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Noises from the primary

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dar1271

Member
Ok, so I am new this forum and I have an 07 softail standard. I got this bike a couple months back and have changed all of the fluids. The bike runs great, but I have some questions about the noisy primary. I have changed the fluids in the primary twice. the first time I put synthetic 20w50 and it was still loud, so I decided to try Redline Shockproof. I think it is slightly quieter, but still pretty loud, especially after the bike warms up.

So, the primary kind of sounds like a sewing machine when it is still warming up, but then it gets progressively louder when it is warmed up. sometimes, the sounds is pretty pronounced when I am coming to a stop and downshifting. I have also noticed that it is a little louder in 3rd than 4th, not sure if that means anything. On top of that, if I really get on the throttle I get a kind of high pitched noise from the primary have no idea why that is?

I am not sure if I am overreacting to the sounds or if I am noticing something that may be failing? As I stated, the bike runs just fine, but I am not certain what to about what I am hearing.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks.!
 
dar1271 said:
if I really get on the throttle I get a kind of high pitched noise from the primary have no idea why that is?
Click to expand...

DO NOT RUN THE BIKE ANY MORE UNTIL YOU HAVE ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM DISCUSSED BELOW!!

What I am worried about is that the compensator nut is loose and has started backing out of the compensator. When this gets bad enough, it will let the rotor wallow around enough to jam on the stator. When that happens, the drive shaft will shear out the dogs in the rotor and sling them around the Primary. It will likely crater the stator.

So open up the Primary and check that the compensator nut is tight. Also check that the chain tensioner is set at the correct slack take up.

If all that is OK, inspect the clutch friction discs for broken ones that may be making noise.

Let us know what you find.

TQ
 
A whine from the primary would tend to indicate the chain is too tight but as TQ said open up and inspect

Brian
 
I had the same symptoms in my Fatboy. adjusted primary chain to 5/8 slack and adjusted compensator nut to 75 Ft Lbs, promblem solved.
 
Ok... I am going to open up the primary tonight and will check it out. Thanks for all the info and will get back with my findings!
 
dar1271 said:
Ok... I am going to open up the primary tonight and will check it out. Thanks for all the info and will get back with my findings!
Click to expand...
If you find that the compensator nut is loose, do not just tighten it, or it will likely loosen again. You should follow procedures in your service manual, up to the place where the compensator nut is removed. Then, clean out the threads on the compensator nut, and where it goes, and apply some fresh red locktite. Any oil residue will inhibit the locktite from locking.

Good luck,
Rich P
 
Ok, so I opened up the primary last night. I checked the compensator nut and it was tight. Nothing loose there. I checked the chain tensioner and it was working as expected. There was some play in the chain when I would press down on the compensator, so the chain tension was fine. There was nothing loose at all in the primary, so I put it back together and will torque everything to spec and then fill with fluids.

I am not having any problems with my clutch, but I will adjust that prior to finishing up with the primary.

Unless anyone has any other ideas, I am going to button this thing up tonight.
 
This was the second fluid change in the primary in just a month so there were no metal filings. The first time around there were a few real small filings, nothing real alarming.
 
The Tank said:
Redline Shockproof is a Gear Lube and should not be used in the primary. It will cause the clutch to slip. It is not JASO MA2 certified for use in a wet clutch. The high pitch noise might be your clutch slipping.
Click to expand...

Words of wisdom. Shockproof is for the tranny, not the primary. Stock clutch or aftermarket?
 
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