[Antnyb]

Hey everybody, today I heard a high pitched whine coming from the engine of my '98 electraglide. This is an evo motor with carb. It's stock and the noise doesn't present any performance issues. The noise seems to be from the upper part of the motor. There is no smoke. At first I thought it was the speedo but when stopped the noise continues. It changes with the rpm's. Right now it is only annoying but I'm sure something is about to let go. (most likely when I'm going 80+ on the turnpike) Any suggestions? Ant!

[Hambone]

I got a 1995 FLHTC I also had a noise, My problem after multiple trips to the shop and lots of dough was the rocker cover and the spacer were warped. I could feel the air coming out from around the cover at the top of my motor. put new covers and spacers problem solved Good luck

[hotroadking]

Sounds travel on Glides and bikes with windshields especially so at Speed as sounds bounce around from the engine to the faring to your ears at 70 MPH or even at a light...

I would suggest you pop in to a local auto parts store and pick up a cheap mechanics stethoscope under $20...

Then with it running in the drive, you can move the stethoscope around and listen for that sound, it's going to let you isolate internal sounds that the exhaust and other moving parts mask...

Things that can make odd noises sometimes are not even internal engine parts, exhaust covers, loose floorboards, etc

If you don't want to do that then get someone to help you isolate the noise so you know where to go next

Rockers
Primary
Trans
Cam chest
Etc

It isn't always where you think it will be....

[cowboy]

yep do as HRK said & try to locate the noise just put it on a jack & listen away , pop a cool one afterwords

[Antnyb]

Originally Posted by Antnyb

Hey everybody, today I heard a high pitched whine coming from the engine of my '98 electraglide. This is an evo motor with carb. It's stock and the noise doesn't present any performance issues. The noise seems to be from the upper part of the motor. There is no smoke. At first I thought it was the speedo but when stopped the noise continues. It changes with the rpm's. Right now it is only annoying but I'm sure something is about to let go. (most likely when I'm going 80+ on the turnpike) Any suggestions? Ant!

First, thank you to all who replied. I have put a little over 2K miles on since the noise began. As predicted something has let go. Riding at work last Friday I rode to Queens, NY and noticed at a light that my oil pressure was 0.0! Now in the summer heat it will drop but never that low. Anyway, when I got to the job I checked the oil and found it off the stick. I noticed a drop of oil from the cover on the bottom of the cam cover where that generator wire exits. Also my pipe had a coating of oil mist. I replaced the oil and limped home. My oil pressure at idle was non-existent but would rise on revs. I haven't opened it up yet and am trying to determine if my oil pump and/or related gears are shot. If anyone has had a similar problem feel free to make suggestions. Ant.

[hotroadking]

It's certainly possible the oil pump is or has taken a dump,

you should have noticed the bike had way less power as if the tank is low and there's not a puddle of oil under it then the oils sumped into the engine...

Sounds like you need to pull the pipes and the cam cover see how much oil is in there and inspect for broken or failed parts.

[Antnyb]

Originally Posted by Antnyb

First, thank you to all who replied. I have put a little over 2K miles on since the noise began. As predicted something has let go. Riding at work last Friday I rode to Queens, NY and noticed at a light that my oil pressure was 0.0! Now in the summer heat it will drop but never that low. Anyway, when I got to the job I checked the oil and found it off the stick. I noticed a drop of oil from the cover on the bottom of the cam cover where that generator wire exits. Also my pipe had a coating of oil mist. I replaced the oil and limped home. My oil pressure at idle was non-existent but would rise on revs. I haven't opened it up yet and am trying to determine if my oil pump and/or related gears are shot. If anyone has had a similar problem feel free to make suggestions. Ant.

Well the noise has finally revealed itself! I began to open some covers looking for the culprit. By the time I got home from Queens on the last day out my clutch began acting up to add insult to injury. For some reason it wouldn't completely disengage. I had trouble getting into neutral and the bike was trying to roll if kept in gear with the clutch pulled in, another first! Anyway today I started with the derby cover hoping to find a simple adjustment or bad pressure plate at the worst. I was rewarded with a floor full of engine oil. Yes, it seems all my engine oil has found its way into my primary. Now i'm no expert but my guess is this has something to do with my crank. Either warped flywheels and /or shaft bearings and seals. Either way this can't be good and will most likely require engine removal and tear down to split the cases. It would probably be more cost effective to look into the Harley engine exchange deal. I'm not equipped to do this work and at today's labor rates this may work out better. Either way I'll be down for the count for some time!