Where did That rattle come from?

[cushman eagle]

I rode the VXII to a grandsons baseball game Wednesday evening,and a rattle showed up whenever I had a light load on the engine below 2500 rpm.
No noise idling,or above 2500
It sounded like it was occurring with every power stroke(twice per revolution)
I have had that symptom on a tractor already that had a loose clutch disc,so this am I took the clutch apart,perfect,the discs were well within specs,even with 80500 miles on them.
I spent 3 1/2 hours mowing my lawn and thinking about it.
Is it possible the chain tensioner for the starter/alternator failed,so I pulled the alternator to see if the driver could be rotated indicating a loose chain .
I found the bolt holding the drive hub on the alternator came loose.
A no cost fix is something I like.

[cranky]

.. I'm impressed!! Great on Ya!!!

[ekap1200]

Hello Loren, do you remember back when Tony took his alt out for new brush rpl.. I got so concerned about that and with another 40k more on my bike I pulled mine out........ Turned out I had same issue. Not a drop of loctite on that hub bolt , I didn't need to rpl the brush's but glad I pulled the alt out.
Gene

[Mr Jensee]

Cushman does that bike have a steel accessory guard on the front fender?

[cushman eagle]

Cushman does that bike have a steel accessory guard on the front fender?

No,Mr.Jensee,it does not.
How are things going for you now? I sure am glad you are still on the AVA

[cushman eagle]

Hello Loren, do you remember back when Tony took his alt out for new brush rpl.. I got so concerned about that and with another 40k more on my bike I pulled mine out........ Turned out I had same issue. Not a drop of loctite on that hub bolt , I didn't need to rpl the brush's but glad I pulled the alt out.
Gene

Gene my bolt did not have any loctite on when I removed it.But it does now

[Mr Jensee]

Cushman: :The reason I asked was that I had a rattle on the front end of the bike that only happened when rolling. I figured out that one of the mounting points, the left side of that bracket broke and rattled loose. You had to look hard to see it but it was there. I was worried for a while that the rattle was in the fairing itself.

As for me I am doing ok. I am trying to list the bike somewhere but I need to take current pictures of it. That means backing it out of the garage and for now I am not up to it. I cut my grass yesterday. I have an electric push mower. I used to cut the front and back in about 45 minutes. Yesterday it took just under 2 hours. Between me being so out of shape my low back muscles began hurting me and my feet were really hurting. The neuropathy has affected them to the point it feels like the bottoms of them have rock bruises. But I can say I did it and also weed whacked it as well. Good thing I did because we had a storm this morning from hell that left a lot of large branches in both the front and the back. I will have to get them up because next weekend I have to go into the hospital again to have my parathyroid removed. I will have to be in there a week on a calcium drip. No fun having your throat cut and having to struggle to eat hospital food. Other than that I am fine.

[OldDC]

Hello Gents,

I am shiny new here. Intersting post. I purchased a 2003 Voyager xii in June (45000 miles) knowing I had that "rattling noise" on the left side where the alternator is. I was told by a kawasaki mechanic that the low 2000-2500 rpm rattle upon releasing the clutch is a starter chain noise as a result of the bike being started with a low battery. I was planning to get it repaired this winter.......BUT let me check that alternator hub bolt first! Could it be an easy fix?

DC

[cushman eagle]

High,OldDC,Welcome to the AVA Forum. You obviously have found that there is a lot of friendly advice on this forum.
I hope your repair is as easy as mine was.
I now have 90,000 on the bike ,and the rattle never came back

[Barry]

Hello Gents,

I was told by a kawasaki mechanic that the low 2000-2500 rpm rattle upon releasing the clutch is a starter chain noise as a result of the bike being started with a low battery. I was planning to get it repaired this winter.......BUT let me check that alternator hub bolt first! Could it be an easy fix?

DC

The only vxii's that have had starter chain issues that I'm aware of are the 86-87 models. They would break if trying to start with a low battery! From 88 on they are totally redesigned with double the strength.

