how do i tighten the cam chain

[deathlucky]

ok i had a servise about 3000km ago and i think my cam chain is loose its got this rattle at about 6000rpm+ last time i had my bike serviced the cam chain tensioner gone blown off and was just hanging on by 1 of the bolts dam it sounded shaZam!

so i want to
tighten the cam chain dont really know how to need alittle help
check the valves i know how to THANK YOU KERRY
is there any thing i else i need to check in the engine thanks

[MarkusN]

You don't need to tighten the cam chain, the cam chain tensioner does that for you.

Unless its spring is broken, that is.

Which happens quite often, I am told.

In short: You probably need a new cam chain tensioner.

[deathlucky]

how do i tighten cam chain tensioner

[MarkusN]

You don't. You preload its spring by winding it with the central screw. It then extends by itself, tensioning the chain.

You have to preload it prior to installing it. From then on it goes about its job all by itself.

[deathlucky]

sure sure... and how do i do that again

[MarkusN]

by winding it with the central screw.

[deathlucky]

and what is that

[MarkusN]

Now come on! There are three screws on that thingamajig. Two that hold it to the cylinder body, and a third one that serves to wind the spring that's in the center of the cylindrical body.


Oh, wait. Not sure, but the latter may be covered by a rubber lid that you have to pop out first.

[deathlucky]

do i have to take the "thingamajig" off to tighten it

[MarkusN]

No, but it will be easier. It's awfully cramped under there. When you take it off you may have to get/make a new gasket, though. Cam cahin tensiners are notorious leaking spots.

And once again, you don't tighten it, quite the opposite. Winding it will pull the "piston" in. (The rod that presses on the chain rail, thereby tensioning the chain.) Tightening of the cam chain is automatic by the piston extending under spring loading.

[deathlucky]

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/300_0322/cam_chain/cam_chain.cfm?man=su&groupid=3060&parent=3040

ok so i turn part 12? what way do i turn it?

[MarkusN]

I think part 12 is the rubber plug, but the screw is under there, yes. You wind it "righty-tighty", clockwise.

[deathlucky]

is there a limet to how tight i can make it how o i no when its tight enough

thank you all

[MarkusN]

Just wind it until you feel a sharp increase in resistance (sort of like a clockworkk spring).

[red_phil]

The camchain tensioner tightens the cam chain not you.

If your camchain is loose you have 3 options:
1) buy a new camchain tensioner.
2) buy a manual cam chain tensioner
3) try to fix your current cam cahin tensioner.

what makes you think your cam chain is loose?

[scratch]

Feature of an '89-'06 GS500: Automatic cam chain tensioner.

Who stated that the spring frequently breaks?  That's a myth.

I would rather check to see if one of the rubber bumpers has fallen off the underside of the gastank.

The GS does have a harmonic vibration that starts @ 5500rpms to 6k.  Search vibration with username scratch.

[rangerbrown]

the gs is no cbr which needs the cct replace all the time

[sanjay]

So from the side, the CCT looks like this:



On the right of the picture is the plunger, in full extension.  As the camchain gets looser, the plunger will automatically extend and keep it tensioned.



From the front, with the rubber cover removed, you can see a flat head screw.  As you turn this clockwise (right), the plunger will be pulled back into the tensioner and away from the chain.



If you remove the cover, you will see the torsional spring that provides the tension.

The reason yours came loose seems unclear.  Either a bolt came loose, causing the entire CCT to pull away from the chain, or the tensioner itself is failing.  A failing CCT is usually due to a a weak spring, whose symptoms are a rattle caused by the chain slapping around.

If the tensioner were removed or failed completely, the camchain would skip a tooth, causing your valves and pistons to move out of sync with each other.  This would be bad, leaving you stranded and costing a lot.

The previous owner of my bike informed me that its CCT was weak and that he cured the rattle by pulling out the torsional spring, twisting it around once by hand, and re-inserting it.  I was worried about doing this too much and opted to buy a new one.  Also, my CCT rattle happened at low RPMs, and could be cured by killing the engine and restarting it.  I don't know if this is a common thing or not.

To put yours back on, simply retract the plunger using the little screw, wedge a small metal piece in to keep it retracted, bolt the CCT back onto the bike, and pull out the metal piece.  The plunger will automatically extend until it's tight against the chain.  If there's still rattling, then either your CCT is bad (and you either need to re-wind the spring or buy a new one) or you have a completely different problem. 

[deathlucky]

there is just some thing alittle off about it there is a rattle between 6000-7000rpm maybe my valves are alittle out i have been riddin it like a mad man

[MarkusN]

Who stated that the spring frequently breaks?  That's a myth.

I did, and I've heard of a few too many cases where the cam chanin tensioner was broken. (Not sure if it was the spring in all cases; but the thing definitely stopped working.)