Got defeated this weekend

[Crazcnuk]

If your camera is a thin enough stalk, you should be able to look down the chain tunnel at the front and rear. The openings are tight, and dark, and right under the frame, so it may be fun.

if the motor was out of the bike, it should be pretty simple.

For you tech gurus who like things complicated, take the chain support bridge out between the cams, and put a 2nd tensionser (bolt with nut) in between the cams through the valve cover with enough strength to turn the cams towards each other taking up all the slack while you play with the cct!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Larry,

All I have to say is that the crank skipping a tooth in the chain does NOT often result in BINDING, just as Tod and Craz experienced, both had chains skip teeth and the crank turned thru normal rotations with no binding, so you can't rely on the chain bunching up or binding to tell you that it has skipped a tooth!

Like Tod said, the slack being at the back of the engine will still go towards the crank, and and so even if the crank is rotated CCW removing the slack from the front, the excess chain length it being pulled/pushed towards the rear, and without the CCT taking up slack, it'll still drop around the crank once the CCT is removed. I hate taking the Valve cover off as much as the next guy, but IF I needed to remove the CCT, I would rather have the piece of mind knowing that I had removced the valve cover and properly taken up the slack during the R&R and then would be able to verify the cam alignment dots.

Since the engine is out of the frame, taking off the tranny pan would allow direct visualization of the cam chain, etc. as you rotate crank and adjust tension to front or back, and remove the CCT to see what happens.
T.C.

[Larrym]

Thanks T.C. Every bit of info helps.

So the "binding" test described in my Haynes Manual isn't a fool proof indicator. Good to know that!

So I can see the nasty varmint/crank sprocket + chain if I remove the tranny pan? OMG! (Also another D'uh moment here for me...) That will be great. I looked at one of those inspection cameras today. Made by RIGID tools. It has a small color screen and no video outputs so I'd have to make a video of the video if you know what I mean. Also, the snake was long enough I'm sure but the camera head/lens needed a 3/4 inch opening to get through. Like I said, I have yet to remove the valve cover and don't know if the camera head will be able to get in to where I want it. With the tranny pan off I may be able to set things up and actually video jumping a tooth as I remove the CCT. (Joy!) I mean that's where I'd like to start. But then again don't expect the video quality to be as good as the one you did/posted on youtube showing the constant velocity slides in action. (Great one there, TC!)

Expect more of the same "Blurry Vision" similar to the pics I've posted before. (She will most definitely NOT permit her camera to be used anywhere near such a item contaminated with oil/gas/vile fluids....)


Bagger parts were sold/shipped today. Tomorrow will begin operation "Mad Scientist." ( Cross eyed-hunchback assistants are SO hard to find now-a-days...)

LarryM

[Crazcnuk]

Exactly, mine went around almost a 3rd of the length of the chain (120deg or so) and the motor would still turn over fine.

I knew it was hooped immediately by the sound coming from the now open at the wrong time valves.

The nice thing is, if you turn it over by hand you can feel if it skips a tooth.

Also, if your chain is relatively new, it doesn't have enough slack to slip. In fact, I had a heck of a time moving my cams one tooth with the cct right off the bike, when i was reassembling the top end and ended up a tooth off.

[TopCatGr58]

A view from the bottom up!

Hey Larry,

Here's a blurry and not too close of a view that you get with the tranny pan off.



You'll want to remove the oil pump to get more room. The Hy-Vo chain is right there under the shift drum, and the crank is just under the oil filter chamber there!!! So..hopefully with the right angle and lighting you'll get a decent view of the cam chain around the crank. Hope your camera has a macro or closer than 16" focus range??
T.C.