Cam chain replacement info?

[oldnortonrider]

Trbig; you've done this job a buncha times > did you use a center punch, or just the chain press rivet tool by itself?

[trbig]

Chain press rivet tool?!? lol. A grinder to cut the old chain in half and a center punch with something heavy (A prybar or something like suggested) behind the chain. Be careful as to what's behind the bar though. Not too many areas of that soft aluminum under the valve cover that you can safely dent up.


Tod

[oldnortonrider]

Skids; this may interest you~~I just discovered this two days ago > hadn't had time to make some "measurements", until now, to put this new discovery information on here.

ROLLER HOLES on DID chain that I got from PartsNMore, are different inside diameter than, the chain that I'm replacing~~and also, the old, original chain that I'd saved, that I'd taken out 8 years ago. Link pins are "skinnier"; ID of the roller(s) are smaller to accomodate the skinnier pin.
OD's of the rollers on this new "DID 219FTS DAIDO BUSH CHAIN" are the same as the one coming out. This chain that I'm removing, I had gotten from A.P.E. (American Performance Engineering) in California (1999). I remember, on the invoice it said (Heavy Duty Chain)$60.00. The link plates are thicker, than this PartsNMore chain also. 8 years ago, when I replaced the chain that's comin' out~~I went to the dealer, and got an extra rivet link to use with the chain that I had gotten from A.P.E. > pins were same "hefty" thickness for the chain coming out then, and the APE chain that was going in then. OEM chain and APE chain were same measurements, inside and out~~the "beefy type", "heavy duty type".

The following are OD measurements of the link pins that push through the rollers: APE and OEM > .122 in. (thickness) ; DID (and probably most of the chains that are being purchased, unless otherwise specified) DID > .0104 in. (thickness). After I ordered the DID chain, I made another order somewhere, for some other stuff, and ordered two extra rivet links~~not even thinking that there was "two different sizes" out there. They happened to be the same as the "pin size" on the new PartsNMore DID chain.

My real point is~~it would be easy to think a rivet link is a rivet link, and to put the "thin pin" rivet link into the "large hole roller" chain; when the "thin pin" link is between the sprockets the camdots will be a bit wider than if they were pulled together by the link with the "thick pin" (the correct link that would be needed with the "large hole" (roller) type chain. Skids, this may not be why yer dots were a "smidgeon" wider~~I, personally, was careless, not to have been more suspect, getting my new chain for $32.00, and not having to go the near double price from APE or the dealer.

[skids]

Thanks for the mix-n-match info. By now, I can't say what I used.

[oldnortonrider]

I got this job finished, about 4 days ago. Finally. Everything perfect. The "zero" clearance intakes ( 3 of 'em), changed with proper shims. It now has compression that makes it turn over like, as if I've got a low battery; but the battery's right up. It has more power than I can remember it having in the 14 years I've been riding it. Enough power, that the clutch slips > a lot. I had on my list of things to do for some months, to put new clutch plates and springs in. Just ordered 'em. Clutch had started to slip "a little bit", and not shifting quite right, several months ago. Couldn't get it right anymore with various adjustments.

One of the reasons it would have more power > would be less weight for the "D.I.D." new camchain. Probably about 30% less weight. Although, if I'd known in advance~the difference~I'd have paid the extra, and gotten the so-called "heavy-duty" chain again. I expect this new, "flimsier" chain to stretch, fast.

[trbig]

I don't think the couple ounces of lighter chain has anything to do with your power gain. What's probably happened is that your timing was off so far from your old chain being stretched, that you weren't getting your valves opened and closed when they were supposed to be, resulting in compression loss. Having them shimmed properly will help with that also.

I don't personally see why you'd need a "Heavy Duty Chain" when there really isn't a lot of pull being exerted on the chain, and I think a lighter chain would result in less cam gear wear. It could also be made of better materials than the old one... but that is unknown.

I haven't heard of anyone having any troubles from the lighter weight chains stretching any differently than the heavy duty ones. I'd just follow the book's initial break in period. Once after 1 month or 600 miles, then at 7 months or 3k miles. Every 5k miles or 12 months after that.


Tod