1450 twin cam rattles at top end when hot

It really depends on where the "ticking" is coming from. Was the ticking there before the leak was fixed?
If it is an 04 model, it is 10 yrs old. How many hours? Try to determine if it is coming from the area by the valve covers. You may have a tappet clearance issue. Check the clearance between the tappet and valves, check both sides (Twin 18 hp?). If any are out that is where the ticking is coming from. Could also be a worn cam, but sounds like a valve tappet problem.

this is not SOLIDS engine, there is no LASH setting, !
the engine has a chain, and a set of hydraulic bucket valve lifters.
the chain can be bad or any lifter, can be dirty and collalpesd.
when the engine is dead and no oil pressure the lifters are normally collapsed, when you start the engine. oil pressure does 2 things
all lifters pump up, and clearance goes to zero. (no noise)
then the cam tensionor, pumps up (they fail) and chain noise ends.
some noise is ok , cold start, but most end after a minute or 2.
started.

ever read the manual? its here.
use a stethoscope to find out 1 thing , which is it the chain or lifters making that noise.
ive even runs engine with the valve covers off (messy , use a blanket to catch oil flying) to find the true cause.......

read the 2.5L here. its close. (mech. parts)
read the Alldata virtual FSM.

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It depends on how noisy the lifters are. Your engine is a pushrod engine and there will be some noise. Generally is just a small ticking noise due to running clearance in the rocker arm bushings and such. The tappets (lifters) in your engine are hydraulic just like the tappets in a pushrod automobile engine. If your tappets are really making a noise, like a can of rocks, you might not have enough oil pressure or the roller on the end of the tappet that runs on the cam may be bad. If the tappet is the reason for the noise, the only thing you can do is replace them. If the roller on the end locks up, it will damage the cam lobe that it runs on as well meaning the cam will have to be replaced as well.

Good Luck
Steve

Yes, it could be the roller bearing that runs on the cam on the end of a tappet going bad. This is about the right mileage as well from my experiences. If they are going to go bad, they usually do it between 20 and 30 thousand miles although I had one bike lose a tappet roller with only 13 thousand miles on it. If they make it past 30 thousand, they usually last the lifetime of the engine with no problem. I have yet to understand why this happens. These rollers are indeed a weak point in the design of the engines. If you suspect this is the problem, do not run the engine until you check the problem out. If the roller locks up, it will destroy the cam that the tappet is running on because it will damage the cam lobe.

Good Luck
Steve

By "stuck", I assume that you're talking about a collapsed lifter that will not pump up and is rattling. The only thing to do about a lifter doing this is to replace it. While you've got the tappet blocks out, check the rollers on the other tappets as well. This is the weak spot on most Big Twins, the tappets. This is why Harley designed the Twin Cam engine, to improve the valve train geometry and prevent premature failure of the valve train components. When you take the tappet blocks out, you need a set of "alignment pins" to make sure the tappet roller is running perfectly with the camshaft. They're made by Jim's tools and they aren't expensive. Be sure and clean out the tappet oil screen also. This needs to be done every other oil change.

Good Luck
Steve

Are you getting any oil back to the tank from the oil pump? Sometimes the oil pump loses it's prime and "air locks". Take the oil pressure sending unit out and spin the engine without the spark plugs in it until it pumps out a couple of ounces of oil. Put the sending unit back in and spin the engine with the starter until you start getting oil back out of the oil return hose. Spin the engine about 15 seconds or so and then wait for five minutes before you do it again. You don't want to burn up the starter. Once you get oil back to the oil tank, put the plugs back in the engine and fire it up. The lifters should pump up very quickly and stop rattling.

Or, you could take the lifters back out of the engine and use a oil squirt can to pump the tappet up. Put the nozzle into the hole on either the side or the top and pump the tappet full. Bring one piston to TDC on the compression stroke and put the tappets back in. Install the pushrods and torque the rocker arm plate back down. Allow the tappets to bleed down to where you can turn the pushrods with your fingers before you turn the engine over. Once bled down, turn the engine over so the piston is at TDC on the compression stroke and install the tappets and pushrods in the that cylinder.

Sometimes the tappets will clatter for while due to air being trapped inside of them. It takes a few minutes or a few miles of riding to get it all out. As long as the oil is returning to the oil tank, everything should be fine. The only thing that could cause troubles is that if the oil hole right at the top of the timing cover is covered by the gasket. If this is done, the tappets will not pump up but continue to rattle. You may have to take the timing cover back off and check this hole. Usually the cams fall out when this happens. You may can take the tappet out of one hole and spin the engine with the plugs out while looking into the empty tappet hole with a mirror. Watch for oil to come out of the hole there. If none comes out, check the hole between the side cover and the engine case for blockage.

Good Luck
Steve

a light tapping noise is quiet normal .Use a flushing oil before you change the oil and filter.then use 10/40 semi synthetic(as recc by VW)when engines at operating temp run at 3500 fo 30 secs,this will "charge" the hydraulic tappets,a cold engine has a valve rattle for about 15/20 secs but if longer then cam followers faulty.normally at 120,000m(roughly)
please leave feedback..

Not a lot of information but I assume you're asking about some noise in the top end of your engine on your Heritage.

A Harley-Davidson engine is of an older design being that the valves are pushrod operated. It is not an overhead cam design like a lot of other bikes that try to look like Harleys. Harley has decided to stick with this design for as long as they can because it lends itself to what most Harley riders are looking for in their bikes, the traditional look lines and sound of the older motorcycles.

As such, there are a lot of components in the top end that must have some "running clearance" in order to operate. Push rods, rocker arms, rocker arm bushings, and such. A slight clatter or tapping noise in not uncommon. Now, it the noise if loud enough to make people turn their heads when you start the bike, you may have a problem. Usually a serious problem in the top end of the engine results in a poorly running engine as well.

You engine is equipped with hydraulic tappets. As the engine runs and things start to expand, the tappets are "pumped up" with oil to maintain a "zero clearance" in the valve train. If you have a tappet gone bad, it will make a loud erratic tapping noise that is sometimes accompanied by a bad running engine. You could have lost a roller on the end of a tappet as well. The Twin Cam engine was designed to help remedy the problem with the valve train geometry in the Evolution and earlier engines. It did straighten the pushrods up a bit but I still think it's possible to lose a tappet roller. If the noise is this loud, you will have to pull the tappet blocks and inspect the tappets to see if you have lost a roller.

Good Luck
Steve

i just did a 883/1200 conversion new jugs and piston i put in a set of used 1200 f1 cams and heads now i have an oil pressure problem at idle ???????

70% of engine rattles in new cars are of because the engine has very minimum oil, you'll find if it has the correct amount of oil in it it will not rattle, cams dont tend to rattle, and newer cars dont use tappets now :) there hydraulic lifters.

if it does rattle, and its annoying you more than anything, and you just want to stop the rattle and not botherd about finding the actual problem them simply put thicker oil in.

but im sure you will find if it doesnt have enough oil in the car, and you fill it to maximum on the dip stick, it will stop the rattle.