Timing chain tensioner.

[Ivan]

After pulling the tensioner on my bike and examining the guides, I would bet that a lot of the looseness in many older bikes is from the guides being worn. On mine the grooves in the plastic slides are nearly 1/8" deep. I suspect that there is plenty of life left in the guides, as it looks like they aren't even halfway through.

I suspect this, along with a mildly worn chain, caused full travel at the timing chain tensioner and leave the chain a bit loose.

Would there be anything wrong with milling .080" off the face of the tensioner where it mates to the cylinder block? Doing this would increase the throw of the tensioner considerably and help compensate for the worn guides.

Ivan

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ivan,

I don't see anything wrong with removing some of the mating surface of the tensioner case!

But I do hope that you read the tech tips on doing the cam chain tensioner procedure BEFORE you removed the tensioner housing?? Otherwise you could cause it to jump teeth and would then need a head/valve job soon!

T.C.

[Ivan]

Well, this mod worked quite well. When I pulled the old one out, and then loosened the screw, it only moved about 1/16 of an inch, so it was near the end of its travel. I suspect the biggest difference is that the spring is more compressed with the shorter housing, thus allowing a tad more pressure.

I was able to remove close to .150" and needed shorter bolts. To the untrained eye it looks like it was made that way.