timing chain adjustment question

milwaukeephil · Post by **milwaukeephil** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:54 pm

Okay, just got in.

Cam chain tensioner: Loosened the nut and bolt and the rod would only move with a lot of pressure. I pushed it in manually and tightened it back up. Next on the list -- take apart the assembly and get everything freely moving and tension the chain right.

Valve adjustment: Got the front two done, but I didn't have anything labeled T or LT -- just a line on the cam and a line on the plate. Was still able to figure out the right positions and got the gaps set -- they needed to be loosened a couple turns according to my feeler gauge. Hope I'm doing it right; the valve is all the way at the bottom when I'm measuring. Still have to do the rear two, but it looks like I need to take the tank off to really get in there I think).

Timing: Followed your tuning recipe and got the timing perfect. It was missing and sputtering a little and now it's purring. THANK YOU!

-phil

cknight · Post by **cknight** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:50 am

You can also have a whining noise from the cam chain being too tight, this will also cause premature wear and deterioration of the tensioner wheel and its axle. The stem on the tensioner should move freely with the bolt loosened as LM stated. Make a mark on the stem near the housing, turn the engine over, and you should be able to see the stem move in and out on its own. If it does not move at all, there's something in a bind, making it difficult to obtain the proper adjustment. It's not difficult to remove the tensioner assembly (four bolts), inspect the components, repair and reinstall. Regards, Chase

milwaukeephil · Post by **milwaukeephil** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:11 am

cknight wrote:You can also have a whining noise from the cam chain being too tight, this will also cause premature wear and deterioration of the tensioner wheel and its axle. The stem on the tensioner should move freely with the bolt loosened as LM stated. Make a mark on the stem near the housing, turn the engine over, and you should be able to see the stem move in and out on its own. If it does not move at all, there's something in a bind, making it difficult to obtain the proper adjustment. It's not difficult to remove the tensioner assembly (four bolts), inspect the components, repair and reinstall. Regards, Chase

Alright, then I'll take the whole assembly apart and make sure everything is freely moving. With the bolt loosened, I did see a tiny bit of moverment (like 1 or 2 mm) when I cranked it over, but I'm guessing I should see a lot more?

Thanks,
-phil

cknight · Post by **cknight** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:21 am

If there's 1-2mm movement while turning the engine over, that's about normal for a cam chain in good condition. The problems can occur if you press on the end of the stem while tightening the bolt, which would exert more pressure on the tensioner than the spring would. Thanks, Chase

milwaukeephil · Post by **milwaukeephil** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:45 am

Okay, understood, so let the stem move by itself and tighten it when it's in the furthest (assuming it's freely moving).
Thanks!
-phil

bigscooter · Post by **bigscooter** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:12 am

hi guys, i found this in an old dealer manual(excuse the old translation)
it says to make the adjustment when the crank is at bottom dead center.

milwaukeephil · Post by **milwaukeephil** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:14 am

Very interesting -- thanks!