Uh Oh (maybe) cam chain tensioner

[BigDick]

I did not do this. . .

"...following the correct procedure (i.e. remove the timing plate cover on the left side, rotate the engine a couple of turns clockwise, stop rotating exactly when the "C" mark on the timing plate aligns with the stationary pointer, loosen the lock nut, loosen the stopper bolt, thghten the stopper bolt to 4.3 ft-lb, tighten the lock nut to 6.5 ft-lb, reinstall the timing plate cover)."

What I did do was, my tensioner had a steady constant drip past the rubber coated plug in the end of the housing. I unbolted everything and took it all apart, took the plug out, coated the edge of the plug with red rtv silicone and reassembled. I loosened the locknut, and set screw, pushed the plunger back into the housing, once the housing was tightened up on the motor I loosened the set screw and then retightened the setscrew and locknut. a few days later I started the bike, the cam chain was fairly noisy so I shut it down and now seek the knowledge of you bunch of "experts"

BTW I did look in my Clymers for info but all it said was to do what I did. Did I bend valves or tear anything up?

Should I set it correctly according to the directions above?

I did not hear any catastrophic noises, just a loud loose chain sound. Thanks all for help.

[Ehdrian]

Yes. No need to remove it completely again unless you need to replace the chain. I would not use the bike without properly setting it back to where it should be.

Adrian

[xswilly]

i'm curious
did you have it on the side stand or the center stand

centerstand would be better as the slack in the chain would lie stright down
on the sidestand the slack would lean to the side stand and not line up with the sprocket
so when you tighten the chain it maynot line up with the lower sprocket

just a theory

[DGXSER]

Hey BD,

IF it were my ride, I would follow the procedure outlined here on XS11 to set the tension.

Then, if you are the worrisome type like me, I would pull the valve cover off and check the timing marks on the cams.

Provided they all line up as I suspect they will, I would run a compression check to just to be certain of valve condition.

If compresion numbers all look good, then I would ride it like you stole it!!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Dick,

I would highly suggest you take the valve cover off, I know PITA, but you want to be able to determine that your cams are in time with your crank!

Once you are at the "T" mark/TDC COMPRESSION stroke for #1...because the crank pointer can point at the "T" mark 2 times per one cam rotation, and check your cam dots for straight up!! IF they appear to be a tooth's worth of position off,then you'll need to loosen the tensioner lock bolt so the plunger can slide in/out to give you some slack to be able to pull the chain up off of the cam sprockets so you can then rotate the cams back 1 tooth to get them back in time with the crank, replace the camchain back on the sprockets/cams, temporarily lock the cam tensioner bolt, and SLOWLY rotate the engine a couple of revolutions watching for the cam dots and the second time the crank pointer comes around to the "T" mark and recheck that they are in alignment. Once you have verified that they are, then rotate a few more times...CW viewed from the timing side, and slow/stop at the "C" mark, and the release and then reset and tighten the cam chain tensioner.

Rotate it again to recheck the TDC and cam dots alignment..and THEN you would want to perform a compression check. However, you can also watch/look at the valves and buckets/shims clearances as you slowly rotate the crank/cams to see if you see or even MEASURE any extreme clearance gaps...like a 1/4" vs. the true clearances! IF the clearances are all good, then you probably haven't bent any valves, and you should get a good compression check.

IF you find an extreme clearance, and poor/no compression in any cylinder, then you've bent a valve....fun fun!

Good Luck! T.C.

[trbig]

If you rode it a ways after you did the adjustment, I'm going to guess that it just pushed your adjuster plunger out from centrifigul force. Just do an adjustment again on it. If the chain dropped down and skipped a tooth, it would be IMMEDIATELY evident on the first start up. Just turn it to the "C", loosen the nut and set screw and tighten it back. As Ivan stated on a recent post, those screws don't have much torque holding that plunger. Then you torque the nut which will minutely pull the screw away from the plunger just a bit. It will normally hold fine for a bit, but loosen on a hard decel/accel.

So.. do a quick adjustment, fire it up a sec and see if the noise goes away. If it's still there, then take off your valve cover and check things out.


Just my opinion.

Tod

[Ivan]

I am going to venture far enough to say that if it started and isn't backfiring through the carbs or exhaust, the cams probably didn't jump time.

I am going to be in town most of the day helping a buddy replace the intake gaskets on his chebby truck. If you want, give me a shout on my cell when you get off work, and I will see if I can give you a hand, and be blinded by the new driving lights.

[BigDick]

It sounded like it was idling just fine, I had started it up to let it warm so I could leave for work. The cam chain sounded really sloppy, like maybe it was flopping and hitting the underside of the valve cover. But it ran only at idle for 30 seconds or so, then I shut it down because it knew it wasn't right.

Willy, it was on the side stand, I hadn't considered that.

Ivan, thanks for the offer but i didn't get your message until the 16th, right now we have no internet at home so it's the base library once a day for my internet access. lol I do have a 76 chevy truck and a 79 triumph bonneville special on the way that I'll probably need help with, but that's not until the end of October.

Everyone else, thanks for the info and advice, I'll pull the valve cover and start checkin. I got a fancy new work table from craigslist to put my tools on now instead of the ground so I guess that's a plus?

[Ivan]

Eh, I should have said I would be in town all day THURSDAY. Sorry, offer is still open.

[BigDick]

ah, Thursday we could do, I guess I should at least buy a 6 pack then. . . A wise man once told me that you can NOT work on motorcycles without beer.

[trbig]

I guess I should at least buy a 6 pack then. .

Lmao.. Ummm.. yeah at LEAST. Actually he's kinda partial to Cap'n Morgan or any assorted fruity sissy drinks.

Oops.. Did I say that out loud!?

If you plan on pulling the valve cover first... you'll need a gasket.


Tod

[BigDick]

Well I'm gonna be cautious, I live on base, and with armed goofballs sitting right at the gate he'll have to go out I don't want him gettin too onery. I can just imagine explaining to my CO how and why this large, drunk, half crippled individual decided to harass security forces on his way out.

[Ivan]

Lmao.. Ummm.. yeah at LEAST. Actually he's kinda partial to Cap'n Morgan or any assorted fruity sissy drinks.

Oops.. Did I say that out loud!?

If you plan on pulling the valve cover first... you'll need a gasket.


Tod

Hey, at least I don't do mimosas. I tried some Mike's extra hard, which comes in tall boy four packs, and that was actually pretty decent. But the Cap'n still rules with the Long Island Iced Tea stuff.

Dick I'll give you a call when I get done helping out with the chebby, and head your way. I need the helmet, long sleeves, boots, five point harness, dual side airbags, and a parachute to ride on base, yes? It may be early evening before I can make it over, I gotta stay flexible, my bud has Hispanic blood, time means nothing to him...

[skids]

The one thing that you may not know for sure is whether or not the tensioner is stripped. If you have any doubts, use a helicoil to fix it or buy a new tensioner. You know the feeling when you expect it to come to spec and you give it another half turn or more without increasing torque! A stripped tensioner will cause it to slip with the vibration of the engine and it can then hold in a loose position causing the cam chain to jump a tooth. Stupid is what stupid does...Forest Gump (me). Don't do what I did once!

[xswilly]

when you pull the valve cover
check to make sure the chain is really on the bottom sprocket
I think thats where your problem started
best to do it on the centerstand
on the side stand i bet it slid off the sprocket and jamed between the sprocket and chank
then when it turned over, it jumped time maybe jumped back onto the sprocket