Topic: Broken cam chain tensioner?

[pmpski_1]

I followed the book to tighten my cam chain, but it didn't work. It didn't get any quieter, and actually got louder. The slotted tensioner didn't move. Reading some other posts about how to tighten the chain, some of you were doing it while the engine was running. I tried this as well. Sometimes I could get it quieter, but as soon as I tighten the locknut, the noise comes back. Last time I went through the exercise, I felt the tensioner pop. Did I break something?

Also, I know that some noise is expected, but it seems like it's louder than it was in the past. The bike runs fine, but I'm getting oil fouled plugs. If I clean them up it runs great. I guess I have bad valve guides\seals or need new rings, or could the loose cam chain have any effect on the oil fouling the plugs?

[pmpski_1]

Bump. Anyone have any ideas about this?

Thanks

[bryanj]

would help if we knew what bike

[pmpski_1]

d'oh. 74 CB550.

[bryanj]

OK forget all the boks and try the "mechanics" method i been using on all Hondas for WAY to many years!!

Using either the kickstart OR the BIG nut on the spark advancer put tension on the crank so that it is just about to turn, this tightens the front run of the camchain and puts all the slack in the "adjustable" side. Lossen and re-tighten the locknut whilst holding the pressure on the crank.

On the 500/550 you need to loosen the nut till it turns freely; on the 750 loosen the locknut and then the bolt till it turns freely.

YEH I KNOW you need 6 hands or a mechanicaly trained spider BUT with practice it can be done--If I can anyone can.

When you get used to it you can do a full service on any four with one revolution of the crank--and believe me when you are on a bonus payment saving any time at all is important!

[TwoTired]

Last time I went through the exercise, I felt the tensioner pop. Did I break something?

The stud holds a friction slider in place by the lock nut grip.  These can become sticky.
There is also a spring inside that is supposed to automaticaly take the slack out of the chain when  everything is positioned correctly  and the stud is loosened.

The pop you felt could have been the stud and slider unsticking all of a sudden (no big deal).  Or, it could have been the spring letting go, or breaking.  Then the question is, where do loose parts go inside an engine?

Don't shoot the messenger...

[pmpski_1]

I kept at it and it's a bit quieter. But there's times when I'm sitting at a light and it gets reeeeal quiet.

Because of the oily plugs I know I'm going to have to do some major work on it, I just don't know when. It runs pretty good right now and I'd like to wait until the winter comes before tearing into it. I'll keep practicing on this part.

Man, I thought this would be the easiest thing to do...."Loosen the lock nut. The tensioner adjusting screw will automatically adjust itself to the correct pressure tension".

Bryanj, I think I have a mechanically trained spider that can help me

[pmpski_1]

Using either the kickstart OR the BIG nut on the spark advancer put tension on the crank so that it is just about to turn, this tightens the front run of the camchain and puts all the slack in the "adjustable" side. Lossen and re-tighten the locknut whilst holding the pressure on the crank.

Worked like a charm. No more rattling chain. Thanks!

Onto the charging issue and it'll be running great. Just in time for winter.

[bryanj]

Now you didnt say anything about charging! Somwhere in the data i rescued from a "crashed" Hard drive I HATE BILL GATES!!!! i have a document that describes, with diagrams, how the charging system works. E-mail me direct and i will, hopefully, find it

[Bodi]

Bill Gates didn't make your hard drive!
Microsoft does, however, ritually ignore a hard drive saying it's about to fail... all drives tell the system when they're having trouble reading or writing (ie having to retry). If you used BSD or Linux you would likely have been informed that your drive was unhappy before it completely failed...
I have a few IT professional friends who preach the gospel of backups - at their jobs they use fancy tape drives and have a rigid backup schedule and all... but not one of them actually bothers with backups on their own home computer. It's something like how the mechanic's car is always a total wreck.

[bryanj]

Strange how after using a "cheap" program to recover the data (just took a long time) and put it on the "new" usb external drive I can run partition magic and find all the drive again! (And still find all the files with the recovery program--except my "supercalc" files) still not a super reliable Honda SOHC so just have to live with it!

[cmorgan47]

I have a few IT professional friends who preach the gospel of backups - at their jobs they use fancy tape drives and have a rigid backup schedule and all... but not one of them actually bothers with backups on their own home computer.

count me in that crowd.