| Author |
Message |
    
Poopermcdoodoo
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 07:31 am: | 
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I wonder if any of you have run across this issue with your XB's.
Twice in the past year of owning my XB12S, I've damaged the exhaust valve actuator due to excessive heat...Florida heat + traffic jam = bad. I've gotten to the point of turning the bike off in this kind of heavy traffic (where you only move about 3 car lengths every time the light changes).
Does anyone else have this problem? If so, have you been able to solve it?
I tried porting the air-box cover like many stunt riders do, but it doesn't seem to help. I'm still running HD 20W-50. I imagine a performance oil would help, (thinking Syn 3 or Repsol) but I really wonder if it would make enough of a difference to warrant the extra cost of the swap.
Finally, I saw the scoop that routes air to the rear cylinder, but I don't imagine it would help in a traffic jam, so I'm reluctant to spend the $200 on it.
Any advice, guys? |
Lane
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 04:18 pm: |
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Mine is in the shop now to replace the actuator for the second time. How do you know it is caused by heat issues? I'm in south Louisiana. |
Lane
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 04:20 pm: |
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I am running synthetic. |
Xbgenin
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 04:21 pm: |
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Lane,
Each time it happened was during times when I was stuck in slow/non-moving traffic. The bike was putting off a LOT of heat. Florida, summertime, no air moving over the engine... |
Saratoga
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 11:27 am: |
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Just out of curiosity, when the actuator failed, did it start cycling the exhaust valve while sitting in traffic (you can hear the exhaust changing pitch at idle)? Does the engine light typically come on also?
I had the same problem with my 09 Ss and it sat in the shop for two weeks. They replaced the actuator once, it did the same thing again as soon as I sat in traffic... valve cycles and the engine light comes on. The dealer finally had to get HD tech services invloved and they were able to narrow it down to the fact that the dealer did not adjust the cable tension during PDI. This has something to do with the ECM not being able to learn the fully open and fully closed positions of the valve when you first start the engine. Supposedly, they adjusted it and I have had no problems since.
I don't think it's heat related, just that it starts freaking out while you're sitting in traffic. |
Lane
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 10:09 pm: |
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Mine wasn't cycling the valve. It was running fine, just the CEL came on. |
Lane
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 - 10:04 pm: |
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Well it's in the shop for a week and a half now and today they tell me the actuator is back ordered until Oct. 14th. So has the Buell production line stopped because there are no actuators? I don't get it. |
2008xb12scg
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 08, 2008 - 07:41 pm: |
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Mine went out and they took 2 weeks to get it. Now I think it's broke again. Starting to piss me off. |
Bombardier
| | Posted on Thursday, October 09, 2008 - 06:39 am: |
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Is the valve in the exhaust sticking and causing the actuator to break? |
2008xb12scg
| | Posted on Thursday, October 09, 2008 - 05:56 pm: |
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Just came back from H.D. it's the exhaust valve again. It won't open the valve and will take a week or 2 to get the part. Does it always take so long to get Buell parts? |
Bombardier
| | Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008 - 05:06 am: |
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It sounds like a clearancing issue.
Time for a new exhaust. |
Werewulf
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 10:19 am: |
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i tried wiring mine open on my 08, but the mid-range power was poor....
had a drummer on my 06 and it had a flat spot at 4k rpm, even after an ecm spy tweek...
maybe its time for a manual type switch of some sort.. |
Okc99
| | Posted on Saturday, May 09, 2009 - 08:51 pm: |
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Were your actuator motors covered by warranty???? |
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Check engine light/Exhaust valve actuator...2008 XB12S