Inconvenient or disasterous?

[BigDick]

Call three friends, turn the bike upside down and shake it.
Mother always knows best.
Mind you, with an XS11, best you call six friends.

I wanna see pictures of this instead! Gread idea Fred!

[cywelchjr]

I wanna see pictures of this instead! Gread idea Fred!

I wanna see the video on u-tube. Especially if it's the flying pumpkin.

[Ivan]

the big problem is that the oil pan doesn't go under the crank. I don't think the nut would ever make it through the primary chain galley into the pan, and IIRC the oil return holes might not be big enough to pass that nut. They could be though.

Normally those type things will just sit on the bottom of the engine and not cause any trouble....normally. I'd start fishing with a magnet, or better yet if you can actually see the nut get some mechanical fingers to retrieve it.

Best of luck to you.

[81xsproject]

I did basically the same thing. Dropped a cam cap nut down the hole. I fish and fished and fished with no luck. I spent twice the time it took me to finally drop the exhaust/pan and re-assemble. If you're anything like me, I wouldn't dare run the engine knowing it was in there. Save yourself some time and just do what you know will work first. Give fishing a quick go from the top down and from the bottom. If (when) you dont' find it after 5 minutes, start pulling it apart. JMHO (from experience).

[randy]

There is PLENTY of room for that nut to fall into the pan. There are three "spillways" for lack of a better term, under the crank that are sloped downward and dump directly into the oil pan, left, right and center. Only question I see is - where did it land? If by some horrible miracle it landed ON the crank gear, well, that would be a tragedy. But, yo can see the gear from above so you can rule that out.

[freak_leg]

Just wanted to say I'm glad I'm not the only one to drop something down the whole of dispaire. I had a socket get cought on the frame while i was putting the cam nuts on. It fell right down onto the chain guides and wedged sideways on the bottom of the head. Got it out with a stick magnet no problem but that didnt stop the heart attack I had when I realized where the socket had fallen to

[3Phase]

There is PLENTY of room for that nut to fall into the pan.

Yeah, but when I dropped a cam bearing nut down the tunnel it wound up next to the crankshaft. When I tried to retrieve it with one of those little part grabbers then, like PFM, it dropped into the lower loop of the primary chain where it would have made nut soup.

Loho, seriously, find the nut and don't goof around, man.

If it's already laying in the oil pan (sorry, "screen") it'll probably sit there happily until the next freakin' millennium. If it's hung up in the cam chain tunnel somewhere waiting to drop....


Regards,

Scott

[LoHo]

I know it isn't on the crank because I've worked the crank witha wrench getting the timing fixed. I didn't hear a final "clink" because it must have hit the oil. I'll fish some, the do the right thing.

[LoHo]

Final note:
My magnetic fishing was a bust, so I'm living (at least a little) dangerously. Some notes about resetting the timing:

Loosening the cam sprocket bolts should be enough to do the job. My working on other bikes led me to taking the cams off, but that is not necessary.

Heed the warning in the manual to keep the chain tight between the rear sprocket and the crank. That keeps one from getting the cams all lined up and having the chain come off the crank...DAMHIK.

You'll need a 22mm open end wrench to rotate the cams to align the cam dot with the cam guide mark. I didn't have one that big, but I had a spare 3/4" wrench which I ground out to fit. I trimmed down the "ears" to make it safer to grip the cam. The other bike I've done extensive work on has that gripping area on the end of the cam which was easier. Why Yamaha makes it a little hard to get to, I don't know.

Align the cam/guide marks on the rear cam, then manipulate the sprocket to fit the bolt hole, insert one bolt. Align the front cam/guide marks, and manipulate the front sprocket to insert the bolt. Rotate the cams about 180, and insert/torque the other bolts. Rotate back to the F mark and torque the two original bolts. It is easier to reach the bolts at different times during the cam cycle, so watch the sprockets as you turn the crank, then make sure your timing is still correct. Rotate to the C and insert the cam tensioner.

NOTE: This all got started when I put a Vmax ratcheting tensioner on and assumed the increased noise was due to additional tension on the chain. It was the opposite: NO tension on the chain, hence the jumped teeth. When I took the ratcheting tensioner off, it was retracted; when I touched the plunger, it then extended, but had not in the engine. When I put my original tensioner in as per the manual after retting the timing, I could hear it extend when I released the lock. Starting the bike, I heard that same cam chain noise I had before the problem. I stopped the engine, rotated it to C, and adjusted the tensioner...it extended and clicked again! Now all is well and she's running great. I must have some hang-up in the cam guide, so make sure you check the tensioner a couple of times.

[randy]

NOTE: This all got started when I put a Vmax ratcheting tensioner on and assumed the increased noise was due to additional tension on the chain. It was the opposite: NO tension on the chain, hence the jumped teeth. When I took the ratcheting tensioner off, it was retracted; when I touched the plunger, it then extended, but had not in the engine. When I put my original tensioner in as per the manual after retting the timing, I could hear it extend when I released the lock. Starting the bike, I heard that same cam chain noise I had before the problem. I stopped the engine, rotated it to C, and adjusted the tensioner...it extended and clicked again! Now all is well and she's running great. I must have some hang-up in the cam guide, so make sure you check the tensioner a couple of times.

Those tensioners have a set screw and locknut on one side to keep the plunger from rotating and causing mis-alignment of the ratchet mechanism. Before i installed mine, i took it apart to clean it and tightened the set screw/locknut just enough to take out the play, but not enough to cause binding. JAT. BTW, I checked with a flashlight and when installed, the plunger lines up perfectly with the cam guide/slider.