens, gonna order some of that stuff now

Well i can say that GT85 is really good stuff. I find it alot better tan WD40 for general use. I also use it to clean all around the engine. It obviously burns off as the engine heats up but it does leave an anti corosive coating on there too and makes cleaning easier the more you use it. If you buy it in bulk from Ebay it works out at least half the price of most shop prices. I think i paid about £14 for 6 cans of the stuff about 6 months ago. It almost goes without saying but make sure you don't get any on brake components or tyres.

For future reference its also best to clean and lube the chain when you get back from a ride and the chain has heat built up in it. The lube sticks better as the chain cools down rather than just spraying it on an already cold chain. When sprayed on a cold chain, most of the lube flies off after the first coouple of miles on your next ride out.

P.S. ACF50 is also great for general cleaning but is about £15 a can so i only use that for my winter 'Deep Clean'.

[Jamieg285]

My chain started to do this yesterday  :'(


I've got a scottolier, but it didn't look like it was supplying enough oil.  The inner section was oiled, but I don't think enough, so I've turned it up.


The weather has been taking it's toll on the outer links, which are quite rusty, so I also gave it a good treatment of WD-40. Seemed to help a bit, but the clank still hasn't gone away.


I need to look into it more, but I am noticing tight spots when I try rotating the wheel by hand.  Not sure if it's the chain or brakes that are causing it, so I'm going to do some more oiling and drop the caliper off and see what's what (and check under the sprocket cover).


I report back, and ask you to do the same if you work out your cause.

[darrsi]

My chain started to do this yesterday  :'(


I've got a scottolier, but it didn't look like it was supplying enough oil.  The inner section was oiled, but I don't think enough, so I've turned it up.


The weather has been taking it's toll on the outer links, which are quite rusty, so I also gave it a good treatment of WD-40. Seemed to help a bit, but the clank still hasn't gone away.


I need to look into it more, but I am noticing tight spots when I try rotating the wheel by hand.  Not sure if it's the chain or brakes that are causing it, so I'm going to do some more oiling and drop the caliper off and see what's what (and check under the sprocket cover).


I report back, and ask you to do the same if you work out your cause.

You can normally spot a tight link just by slowly rotating the wheel and looking at the lower chain.
A tight link will always sit at a slight angle, compared to good links that remain horizontal, so they actually stand out.
If one looks suspect then get a pair of pliers and see if it moves freely, you'll soon know if it isn't moving properly.

[Jamieg285]

I've not noticed any stiff links. Does it matter which way you rotate the wheel?


I opened up the scottoiler to full and ran it on the stand for a few minutes at lunchtime, got plenty of oil out of it.  Things freed up a bit, but I've found that there's more resistance when turning the wheel forward than when turning it backward.  I don't think it's the brake dragging now, but will still drop the caliper and try again.

[darrsi]

I've not noticed any stiff links. Does it matter which way you rotate the wheel?


I opened up the scottoiler to full and ran it on the stand for a few minutes at lunchtime, got plenty of oil out of it.  Things freed up a bit, but I've found that there's more resistance when turning the wheel forward than when turning it backward.  I don't think it's the brake dragging now, but will still drop the caliper and try again.

Putting more oil on an already seized link is highly unlikely to free it up, once the damage is done they become very stubborn and are difficult to get right again even if you get physical with it, unless you catch it early enough.
When i had a dodgy link on mine if you rotate the wheel forwards then the link would be at an angle, the left part lower, aiming up to the right.
If you have tight spots then it sounds like a worn chain anyway to be honest, unless it's misaligned, that causes a crunchie feeling/noise.
If not, it's a new chain, sprockets, and modded front nut i reckon.
D'ya have any idea when it was last changed or mileage?
Mind you, with all the salt about if it hasn't been oiled correctly it can ruin a chain in no time.

[darrsi]

The front sprocket is obviously a lot smaller than the rear, so if there's a tight link it has a smaller turning point on the front and will struggle much more than the wider curve of the rear sprocket.
If it's seized in the wrong position that's what causes the lumpy feeling as it's trying to turn on the smaller/tighter curve.
The initial trick is to lube the chain much more than you think is necessary in crappy weather, which in the UK is all the time!  :'(