Cam chain tensioner woes

Kthomas55 · Post by **Kthomas55** » Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:43 pm

I know this topic has been covered extensively but I still have questions.
At first I was going to go the KZ650 sprocket route. I bought the recommended bearing but the pin and sleeve wont fit. I suppose I need the ones out of the earlier small wheel tensioner which I don’t have ?
Next I had a primary tensioner wheel cut down but it has the brass bushing ( no needle bearing ) Will this hold up in the cam chain tensioner role as is ?
Once again , I should have just bought a new one ! It was really pricey but the aggravation level would have been zero.

Kthomas55 · Post by **Kthomas55** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 7:06 am

Will the tensioner wheels with the brass bushing ( no needle bearing ) hold up in cam chain tensioner role ?

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 2:09 pm

Later camchain tensioner wheels (small diameter wheel) run with a steel pin inside a steel bush.

No bronze bush at all. I think the bronze bushed primary tensioner wheel will be fine but you have to reduce the width of the rib in the centre of the wheel to matche the narrower chain. The loading on the wheel in this location will be lower than for the primary drive.

G

Kthomas55 wrote:Will the tensioner wheels with the brass bushing ( no needle bearing ) hold up in cam chain tensioner role ?

Kthomas55 · Post by **Kthomas55** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 5:58 pm

Thanks
Yes, I had the primary tensioner wheel cut down to fit between cam chain links .
I just wasn’t sure it would hold up without needle bearings .

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 1:51 am

Keith

Like I said - later wheels were just steel on steel with no bronze bush or needle roller.

Also - very easy to inspect / replace if things don't turn out..

G

Kthomas55 wrote:Thanks
Yes, I had the primary tensioner wheel cut down to fit between cam chain links .
I just wasn’t sure it would hold up without needle bearings .