Please Help 2018 Crf450r valve tick??

hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 11/25/2021 9:39pm
11/25/2021 9:39pm Edited Date/Time 11/25/2021 9:43pm
Dillon__Taylor1992 wrote:
I just bought a new 2018 Crf450r. I brought it home and did a 1 hour break in split into 3 heat cycles like I always...
I just bought a new 2018 Crf450r. I brought it home and did a 1 hour break in split into 3 heat cycles like I always do. Toward the end of break in it started making a noise what sounded to me like a valve tick only on deceleration. I brought it in and did my first oil and filter change and checked the valves. I got 0.010 on both exhaust valves. 0.006 and 0.005 on the intake valves. That's in spec according to the owners manual. I took it out again after oil change and valve check and got on the throttle pretty hard a couple times and it got worse. It is a little louder of a tick now and I can now hear the tick at idle, accelerating and decelerating. Can someone please help me I'm sorry this is so long but I needed to explain the whole situation. I posted on thumper talk and no help yet. I've never had a brand new bike give me problems before but this is my first honda.
Honda11e wrote:
I have a 2018 CRF 450r, bought it brand new, I put 27hrs on it. It had the same awful ticking noise as your bike.I replaced...
I have a 2018 CRF 450r, bought it brand new, I put 27hrs on it. It had the same awful ticking noise as your bike.I replaced the complete motor...new bottom end and bearings, new piston and complete valve assembly replacement. Still ticked like crazy...I even took it to the dealership, they couldn't find anything wrong. Soooo, upon even further investigation, I found that the left exhaust rocker arm bearing roller (the roller that rides on the cam lobes) had excessive play in it. I replaced both exhaust rocker arms and the shaft and the ticking noise went away. After a complete motor rebuild and many hours of trying to figure this out, it turned out to be the rocker arm bearing. This was driving me nuts as I raced the bike and wasn't feeling 100% doing big jumps and stuff for fear of the motor locking up in mid air. Hope this helps.
Wow, that’s crazy man. I’ll have to check that out. Is it difficult to replace or pretty easy? Did you take any pictures? My bike ticks pretty damn loud. I would love to make it go away if possible.
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 11/25/2021 10:01pm
11/25/2021 10:01pm
Is this what you replaced?
motoracer58 11/26/2021 8:08am
11/26/2021 8:08am Edited Date/Time 11/26/2021 8:09am
he would be talking about #6 and #7 in that diagram. I brought this issue up on the first page a while back. Pretty common issue on these motors. If you have a 17-18, order rockers for a 19, they made a silent update to them. I still replace them every top end on the race engines though
Honda11e
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Honda11e 11/26/2021 9:07am
11/26/2021 9:07am
motoracer58 wrote:
he would be talking about #6 and #7 in that diagram. I brought this issue up on the first page a while back. Pretty common issue...
he would be talking about #6 and #7 in that diagram. I brought this issue up on the first page a while back. Pretty common issue on these motors. If you have a 17-18, order rockers for a 19, they made a silent update to them. I still replace them every top end on the race engines though
Yes, replace both exhaust lifters, I also replaced the rocker arm shaft (what you have circled) being that there may have been some slop due to the rocker arm valve lashing. Although I didn't replace with the 2019 model rocker arms. (Which is a great idea)But I did sell the bike to my buddy and we ride together and still no issues with the bike. I replaced the 2018 with a 2020 works edition!!!

