squeal in primary, '02 road king

[2000classic]

That is exactly what happens. Gets louder as I go faster, and if I pull in the clutch, the sound does go away, let it out, comes back. Weird thing is it goes away after idling a few blocks. Did yours do that too? Well one thing that is nice is that I'm really getting to know the ins and outs of my road king, and my service manual. I will check those today

No, mine did not seem to be temp. related. Just came and went any old time. I would follow up on BUBBIEs' suggestions about the primary. I still think it may be in the clutch hub/main shaft area.

 

[colnajoe]

I did not have the derby cover off, just tried to measure through the inspection cover, I guess not that accurate huh? I just put in Mobil 1 ATF after I heard the noises. It called for 32 oz so I added a full qt. I had it on my jack stand when I poured it in and it was touching the bottom of the clutch pack. The fluid I drained out was very black and appeared dirty. With the ATF it shifted better, neutral was easy to find and wasn't so clunky into gear, but the noise stayed.

 

[BUBBIE]

The Little inspection cover was and IS thee right place to check and to Adjust the primary chain...

It IS possible that IF the oil has been changed properly and was Darker than usual it might be the TOO LOOSE Chain rubbing off aluminum on the inside of the primary and also making the noise you hear.. When the chain gets warmed then Hot under normal use it will tighten-up and may NOT then be rubbing.

Just My Thoughts here...

signed....BUBBIE

I would NOT use ATF in MY bikes. I do use Redline MTL and or would suggest formula + before automatic transmission oil...

I know Many use it but I won't. JMO

Left out of my above post:

Just My Thoughts here... (I Doubt the primary chain is making the squealing noise)

 

[TQuentin1]

I did not have the derby cover off, just tried to measure through the inspection cover, I guess not that accurate huh? I just put in Mobil 1 ATF after I heard the noises. It called for 32 oz so I added a full qt. I had it on my jack stand when I poured it in and it was touching the bottom of the clutch pack. The fluid I drained out was very black and appeared dirty. With the ATF it shifted better, neutral was easy to find and wasn't so clunky into gear, but the noise stayed.

I agree with Bubbie about not using ATF in the primary (or anywhere else on your bike). There are lots of other choices that will be superior for wet clutch/chaincase applications.

Above, you said the fluid you drained from the primary was "very black and appeared dirty". Did you notice if the fluid smelled "burned"? If you even think if might have, I would suggest opening up the primary and pulling the compensator, chain and clutch basket off so you can remove the rotor. (Remember the clutch nut is reverse threaded).

Check the visual condition of the stator looking for any of the coils that look burnt. Look at the inside of the rotor to see if there are any bits of metal on or between the magnets. Inspect the surfaces of the stator coils to see if they have been gouged by something.

If any of the coils are burnt looking, I would suggest replacing the stator. If the magnets inside the rotor are damaged or have shifted so there is not the same amount of space between them, replace that too. If the magnets seem ok and are evenly spaced, but there is metal debris between or on the magnets, remove that debris.

Let us know what you find.

TQ

 

[BUBBIE]

TQ1,

I can't believe I over looked that as a possible problem.:small3d035:

I Think you are Spot on to the problem.

NOTHING smells like BURNT Stator...

I could even smell mine Before I opened the primary inspection covers...

Even Loose magnets could cause the noise.

Very Good Call on your part... Thanks

Hope for a response to this suggested diagnoses

signed....BUBBIE

 

[colnajoe]

Well BUBBIE, you were not wrong!!! It WAS the Primary drive chain! I followed a video that DSwartz sent me and used the tape measure and my chain was right at 1 inch of slack. I then adjusted the chain tensioner so the slack is in between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Started it up and my girl said "Can I come" so of course I let her. Started rolling down the drive and NO SOUND. Then started cruising down the street, NO SOUND! It is fixed.

Bubbie, I did drop the tensioner, even though I tried to keep it from not doing that......I now know..

TQ, the oil in the primary was dirty, but didn't smell burnt at all. There looks like was a light shade of silver "cloud" floating around in the oil, but that could have just been when it was mixed in the pan with other oil from a earlier change.

Tomorrow I take a peak and my cam tensioners. Picked up a dental mirror yesterday, and I WILL dump the ATF out and put in some formula+ or red line.

Thank you so much for everyone's help, this forum saved me huge time and money, and I got to learn a ton about my stead........

 

[HDDon]

It's this type of thread and these post that bring a smile to everyone. Learning from the other members (even from their mistakes) makes this site what it really is all about. BUBBIE your wealth of knowledge and the help you bring to the membership is duly noted.

 

[Jack Klarich]

It's this type of thread and these post that bring a smile to everyone. Learning from the other members (even from their mistakes) makes this site what it really is all about. BUBBIE your wealth of knowledge and the help you bring to the membership is duly noted.

Indeed Don, back to reading and riding GREAT job ALL:s:rider:ws