Bow Noise!

[QC MAN]

Hopefully somebody can offer some help. I shoot a Mathews Outback and have begun noticing that my bow has been getting a little more audible than it ever has been. I checked every screw and bolt and nothing appears out of place. When I bump the lower part of the riser I can detect a ringing sound either coming from the limb pocket or the idler wheel. I called a buddy of mine who is a tech at a local pro shop. He said that he has never heard of an idler wheel bearing going out but that it could be coming from the limb pocket. He said to back the limb bolt out a few turns and then bottom it back out. I tried this but I am still getting the same noise. Any other suggestions? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[BigJ71]

QC,

I think the only way to find the noise if indeed you have narrowed it down to the limb pocket is to remove the limb and inspect the pocket and hardware as well as the limb very closely for damage or wear of any kind. Once you have done this, you should be able to locate the problem. If you see nothing wrong it still wouldn't hurt to have a reliable Pro shop look at it. Then I would suggest you re-lube per Mathews specks and put it back together.

I think just looking at it withoutbreaking it down, you're just spinning your wheels.

Good luck.

[QC MAN]

Thanks for the advice. I kind of expected that I would need to do something like that. Just wanted to get another opinion on it. I was hoping I could avoid a trip to the pro shop with hunting season just a couple of weeks away. Most shops are swamped right now. I let a couple of buddies listen to the noise I was talking about and they thought I was crazy. I'm real picky about my setup and any little noise really gets to me. A super-quiet bow far out-weighs a fast, loud one. I'm gonna get a friend to shoot it and let me listen to see if it is noticable to me and go from there. Thanks again and good hunting.

[BGfisher]

Very possible it has something to do with string creep (elongation). This causes the draw length to get longer, peak weight goes up, and generally speaking the bow is just not in tune anymore. Along with this comes the over-rotated cam which might just be what the noise is all about. It's pretty common with factory strings.

So, in essence, check the cam timing to see if it's within specs. Axle to axle measurement and brace height. You might have to twist up the string until you do the inevitable and replace it with a good aftermarket set.