Torque loss after service.

I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar occurrence and can give me some ideas about where to look for a fix.

Took my '05 in for routine valve clearance check, had them change to the updated cam chain tensioner, new plugs, coolant flush, and throttle body sync.

No change was required on valve clearances and no other abnormalities reported.

Picked up bike and slabbed home and all felt normal, except for zero throttle cable slack, (since re-adjusted on follow-up).

First ride on two lane noticed a distinct lack of pick-up when passing, especially up hill.

Where a simple roll on of throttle normally suffices, a downshift, or two, now seems necessary.

Returned to service department with my concerns and they can find nothing amiss.

Both service writer and tech have ridden the bike and say it feels normal to them.

It does seem to run fine, no misfires, stumbles or anything, but my well calibrated butt says it's not normal.

It pulls smoothly, but at low to mid range just not as hard as it used to. Seems to pull harder at 70 - 80 % throttle than at full throttle.

Thoughts?

If it is a REAL thing, not imagined...I guess from a troubleshooting standpoint it is possible that they got the valve timing one tooth off?

EDIT: If it is true, then they are doughheads for not being able to tell...or lying about it.

Agreed! Maybe when they switched to the newer Cam Chain Tensioner, it slipped a tooth and you have the same result as a 'bad valve adjustment'.

Ask them to check your timing marks and 'PUT IT BACK'!

Ditto what Wheatie said.

ECU error codes?

It is possible that the dealer pinched a wire in the timing cover but more likely the cam timing is off like everyone else has mentioned. This is a classic symptom. Certainly it's fast and easy to check engine codes but typically this kind of symptom will not be something to set a diAG code. There is no serious error or the Check Engine light would be on.

wheatonFJR said:

If it is a REAL thing, not imagined...I guess from a troubleshooting standpoint it is possible that they got the valve timing one tooth off?
EDIT: If it is true, then they are doughheads for not being able to tell...or lying about it.

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Ding ding ding.... I think we have a winner..... I just fixed one of those for a buddy a couple of weeks ago. Timing was one tooth off at the crank (i.e. both cams off relative to crank). Gotta pull the valve cover off to verify. I suspect they didn't ty-wrap the chain off at the crank end before the CCT change.

The case I had was not developing horsepower at roll on near 6000 like it should (put your eyeballs back in their sockets). It had an intermittent idling issue too.

I was afraid cam timing might be the consensus of opinion. This was my first thought, too, and after I insisted and subsequently paid for them to recheck the cam timing they claim it is spot on.

This is a generally well thought of shop so I want to believe they did, in fact, recheck it, but I guess I'll have to open it up myself.

fjrwalker said:

I was afraid cam timing might be the consensus of opinion. This was my first thought, too, and after I insisted and subsequently paid for them to recheck the cam timing they claim it is spot on.This is a generally well thought of shop so I want to believe they did, in fact, recheck it, but I guess I'll have to open it up myself.

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Your location is of no help...if you could list that, maybe someone nearby might be able to assist you.

^^^^ I believe his tag line includes Yakima, WA.

The timing will have to be checked at both the crank and cams. You are missing a tooff someplace. (Or, a wire got pinched and they didn't find it when they 'checked' the timing the second time.) I will say that it isn't easy sometimes to tell if the cams are correctly timed. Did the dealer charge the OP for antifreeze or gaskets when they rechecked the timing? It isn't a sure thing they would be needed but it would be a strong indicator.

I will say that a tiny dab of paint or fingernail polish down the side of the bolt heads and onto cover will tell ya if the screws got screwed.

Unfortunately I agree with the others. It is pretty difficult to see the timing marks on these bikes, which is why this tends to come up so often. The easiest way to deal with the issue is prevention. Ensure the chain never goes slack, unless you need to change shims.

ionbeam said:

^^^^ I believe his tag line includes Yakima, WA.

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Ahhh.

I have sigs turned off. Nevermind.

Why?

You don't want to know what Teddy Roosevelt had to say?

Afraid of wasting bandwidth on your dial-up account?

I have the same issue, the butt dyno seems to be lacking some 4K pull. I hate this dealer for other incompetence, would not let them work on my wheelbarrow....it's too hot to work on stuff. I've been riding the BMW RS so maybe that's it.

Another cool temperature project on the list...

Yeah, this is really frustrating. If I had the time to work on it I'd have done so initially. Now I have to do it myself or hire someone else and hope they get it right and then document the misalignment, somehow, to convince dealer to refund at least the recheck labor (no coolant or gaskets charged). And was hoping to do a 3-day ride starting Friday. aaarrrgg!!!

Same here. I do not know what / if any damage can be done until I can satisfy my mind.

One way to save this one Jim, is to take the time yourself to pull covers and document the timing. If you do find it off, then take pics and go back to the dealer with the evidence and give them the opportunity to make it right. Escalate the problem as required. I sure wouldn't want to keep throwing labor $$$ at it, especially to another dealer who may or may not be able to perform the work.

Did Prosser do the original work?

--G

Jim, I was wondering the same thing as George. Had my valves checked in Prosser a few years ago, and always felt the mileage was down a little since. Just curious.

escapefjrtist said:

One way to save this one Jim, is to take the time yourself to pull covers and document the timing. If you do find it off, then take pics and go back to the dealer with the evidence and give them the opportunity to make it right. Escalate the problem as required. I sure wouldn't want to keep throwing labor $$$ at it, especially to another dealer who may or may not be able to perform the work.
Did Prosser do the original work?

--G

Click to expand...

I completely agree, George, just tough to find the time, especially as hot as my garage gets in this weather. Upon studying the manual, I think it's easy enough to mis-interpret the instructions/drawings that it's going to be hard to really blame them for getting it wrong. That oblique view of the cam timing marks (5-17) is, I think, the culprit.

Yes, it was Desert Valley that did the work. I've always been pleased with them until now.