It's been a while since I last posted about this ticking noise I had. Everything I did to it to try and fix the rattle, was not really what the problem was. I decided to really dig into my machine. First I pulled the clutch cover and all the clutches, thinking that they might have excessive clearance causing the rattle. But with around 2000 miles, the clearances were perfect and the clutches didn't even have an ounce of wear on the plates. So I installed all new orings and seals and back together again. Still had that tick. I always thought it was weird that the ticking noise was louder at the cylinder area with my stethoscope. So I finally had enough messing with it, and pulled the oil pan and cylinder head off so I could pull a piston and rod out and take a look. Glad I did. Apparently the previous owner must have gotten water into the cylinder and ever so slightly bent the rods. Both upper rod ends were worn on the edges, causing enough play to rattle. If it wasn't for the visible wear, I wouldn't be able to tell that the rods were slightly bent. I can post some pics of what I found. Hopefully yours isn't this, but if it is, the sooner you find out the better. Get a stethoscope out and see where the noise is coming from.
