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Gear whine after cam replacement

Z

Z-Man

Member
98 Evo 1340

Due to lifter failure, I replaced my old VThunder EVL-3020 cam with a new one (same part number) because I was pleased with the grind. I re-used the cam gear from the original 3020 so I didn't bother to pay close attention to the clearance between the pinion and cam gear upon re-assembly. I now have fairly substantial gear whine but had none before replacing the cam. I *suspect* this is due to differences between the centerline of the original outer cam bushing and the new one I had installed by a reputable local indie.

My question: Is cam gear whine something I need to worry about, or can I just leave it be without fear of serious repurcussions? The noise isn't bothersome.

Thanks!
 
By their very nature, Spur (straight cut) gears whine. They are more efficient (h.p. xfer) than Helical, but Helical is quieter. If they were Helical cut and they whined, I would say you definitely should look into it.

What I would do is ride the bike for may 3-4 hundred miles and drain the oil. Inspect the drain plug magnet closely. If all looks good, I would say your OK. I may even take it 1 step further and cut open the oil filter. Lets face it, if anything was wrong and you wanted to catch it early, that would be the place to look.

Others may chime in with experience on this exact problem. I am just going by experience with cages.
 
Good reply Hoople. I know some cage drivers like the sound of the gear whine they get when switching to a gear drive camshaft. I wouldn't be concerned had my bike made this sound prior to the cam change, but it didn't. New noises scare me... so do clowns but that's another thread on another forum.

Took it to a reputable local indie (Slabsides in Campbell, CA... thanks Bruce) and just said "wanted to have you give a listen to my valve train and tell me what you think." he didn't even notice the whine, and once I pointed it out he said it was fine. Without a lot of experience, it's just hard to know what's too much noise and what's not.

Thanks for your help.
 
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