Author Topic: WTF Cam Chain Tensioner (Read 4621 times)

theslayedsaint · « **on:** March 18, 2016, 07:34:34 PM »

Anyone else have this happen...
March 18, 2016

* * Important Safety Notice * *

Dear Malcolm Smitley,

Our records indicate that on July 9th, 2014 you purchased from our company:

Part Number: 05-8008 05-8008.jpg

Aftermarket Cam Chain Tensioner Set:

It has been brought to our attention that the rubber compound used in manufacturing the wheel components of part number 05-8008 may be susceptible to softening from extended exposure to engine motor oil. As a result of rubber softening it is possible for the rubber to break off and cause part failure. Part failure could result in lockage of the rear tire during operation. As such, we recommend inspecting and/or replacing this part immediately.

We are taking various steps to inform the public about this issue, including filing a report with Transport Canada and posting notices on our website.

We strive to sell the highest quality aftermarket parts to keep your CB750’s on the road! Quality control is very important to us. We are no longer carrying this item, and will not be using this manufacturer for future items.

We have issued a Paypal refund for this part in the amount of $79.00 Please login to your Paypal account to deposit your funds.

We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause. Customer satisfaction is very important to us. We would like to extend a $50.00 Vintagecb750 Gift Card to be put towards anything you may need for your CB! Your gift card has already been issued to your account and can be used at any time!

We look forward to serving your future CB750 needs,

Vintagecb750

http://www.vintagecb750.com

calj737 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2016, 07:43:49 PM »

You are the 3rd thread on this topic.

Member Madmtnmotors (Wilbur) brought this to their attention after another member discovered his had eroded after only 3,000 miles. Wilbur had less than 1,100 miles and caused sufficient investigation that the "Recall" was made.

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2016, 08:38:24 PM »

Unbelievable so I finally finish my bike for the 2nd time and now your telling me I have to pull the engine again!!! Man I want to kill someone! And I'll we get is #$%*ing $50 gift card... How the hell is that going to pull my engine and remove parts and put it all back together.....

Don R · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2016, 10:49:03 PM »

Bad deal and I know it sucks but most manufacturers deny the problem and tell you to piss off. Give them a little credit.

calj737 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 19, 2016, 02:53:29 AM »

Look at the bright side, do it now BEFORE it blows up, or do it after it does. They wouldn't be on the hook for the damage then and you'd be up Sh!t's Creek with no paddles against the current.

It does completely suck, but you still have time to get it fixed properly before the height of riding season.

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2016, 05:10:04 AM »

Yeah if it was anything else not motor related or if I wouldn't have just finished the bike.. Buffing gas tank and I was done! Then it would just suck but this is a very time consuming job that I don't have time for right now. FML waking up at 5am wide a wake thinking about this really sucks....
May as well ask it but I do have to pull the engine right....? And other then cutting the chain and riveting a new one on, I would have to pull sprocket/retime or is there any other way to get it out without all that work?

Ps... Just wondering but why aren't part makers held responsible for this time of thing like car company's are when sometime breaks that was a malfunction?

Dino · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2016, 05:33:48 AM »

This really sucks. Very lame on the part on the manufacturer. They went for cheap to make a sale and that's it. Who cares if it's incompatible with motor oil? We got our money and that's all that matters. This is the problem with Chinese aftermarket crap. Anything that goes in and engine rebuild should be top quality. Too bad the consumer has no way to tell. other than buying OEM.
I'm fairly certain that mine is OEM. I seem to remember taking it out of some Honda packaging. I have a spare from the PO so I'll be soaking it in some oil to see what happens to it, maybe even give it a few heat cycles.

calj737 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2016, 05:34:28 AM »

They can be held responsible, after a lengthy court proceeding... Its an aftermarket part and that obligates certain warranties.

Yes, the motor has to come out (unless you have a frame kit?). But, its better to resolve it now before it fails and really Fs YL. Know what I mean?

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2016, 05:43:10 AM »

Honestly until I just read someone saying it was built in Chine I had no idea!!! I never buy parts related to engine or safety from that fing place or really anything I buy. This was one of the parts I bought from a "small" store thinking I should support the CB Community... Should have Checked to make sure it was a good product but it was when I knew very little about bikes or engines for that matter and now 2 years later it's biting me in the ass hard...

ekpent · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2016, 06:18:08 AM »

You won't need to cut the timing chain but you will have to remove most of the top end.