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Honda11e
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Honda11e 11/26/2021 9:08am
11/26/2021 9:08am
motoracer58 wrote:
he would be talking about #6 and #7 in that diagram. I brought this issue up on the first page a while back. Pretty common issue...
he would be talking about #6 and #7 in that diagram. I brought this issue up on the first page a while back. Pretty common issue on these motors. If you have a 17-18, order rockers for a 19, they made a silent update to them. I still replace them every top end on the race engines though
Honda11e wrote:
Yes, replace both exhaust lifters, I also replaced the rocker arm shaft (what you have circled) being that there may have been some slop due to...
Yes, replace both exhaust lifters, I also replaced the rocker arm shaft (what you have circled) being that there may have been some slop due to the rocker arm valve lashing. Although I didn't replace with the 2019 model rocker arms. (Which is a great idea)But I did sell the bike to my buddy and we ride together and still no issues with the bike. I replaced the 2018 with a 2020 works edition!!!
Also, was very easy to replace and I don't have any pictures. Just follow the instructions in the service manual.
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 11/26/2021 10:35am
11/26/2021 10:35am
Thanks so much! Looks like it’s about $200 to replace those parts. The right 17-18 rocker arm is on back order so I will look into the 19 arms. My motor ticks so damn loud I swear there’s something wrong with it, yet I keep riding it and haven’t pulled it apart.
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 11/26/2021 10:52am
11/26/2021 10:52am
Looks like the shaft roller stayed the same for 19 but the rockers changed part #'s for 19 and up. There must have been a good reason for that. I don't hear the 19 and 20 bikes ticking.
swe-chris 11/28/2021 5:46am
11/28/2021 5:46am Edited Date/Time 11/28/2021 8:46am
Kind of started to accept the noise, just checked valve clearance so checked the exhaust arm/bearing and shaft.

There are some “scuff” marks on the shaft, couldn’t feel any movement up/down while mounted, but hard to test.
See picture from shaft


Couldn’t feel anything abnormal with the bearings on rocker arm while spinning them, feels smooth. No direct up/down movement but very hard to test due to side to side movement. Guess side to side is normal due to needle bearing.

Anyone who replaced to arms that verified bearing was worn? Clearances change when parts heat up, might be I can’t find any issues due to near freezing temp here now.

Might scuff marks on shaft be reason enough to replace arms and shaft?
Honda11e
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Honda11e 11/28/2021 9:08am
11/28/2021 9:08am
There should be absolutely no play in the roller bearings. none....zero. Although when I did mine it was room temperature. And there was noticeably excessive play in the left rocker arm bearing. But once the motor heats up to temperature, that may be a different story. with heat and expansion. Did you check the surface of the cam lobes? Also, did you mic the shaft surface? The shaft doesn't appear to be bad. But on my part, I figured that I spent $3,000.00 on the motor internals and rebuild, so what was another $180.00. And the ticking noise went away. What I would do, if you have some welding gloves and a propane torch for soldering...would be to heat up the rocker arms and see if you have play. Also did you check the intake rocker arm bearings? Let me know how you make out.
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Honda11e 11/28/2021 9:25am
11/28/2021 9:25am
hubbardmx50 wrote:
Looks like the shaft roller stayed the same for 19 but the rockers changed part #'s for 19 and up. There must have been a good...
Looks like the shaft roller stayed the same for 19 but the rockers changed part #'s for 19 and up. There must have been a good reason for that. I don't hear the 19 and 20 bikes ticking.
Yes, I have a 2020WE, no ticking at all.
1
swe-chris 11/28/2021 9:54am
11/28/2021 9:54am
Honda11e wrote:
There should be absolutely no play in the roller bearings. none....zero. Although when I did mine it was room temperature. And there was noticeably excessive play...
There should be absolutely no play in the roller bearings. none....zero. Although when I did mine it was room temperature. And there was noticeably excessive play in the left rocker arm bearing. But once the motor heats up to temperature, that may be a different story. with heat and expansion. Did you check the surface of the cam lobes? Also, did you mic the shaft surface? The shaft doesn't appear to be bad. But on my part, I figured that I spent $3,000.00 on the motor internals and rebuild, so what was another $180.00. And the ticking noise went away. What I would do, if you have some welding gloves and a propane torch for soldering...would be to heat up the rocker arms and see if you have play. Also did you check the intake rocker arm bearings? Let me know how you make out.
Thanks for input.
Cam lobe surface looks and feels like new, did measure shaft with mic, no measurable diff on polished surface and mat. Yes, checked intake, no play. No propane torch..