Welcome to the forum! Lots of helpful people here. Let us know what you find.

[chicagorandy]

OK, I'm a dunderhead, but exactly which bolt is under discussion? Here's the parts drawing for the alternator:

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawas ... -regulator

Thanks in advance for making it geezer simple - lol

[cushman eagle]

It is key `112 listed as Bolt-Upset 6/16
number 112 GO 616 for $ 0.86

[OldDC]

Hello gents,

This is amazing information and a great starting point to do a diagnosis. I went for another ride tonight and the sweet spot for the rattle is 1500 rpm during acceleration....and then it is gone! The rattle is coming from the LEFT alternator side right on cue at 1500rpm....only on acceleration at 1500rpm..starter chain or loose bolt? Bike accelerates and works great....a hoot to ride! My "old school" Kawasaki mechanic has replaced 20 starter chains on the 1986 bikes when he had his own shop...but maybe he is wrong?..BUT as someone mentioned previously in the post, the 2003's did NOT have the starter chain issue like the '86 bikes and were make stronger.... Cushmaneagle gave a great parts diagram to look for the source of the problem. I watched a few Youtube videos with the "alternater rattle" noise in a few kz bikes at idle and read a few blogs with the same issues in kawasaki engines....and low and behold it could be that bolt being loose. A great place to start........How difficult can it be to remove the alternator and check that bolt? I will eventually give you all a follow-up on this rattle noise......

thanks gents, MrOLDDC

[GrandpaDenny]

1500 rpm is pretty low to be hitting the gas for hard acceleration. Might just be lugging it. Try keeping it above 2000 rpm and see how that works. Bet she'll be much happier, and you won't hear the rattle anymore.

[OldDC]

Here is a video of the the low rpm rattle on the left side of the engine? What is this low rpm rattle noise upon releasing my clutch? An old school Kawasaki mechanic told me it was the starter chain......give me your thoughts.....check out the 34s Youtube video below.....the bike runs perfect less this rattle!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R36cBOBTzxM

thnaks OldDC

[cushman eagle]

Yes,OldDC,That is what my '99 sounded like with the loose alternator drive spider bolt.
An easy fix,and locktite is made to prevent that from happening again!
Let us know what you find.

[OldDC]

Thank you Cushman Eagle,

This is amazing and I think that you surmised your similar noise issue and repair in a previous post with the loose alternator bolt? Is it as easy as removing the alternator and securing the bolt with locktite? Can I do it myself? Simply remove the alternator on the left side and secure the bolt? Did your bike make the exact some noise upon releasing the clutch? It make sense since the alternator would turn faster with an increase in RPM's upon releasing the clutch? I do have the Voyager repair manual so it cannot be too difficult?....I just have to give it a go! I will check it out and get back to you.....thank you!

regards OldDC

[OldDC]

Hello Cushmaneagle and Voyager owners,

This post is a long time coming. I found a mechanic that replaced my fork seals and also pulled off the alternator. And there it was!! My alternator retaining bolt was broken in half! The bolt nut piece was spinning making the rattle at higher rpm (1500-1800) while the other half was still in the threads of the alternator. The rattle is gone! My 2003 Voyager sounds like a KZ bike on the the police show CHiPs! Just purrs! Unbelievable! I am elated!

regards OldDC

[SgtSlag]

Congrats! I'd suggest buying your mechanic a restaurant gift card, to show your appreciation for the wonderful work they did for you. You will be amazed at how much impact such an act of thanks can have on your mechanic. A $40-$50 Gift Card will buy them, and their special partner, a nice meal and a beverage. A good bike mechanic, who is willing to work on older bikes, is hard to find -- at least for me!

I've bought the staff at my favorite small shop, gift cards in the past, to say, "Thank You!", and they were blown away. If they treat you right, be sure to return the favor. Cheers!