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2016, 06:34:41 AM »

This day is just getting worse.... Now I'm thinking about it I would have to pull everything off the top end won't I? And then have to reinstall the sprocket and retime the damn thing??? So much for ridding this weekend

calj737 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2016, 06:36:44 AM »

You can make witness marks on your cam/sprocket so reinstall is much faster and more accurate.

bwaller · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2016, 06:42:41 AM »

How's the saying go? Anything worth doing is worth doing twice.....or three times in your case saint.

Sorry man, just a poor attempt at humor! Put your head down & get it done. Better days ahead.

Davidov · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2016, 08:33:12 AM »

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,155043.0.html

You can thank the other dudes for bringing this to my attention, PeWe, Wilbur.
You can thank me for hassling Vintage CB750 for a refund.

Believe me, I was more than pissed to find my tensioner wheel in pieces. I had rode my bike 30 miles to work that day!
Still taking this one as "lesson learned" and "better to find it before it caused major engine damage"

Would you rather have bent valves, scored cylinder walls, broken crankcase, etc.?

Quote from: theslayedsaint on March 18, 2016, 08:38:24 PM

Unbelievable so I finally finish my bike for the 2nd time and now your telling me I have to pull the engine again!!! Man I want to kill someone! And I'll we get is #$%*ing $50 gift card... How the hell is that going to pull my engine and remove parts and put it all back together.....

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2016, 11:57:59 AM »

Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful I'm not on the side of the Hwy dead! So thank you all for bring it up and forcing them to take action.... However I do think they should at least offer a new part from Honda or money to buy one not a damn gift card!!

calj737 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2016, 12:10:51 PM »

The Honda part is only $10 more

Davidov · « **Reply #16 on:** March 21, 2016, 06:44:43 PM »

Quote from: theslayedsaint on March 19, 2016, 11:57:59 AM

Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful I'm not on the side of the Hwy dead! So thank you all for bring it up and forcing them to take action.... However I do think they should at least offer a new part from Honda or money to buy one not a damn gift card!!

VintageCB750 refunded you the $79 to Paypal, in addition to the $50 gift card.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #17 on:** March 21, 2016, 06:56:54 PM »

Quote from: Davidov on March 21, 2016, 06:44:43 PM

Quote from: theslayedsaint on March 19, 2016, 11:57:59 AM
Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful I'm not on the side of the Hwy dead! So thank you all for bring it up and forcing them to take action.... However I do think they should at least offer a new part from Honda or money to buy one not a damn gift card!!

VintageCB750 refunded you the $79 to Paypal, in addition to the $50 gift card.

He's talking about the gift card, not the cost of the original, the 50 dollar gift card goes no where near compensating for the work involved in replacing the sub standard parts, not to mention, the time wasted......?

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #18 on:** March 21, 2016, 07:28:27 PM »

Yep and the case of beer I had to buy for a friend to help pull the engine

ekpent · « **Reply #19 on:** March 22, 2016, 05:29:30 AM »

I would have helped for a pint of Black Velvet but then again I am a very cheap date-----

PeWe · « **Reply #20 on:** March 22, 2016, 05:44:19 AM »

I had to clean the engine to make sure that all debris from disintegrated tensioner is gone.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,61168.msg1788862.html#msg1788862

I'm rather happy anyway when my plan this winter was to replace crank w rods (APE Ultra) and transmission (both axes with undercutted gears)

Finding the bad tensioner was just a bonus :-)

strynboen · « **Reply #21 on:** March 22, 2016, 08:53:41 AM »

alvays look at the bright side of DEATH.....