Split if I’m up to $200 parts after inspection… might just do it with 2019 rocker arms, still black Friday discounts, makes life easier. Smile
1
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 11/28/2021 10:26am
11/28/2021 10:26am
Honda11e wrote:
There should be absolutely no play in the roller bearings. none....zero. Although when I did mine it was room temperature. And there was noticeably excessive play...
There should be absolutely no play in the roller bearings. none....zero. Although when I did mine it was room temperature. And there was noticeably excessive play in the left rocker arm bearing. But once the motor heats up to temperature, that may be a different story. with heat and expansion. Did you check the surface of the cam lobes? Also, did you mic the shaft surface? The shaft doesn't appear to be bad. But on my part, I figured that I spent $3,000.00 on the motor internals and rebuild, so what was another $180.00. And the ticking noise went away. What I would do, if you have some welding gloves and a propane torch for soldering...would be to heat up the rocker arms and see if you have play. Also did you check the intake rocker arm bearings? Let me know how you make out.
swe-chris wrote:
Thanks for input. Cam lobe surface looks and feels like new, did measure shaft with mic, no measurable diff on polished surface and mat. Yes, checked...
Thanks for input.
Cam lobe surface looks and feels like new, did measure shaft with mic, no measurable diff on polished surface and mat. Yes, checked intake, no play. No propane torch..

Split if I’m up to $200 parts after inspection… might just do it with 2019 rocker arms, still black Friday discounts, makes life easier. Smile
I would just replace it while you’re in there. Yes it’s $200 in parts that don’t add any performance or look cool but I’d pay even more to get rid of the damn ticking. Honda11e sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. Plus it makes total sense since the arms changed in 2019 and nobody with a 19/20 has had this issue.
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Honda11e
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Honda11e 11/29/2021 5:30pm
11/29/2021 5:30pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
https://youtu.be/2Ltrafa_u2Y
Hub, I watched your video....I have a couple questions. Is the piston on top dead center of the top stroke? You can tell this by the lifters having a little up/down play. I'm assuming it is because if it was on the down stroke there would be no up/down play in the lifters at all. But, you "definitely" have a lot of slop in those lifters. I was hoping in your video that you would show you trying to move the roller bearings that rides on the cam lobe. but you didn't. On my 2018, the left roller bearing had a lot of play up/down, but not front/back. That's what led me to investigate further. Also, this allowed me to get an .025" feeler gauge underneath the shim and the lifter. And I'm like WTF??? The right side was right on spec @ .011". And all my years of doing these Honda bikes, (I've been a Honda guy since 2000, w/ a new bike every 2 yrs.) I've rarely had to shim the exhaust valves. I'm no expert, just a racer/dad/and dad of a racer who was forced to learn this stuff cuz of sub-standard work on my kid's race bike, plus the cost of repair. Now, everyone(my riding buddies) wants their bike fixed....which I normally do...for free might I add(labor only!!). lol I hope this help bud, let me know the outcome.
1
motoracer58 11/29/2021 6:33pm
11/29/2021 6:33pm
That movement in the rocker is normal. Like said above, you need to check the roller bearing. The rocker will be able to move a litter up and down, that is the valve clearance. A little side-side play is fine as well. You need to check for play in the roller bearing and checking your valve clearance too. If the bearing is loose then your valve clearance will most likely become loose too
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 11/29/2021 6:49pm
11/29/2021 6:49pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
https://youtu.be/2Ltrafa_u2Y
Honda11e wrote:
Hub, I watched your video....I have a couple questions. Is the piston on top dead center of the top stroke? You can tell this by the...
Hub, I watched your video....I have a couple questions. Is the piston on top dead center of the top stroke? You can tell this by the lifters having a little up/down play. I'm assuming it is because if it was on the down stroke there would be no up/down play in the lifters at all. But, you "definitely" have a lot of slop in those lifters. I was hoping in your video that you would show you trying to move the roller bearings that rides on the cam lobe. but you didn't. On my 2018, the left roller bearing had a lot of play up/down, but not front/back. That's what led me to investigate further. Also, this allowed me to get an .025" feeler gauge underneath the shim and the lifter. And I'm like WTF??? The right side was right on spec @ .011". And all my years of doing these Honda bikes, (I've been a Honda guy since 2000, w/ a new bike every 2 yrs.) I've rarely had to shim the exhaust valves. I'm no expert, just a racer/dad/and dad of a racer who was forced to learn this stuff cuz of sub-standard work on my kid's race bike, plus the cost of repair. Now, everyone(my riding buddies) wants their bike fixed....which I normally do...for free might I add(labor only!!). lol I hope this help bud, let me know the outcome.
This entire time I didn’t understand what you guys meant by roller bearings, but now I see what you’re talking about. The bike wasn’t in TDC when I did that video. All I did was pull the head cover off real quick. I just put the bike in top dead center right now and checked out those bearings. I wouldn’t say there’s a crap ton of play, but there’s enough that I can move them around with a tiny screwdriver and it creates a gap. Rockers still have a shit load of slop with bike in TDC. Also, I’m trying to take the tension off the cam chain so I can take the cam off and get a better look. I don’t have the actual Honda tool and I’m just using a little flat blade screw driver. I can’t get the tension to release. I’ve done this a million times with our other Honda’s but can’t remember how I got the tension to stay off. Do you do it this way or do you have the actual tool
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 11/29/2021 7:08pm
11/29/2021 7:08pm
Never mind got it

