Rpm related engine noise (new)

Hi new here!
'08 wrx, just hit 17,000km
Bought it at 11,000
Mods done last year:
Ais
Exup chip
Fmf Q4 w/stock header
Fmf programmer setting 3 4 .5 8 6 4
Air door off and uni filter

Ran awesome!! Love this little bike but its always been chattery on the engine noise! Read the forums and apparently to some extent its normal.. Oh well coming back from a long ride last weekend with a passenger.. Noticed a weird clatter/vibration noise that is only present at a very fixed rpm.. Going up.. Compressing down.. And i can hold it with the throttle, bike in neutral not moving.. Also there is a noticable drop in performance.. Doesnt pull as hard mid to top rpm anymore :(

SO! I pulled off the valve cover.. Checked the clearances.. Everything in spec! Decompressor cam working good!

But i noticed the intake cam, at top dead compression, is slightly late! Not in line with exhaust cam marks. I will post pictures up tonight.. And also the tensioner seems to wiggle about 1/8 of an inch or less when i turn the motor over by hand..

Suggestions ? Could the added weight of a passenger over a long ride hurt the motor?

Tensioner wiggles? Sounds like maybe you need a new CCT. Do the cams have any free play (rotational) with the cam chain on there? If I were you, I would probably replace the cam chain AND tensioner.

Not much freeplay and chain seems very tight (at least in between the cams) it gets a tad loose
Depending on position of cams.

The "wiggle" is an in and out movement.. Not
Sure if normal.. I will order a chain and tensioner to be sure but i am unsure about the procedure for setting new tensioner

Repair manual would help me alot

Hope you can see the images...  

https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/18/88/76/84/photo_10.jpg


https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/18/88/76/84/photo_15.jpg


https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/18/88/76/84/photo_16.jpg


https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/18/88/76/84/photo_17.jpg

I haven't had mine open yet, so take this for what it's worth...

It looks like the CCT is pretty far in, which may indicate that your cam chain is stretched. I still think I would replace the cam chain and CCT. Stretched chain could also be reason for slight phase difference in cams.

Search this forum, there is a thread with access to the service manual somewhere. If you can't find it here, I see it pop up on supermotojunkie.com a lot. I have a hard copy of the manual, so I don't have a digital copy to share with you. But if you need any specific information, I can look it up.

Thanks.. I ordered the timing chain.. During my removal of left side cover i noticed a loose allen key bolt, holding skidplate... Feel kinda stupid and over-stressed about noises..but now i think i'll reassemble and check for the noise with that bolt tightend back up. In any case i dont have a puller for the A/C rotor..

But still, judging by my picture, i still believe i need to replace that timing chain, or is that slight difference normal?

Again, I haven't had the WR apart, but I did rebuild my CRF250r not too long ago and I think the timing marks were pretty well aligned, but not dead on perfect. You definitely know if you are off by 1 tooth, though.

Do you have calipers to measure the cam chain? I don't have my manual in front of me, but there may be a specification for cam chain length to see if it is good or not. Did you find a digital copy of the service manual?

Yup got the manual, could not find anything on the chain link specs. Sooo i put it all back together!

Timing was pain!! Found a trick to compress the tensionner just rub it in a left-right motion on a clean rubber surface it goes right in.

Put oil put coolant, started after 2 cranks.
Noise GONE. Washed and dried air filter (was nasty) performance: top.

CHECK FOR LOOSE BOLTS PEOPLE haha

So you figure it really was just a loose bolt holding the skidplate on?

You're in Montreal? I'm just off the West Island in Vaudreuil.

Yup! Both bottom bolts.. Ive allready lost my 2 seat bolts TWICE! Front sprocket bolt came loose at one point even with the punch mark i gave it. Gave it a nice air impact slam. Seems these bike vibrate a lot!

And yes i live in laval just north of montreal! Weather is good, ride on!

Hello guys i own a wr250x 2009 and have a problem. i heard a weird noise in engine on certain revs but i thought it was the front sprocket so I took it to my mechanic. They told me this is a problem that yamaha cross bikes have too(and that this is a industrial problem). This is because some part of engine is not well lubricated and the materials are wearing out. He showed me the cams cap and told me that the side, where the chain comes on, has bearing and the other side doesn’t, and that side should be the problem. They were telling me that they had to cut some materials out (I don't know much about bikes). Also they told me that this is a problem that will never go away, the sound will come back in certain time and they had to repair it again. And that this process can be used only 2-3 times then I will have to buy a new cylinder head. The price of that service will be around 520e( still waiting for correct numbers).
So pls help me, is this really possible? Is this true? Anyone had that problem?

Most 4-stroke engines you see going down the road use that method of supporting the camshafts.
I don't buy the "they all are bound to do that" story.

The cams are pressure-fed oil via the oil pump and supported on plain bearing surfaces, similar to the crankshafts on a 4-cylinder sport bike or your car.

Your guy is thinking of a YZ250F or WR250F, too, as BOTH ends of BOTH your two camshafts use this way of supporting and lubricating the camshafts, not a ball bearing on one side.


Sounds like bunk.

I will try to get a ne mechanic to look at the bike. Sory im bad at English what does mean ''bunk''?

Bullshit.
Crap.
Complete conjecture.
99.99999999999999% likely not to be the case.

I got corect numbers now.
They callculated me: cylinder seal 23,07€, head seal 40,59€, engine seal 20,09€, seal engine cover right 19,57€, seal engine cover left 20,09€, consumables materials + HANDLING tread CYLINDER AND HEAD + Turning (cutting) head 188,52€, OIL filter 3,7€, oil 15,5€, working hours (5,2h) 106,56€. All together is 438,55€ + tax 96,49€ so it is 535,04e
(I had to translate it to English so maybe something makes no sense) So what do you think on that?