acct question

[650mark]

i removed the oem stock cam chain tensioner from my '80 xs1100 special(13,000 miles) and found that it was stuck and not functioning correctly. found no damage done or any other problems. i installed a used unit from a venture that was in like new condition. the "new" acct operated easily and smoothly in hand and installed easily with no modifications needed. since it has no external mechanism for adjustments, how do i know it is working correctly? if not, just how noisy would the camchain be? thanks

[bikerphil]

When the chain develops a bit of slack from wear, the spring on your new tensioner will push the ratchet mechanism to the next tooth and take up the slack. There isn't really much to go wrong but if you want to verify it is working correctly, remove the valve cover and lift up on the center of the chain. You should be able to move the chain about 1/4" upward. When there is too much slack in the chain such as with an OEM tensioner that has slipped, you will hear a much louder than normal ticking noise in the valve train. Enjoy your new maintenance free tensioner.