Pit Row

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swe-chris 11/30/2021 12:04am
11/30/2021 12:04am
About the same side to side play as mine, parts ordered here, let you know the result as soon stuff arrives. Thanks for video!
1
motoracer58 11/30/2021 10:03am
11/30/2021 10:03am
You need to be looking for up/down play, not side to side. When the bearing fails, the needles will fall out leaving a gap and the roller will be able to move up and down. Did you check your valve clearance?
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 12/1/2021 10:55am
12/1/2021 10:55am
Is this what your guys’ bikes sounded like? I don’t know why my damn videos keep posting as shorts. I thought for sure it was the gas tank not being tightened down with those two bolts that go into the frame. But it’s still there. Wtf man


https://youtube.com/shorts/9dujibQf9vQ?feature=share
swe-chris 12/1/2021 11:22am
12/1/2021 11:22am
Yes, that sounds about the same. Did the tick sound stopped just at end of your recording? Mine start to make tick noise after ~30s from start, then keep on ticking.

Verified my bearings have up/down play. Pushed bearings to one side of the arm to fix them(hope you understand), then tested up/down for play while fixed to eliminate side to side movement.
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 12/1/2021 7:54pm
12/1/2021 7:54pm
swe-chris wrote:
Yes, that sounds about the same. Did the tick sound stopped just at end of your recording? Mine start to make tick noise after ~30s from...
Yes, that sounds about the same. Did the tick sound stopped just at end of your recording? Mine start to make tick noise after ~30s from start, then keep on ticking.

Verified my bearings have up/down play. Pushed bearings to one side of the arm to fix them(hope you understand), then tested up/down for play while fixed to eliminate side to side movement.
It is intermittent which is really strange. I tourqued the gas tank down evenly to 7ft pounds and it went away again. I’m curious to see what happens when I ride. I couldn’t tell if my rocker bearings had up and down play or not. But I didn’t take them out. Just tried to feel them while they were still on the head. I bit the bullet and ordered the Honda cam chain tensioner holder tool which I’ve wanted as long as I can remember. So maybe when that comes I’ll take them out and check them again. Doing the tensioner with a screwdriver is such a pain!
swe-chris 12/8/2021 9:22am
12/8/2021 9:22am Edited Date/Time 12/8/2021 9:24am
Installed new exhaust rocker arms (2019 model), had to shim the right exhaust valve 0.05mm thinner. Ticking is gone!

