Compensator question 93 FXR

[chairmaster]

Could a failing compensator make a very faint high-pitched "tink" noise (sounds a little like pinging, only fainter)?
How do I know if the compensator is going bad?

Bike is a '93 FXRS-SP, stock 80" engine, EV27, and approx 100K miles. Top end/lifters were refreshed less than 10K miles ago.

I've been trying to track down a very faint noise for years. Bike runs very good. Since the noise wasn't getting any worse and was intermittent, I wasn't too concerned. Seems the noise is getting a little louder recently. Noise happens at highway speed while on the throttle.

I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkGQrTt_cRY
When the man is showing the evo compensator, he clinks the ramps together. That is very close to the sound I am hearing.

[Burnout]

If you look hard enough you will find something wrong.
If you haven't taken it apart to inspect the compensator, it cannot be diagnosed remotely.
But if the compensator passes inspection, there is nothing wrong with it.
It is much more common for the compensator to be loose which should be addressed immediately.
Because the compensator retaining bolt is what holds together the double tapered bearing that supports the crank.
If you run that loose you could eventually disassemble the crank while running and damage the cases as well.
At the very least this will cause the alternator rotor splines to strip out, usually damaging the sprocket shaft splines.

[thumper 823]

You have options-
After many compensators ......
I am a firm believer in throwing them all in the trash and just installing a sprocket.

Yea some will argue the crank will fall apart.
I have not busted one yet.

This year I went to BDL belt drive as I wanted to get rid of more slinging weight, so that is another option beside very expensive compensators.

DONT BUY A CHINESE ONE as it will not go very far if your religion makes you get another comp (if that is what is wrong)

I have had them squeal, clank, and clunk as far as failure noises.

[chairmaster]

Appreciate the responses. I finally found what was making the noise. I always thought the noise was coming from the left side. Noise was very faint. Turned out to be the shouldered bolt that holds the timing plate had broken in two inside the nose cone . The noise was the large diameter part of the bolt touching the spinning timing cup. The other end of the bolt was still threaded into the cam cover. Thankfully, wasn't very hard to remove the threads from the cover.

Is it SOP to hold every thing together (outer timing cover, inner plate, gasket) with only the small bolts that go into the outer timing cover? Trying to figure out why the shouldered bolt broke in two.

I remember on my old XL that I bolted the inner plate to the shouldered bolts and tapped the inner plate to mount the outer plate. However, that puts the outer bolts vertical instead of horizontal.

[jsachs1]

The stock compensators, for me, have never given me any trouble, and I've had, and still have 1 on my 95 FLHR at 148 hp, and 149 torque. Solid motor sprockets on a rubber mount don't play well IMO.
John

[Hillside Motorcycle]

Could a failing compensator make a very faint high-pitched "tink" noise (sounds a little like pinging, only fainter)?
How do I know if the compensator is going bad?

Bike is a '93 FXRS-SP, stock 80" engine, EV27, and approx 100K miles. Top end/lifters were refreshed less than 10K miles ago.

I've been trying to track down a very faint noise for years. Bike runs very good. Since the noise wasn't getting any worse and was intermittent, I wasn't too concerned. Seems the noise is getting a little louder recently. Noise happens at highway speed while on the throttle.

I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkGQrTt_cRY
When the man is showing the evo compensator, he clinks the ramps together. That is very close to the sound I am hearing.

We've never witnessed any shortcomings from those year comp sprockets.

[JW113]

Until HD changed from the shovelhead/evo/early TC type of compensator, I've never heard of one going bad. It's the '06(?) and later that are the problem.

-JW

[Deye76]

Until HD changed from the shovelhead/evo/early TC type of compensator, I've never heard of one going bad. It's the '06(?) and later that are the problem.

-JW