Pushrod condition?

[Korben Dallas]

Hello all, after putting up with what sounds like valve train noise, I decided it was excessive and took the plung to adjust them. I got all the covers up and out of the way, and before doing anything I thought I would spin them and see how loose they were. The scoot has been sitting for several days while I put my 2-up gear on. Well, when I twisted them I found that three of the four would turn with no problem. I think this is normal. I also found that two of the three have a sort of wobble to them. Kinda like there may be a slight bow in them. This is my biggest concern, the appearance that the pushrod may be bent, however slightly. When I twist the rod in my fingers, it actually moves the outer cover. I didn't want to spend any time and effort to adjust them if I need to replace them. Is it time for new pushrods? Can this contribute to the clattering I hear going down the road? :willy_nilly:

 

[reloaderbmg]

if thay have bleed down, you might get movment,
drive the bike [get it hot] then check for slack, and see if it still wobbles!

 

[kickstart]

It's probably just Optical Confusion but if your talking about a visable bend in the rod just put a straight edge against it.

 

[mcdoc1969]

Hello all, after putting up with what sounds like valve train noise, I decided it was excessive and took the plung to adjust them. I got all the covers up and out of the way, and before doing anything I thought I would spin them and see how loose they were. The scoot has been sitting for several days while I put my 2-up gear on. Well, when I twisted them I found that three of the four would turn with no problem. I think this is normal. I also found that two of the three have a sort of wobble to them. Kinda like there may be a slight bow in them. This is my biggest concern, the appearance that the pushrod may be bent, however slightly. When I twist the rod in my fingers, it actually moves the outer cover. I didn't want to spend any time and effort to adjust them if I need to replace them. Is it time for new pushrods? Can this contribute to the clattering I hear going down the road? :willy_nilly:

Korben,like reloader stated,run the bike a bit if it has been sitting awhile.the lifters will bleed down & make the pushrods feel loose.the easiest way to check in my experience is:lift both exh.pushrod tube covers and rotate the engine till one pushrod is at the top of its travel (on the lobe of the cam).the opposing pushrod will be at its lowest point in travel(on the heel of the cam).make your checks/adjustment to this pushrod at that point.let the pushrod bleed down till it will spin by hand,then rotate & do the same for the other side.repeat steps for intakes.as for the wobble,i have seen very few absolutely true pushrods,whether it be the ball ends or the tube itself.another way to check them if you take them out is,roll them on a piece of glass or something flat.i dont remember if your bike is an 05,but there is inherent issues with the rear cylinder heads & excessive valve to guide wear/clearance issues.the ticking noise will be very pronounced between 2500 & 3000 RPM's let us know what you find,Anthony

 

[BBChopper]

05 with TP covers? Get used to the noise.

 

[Korben Dallas]

Thanks for the replies, fellas. I guess I could get used to the noise, but I can't help feeling I'm doing damage to the motor. I called S&S tech support and he said there is a tolerance level for the amount of bend in the pushrod. Only problem is in order to measure the bend, you have to remove the rocker boxes to take out the pushrods. If I do that I will go ahead and spend the hundred bucks or so for a new set. I wonder if I should try to get a pair of S&S rocker boxes while I'm at it, and do away with the TP's.