Big thanks to all Smile
3
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 12/8/2021 10:03pm
12/8/2021 10:03pm
swe-chris wrote:
Installed new exhaust rocker arms (2019 model), had to shim the right exhaust valve 0.05mm thinner. Ticking is gone!

Big thanks to all Smile
No way that’s awesome. Wow so it’s true, there really is something wrong with the 17-18 rocker arms. I had the 19 arms ordered but canceled the order when I thought it was my gas tank making the noise. Maybe I’ll just replace them now. Did you replace the shaft too or just the arms?
swe-chris 12/9/2021 12:31am
12/9/2021 12:31am
swe-chris wrote:
Installed new exhaust rocker arms (2019 model), had to shim the right exhaust valve 0.05mm thinner. Ticking is gone!

Big thanks to all Smile
hubbardmx50 wrote:
No way that’s awesome. Wow so it’s true, there really is something wrong with the 17-18 rocker arms. I had the 19 arms ordered but canceled...
No way that’s awesome. Wow so it’s true, there really is something wrong with the 17-18 rocker arms. I had the 19 arms ordered but canceled the order when I thought it was my gas tank making the noise. Maybe I’ll just replace them now. Did you replace the shaft too or just the arms?
I replaced the shaft also, don’t know if needed.. best of luck!
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 12/11/2021 9:56am
12/11/2021 9:56am
Well I finally took the shaft and both rocker arms out. Absolutely zero up/down play in my roller bearings. Shaft has a little bit of wear but that’s normal right? Safe to say I’m thoroughly confused. Valves were all in spec which I’m super happy about. I hate shimming valves. Intake .005 exhaust .011, 180 hours on bike.
1
harescrambled 12/11/2021 1:07pm
12/11/2021 1:07pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
Well I finally took the shaft and both rocker arms out. Absolutely zero up/down play in my roller bearings. Shaft has a little bit of wear...
Well I finally took the shaft and both rocker arms out. Absolutely zero up/down play in my roller bearings. Shaft has a little bit of wear but that’s normal right? Safe to say I’m thoroughly confused. Valves were all in spec which I’m super happy about. I hate shimming valves. Intake .005 exhaust .011, 180 hours on bike.
The Honda valve train is solid. I have 300 hours on my '18 450 RX (almost every part number identical to the R). Had to adjust 1 valve by .05mm
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 12/11/2021 4:32pm
12/11/2021 4:32pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
Well I finally took the shaft and both rocker arms out. Absolutely zero up/down play in my roller bearings. Shaft has a little bit of wear...
Well I finally took the shaft and both rocker arms out. Absolutely zero up/down play in my roller bearings. Shaft has a little bit of wear but that’s normal right? Safe to say I’m thoroughly confused. Valves were all in spec which I’m super happy about. I hate shimming valves. Intake .005 exhaust .011, 180 hours on bike.
harescrambled wrote:
The Honda valve train is solid. I have 300 hours on my '18 450 RX (almost every part number identical to the R). Had to adjust...
The Honda valve train is solid. I have 300 hours on my '18 450 RX (almost every part number identical to the R). Had to adjust 1 valve by .05mm
Yeah, seems like this finger follower style valve train is the hot ticket. Other than the noise. Haha.
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jayB22 4/4/2022 9:00am
4/4/2022 9:00am
Finally got to get the bike out this year and after replacing both rockers and the shaft with the 19 parts (verified numbers), my ticking remains. Kind of disappointed and Lost again. Frustrating because on all aspects the bike is great. about the only thing I haven't swapped in the top end is the cam and valves. but valves always in spec. When i made the change one of the valves measurements changed but it went from within spec on one side to the other side. So I didn't change anything.

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