Help..Leak in cam chain tension adjustment

[shadowvts]

Hey folks

Need your help on 2 things. First I have a small but extremely annoying oil leak seeping out of the cam chain tension adjustment. The leak is coming from the center of the unit where there is a spring retainer clip helding the
tensioner in place. It is not coming from the adjustment screw or the lock nut or the 2 hex bolts holding it in place, but directly from the center of the unit.
Need to know what causes it and how to stop it. Any suggestions
Secondly I need a 78/79 XS 1100 Special Speedo that registers 160 mph can you help me find one. Thanks Joe

[bikerphil]

There's a plug that's supposed to go in there. Yamaha sells them, or you could clean it out real good and put some RTV in there. That'll work just fine.

[DenyP]

I just went through this myself. Make sure your tensioner is adjusted and the bolt is tight to specs and holding the plunger b/4 you replace the plug. Otherwise it will be gone in short order and you will be buying another. My Tensioner had stripped out. The bolt felt snug, but was not holding the plunger. I ended up putting a heli-coil in to solve the problem. Installed the second plug and it has been in there ever since - leak stopped.

Deny

[CatatonicBug]

Secondly I need a 78/79 XS 1100 Special Speedo that registers 160 mph can you help me find one.

Joe, There is one on ebay right now. Item # 370195045482.

[GaryF]

Hi Shadow
I just fixed my little leak at the cam chain tensioner
It had been leaking for years right off the front of the tensioner and only when I rode it
Nothing big just a drop or two or three after every ride and probably a couple during
So to make a short story long about a couple of months ago I decided to add
Tc's Spin On Oil Filter Adapter or S.O.F.A and on the parts to get list is high temp copper RTV
Now I remembered on a previous post someone had said that they had fixed their leaky adjuster using the RTV
So while spraying down the underside of the bike with carb cleaner to remove
any oil residue where the new adapter is to be placed I hit the tensioner a couple of times where I thought the oil was seeping out
Then while RTVing the adapter I applied with my finger a small amount to the tensioner paying attention to the round groove at the front of the tensioner
And I'm happy to say not a drop of oil has leaked out of the tensioner since
Good luck
Gary

[Special Ed]

Have a similar problem. The front of my bike looks like a freakin' 1930's Harley. I took a dab of high temp "QuickSteel" putty and stuck it in there... after cleaning it with some solvent, of course. Will find out next week if this is causing any problems with the tension adjustment.
Special Ed

[TADracer]

One important note.

Take great care tightening the pinch bolt out of the side of the tensioner. The spec is only something like 4.5 lb/ft (not exactly sure) which is barely hand tight. The threads strip out very easily which will cause you a whole new set of problems.

[SFSPECBIKER79]

i just fixed mine

i used jb weld took it off cleaned it real good, filed it to clean metal. mixed up a gob of the stuff and turned it up on the plunger and put all i could heap up on it. let it sit a couple days and put it back on. thats all they are to it.

[TADracer]

Or, at the risk of starting something, you could make one of these.

Easy to make, stays set and doese'nt leak. Only drawback is that it is not 'automatic' and is best adjusted for chain stretch with the valve cover off. I adjust mine so there is about 1/4" of slack in the chain between the two cam sprockets.

The plunger on the OEM adjuster in the picture was sliding back in slightly due to chain whip when closing throttle quickly after a rambunctious acceleration. The manual adjuster completely solved all my tensioner problems.

[DenyP]

One of the great things about this forum is you find there are several ways to address a problem. My point was don't just plug the hole and walk away from it as you may have another problem to address. Good Luck!

Deny