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #22 on:** March 22, 2016, 09:28:23 AM »

Yeah all Saturday I kept trying to think of a "bright" side to all this....... and still cant think of a single one. the engine was a complete rebuild with almost every part being new. so not much upgrades i could add. and Saturday and Sunday where some of the first no rainy days in Portland and i was stuck inside taking apart all the work I've spent months putting together.. but i guess the upside is some cheap ass Chinese company making lots of money off of crapy parts

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #23 on:** March 22, 2016, 09:40:53 AM »

Also its pissing me off that on vintagecb750.com he's saying he's out of the Cylinder Head Nut Cover Set! come on you make us have to pull the engine and your not going to even have the parts in stock to use this $50 gift card give me a break.

robvangulik · « **Reply #24 on:** March 22, 2016, 02:24:40 PM »

Quote from: theslayedsaint on March 22, 2016, 09:28:23 AM

Yeah all Saturday I kept trying to think of a "bright" side to all this....... and still cant think of a single one. the engine was a complete rebuild with almost every part being new. so not much upgrades i could add. and Saturday and Sunday where some of the first no rainy days in Portland and i was stuck inside taking apart all the work I've spent months putting together.. but i guess the upside is some cheap ass Chinese company making lots of money off of crapy parts

If you hadn't learned about this fault from the members of this forum, you could have ruined your engine, with considerable more costs and risk for your health.
I think that is a very bright side!

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #25 on:** March 22, 2016, 03:03:09 PM »

you guys sound like my wife

I'm thankful I didn't blow my engine and i'm thankful that i didn't flip off my bike while going 100 mph and gently slide across the ground ever so gracefully! but it still pisses me off i have to buy new parts and pull the engine apart again.... but hey more practice i guess

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #26 on:** March 22, 2016, 03:38:08 PM »

Quote from: theslayedsaint on March 22, 2016, 03:03:09 PM

you guys sound like my wife I'm thankful I didn't blow my engine and i'm thankful that i didn't flip off my bike while going 100 mph and gently slide across the ground ever so gracefully! but it still pisses me off i have to buy new parts and pull the engine apart again.... but hey more practice i guess

Its alright mate, I'd be pissed off too....

madmtnmotors · « **Reply #27 on:** March 22, 2016, 07:13:13 PM »

Quote from: Retro Rocket on March 22, 2016, 03:38:08 PM

Quote from: theslayedsaint on March 22, 2016, 03:03:09 PM
you guys sound like my wife I'm thankful I didn't blow my engine and i'm thankful that i didn't flip off my bike while going 100 mph and gently slide across the ground ever so gracefully! but it still pisses me off i have to buy new parts and pull the engine apart again.... but hey more practice i guess

Its alright mate, I'd be pissed off too....

I most certainly wasn't happy about it either. Life lessons often have a way of evoking an emotional response. My takeaway from all this?

"Don't cheap out on critical components ever again"

I understand being pissed. Staying pissed seems counterproductive.

I have resigned myself to accepting at least part of the blame for trying to save a couple bucks.

Now if I had to tear it all the way down to the cases like PeWe did to get all the little rubber bits of the disintegrated wheels out of the engine, then there's a very good chance I might still be pissed...

Don R · « **Reply #28 on:** March 23, 2016, 12:39:30 PM »

I had a set of $400 rocker arms cost me a fresh $15,000 567" chevy engine because my engine shop thought they'd be OK and not replace them when I asked them to. Over the summer every engine with these began to fail and be brought in for repair but they didn't call and say anything.

There, feel better?

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #29 on:** March 23, 2016, 02:05:02 PM »

Yeah that makes me feel a little better!

theslayedsaint · « **Reply #30 on:** March 26, 2016, 12:52:10 PM »

Pull the engine and found that even my 200 mile engine had extreme chipping and wearing on the tensioner wheels..

madmtnmotors · « **Reply #31 on:** March 26, 2016, 01:50:18 PM »

Quote from: theslayedsaint on March 26, 2016, 12:52:10 PM

Pull the engine and found that even my 200 mile engine had extreme chipping and wearing on the tensioner wheels..

It was a very small reward for me when I discovered the same. It took a lot of soul searching for me to decide to tear down a newly assembled (and perfectly running) motor. I spent at least a couple days considering leaving it as it was, throwing caution to the wind, but in the end I know I made the right choice to replace these components. I just got my re-newly assembled engine fired up yesterday.

ekpent · « **Reply #32 on:** March 26, 2016, 01:54:33 PM »

Sad as it is to say I am glad there was something wrong with it that you could verify. Wonder how many more who don't have a clue. At least the seller is trying to reach out to buyers about the problem but how many other sellers are there peddling that same part,Hmm.

HondaMan · « **Reply #33 on:** March 26, 2016, 02:30:20 PM »

Quote from: ekpent on March 26, 2016, 01:54:33 PM

Sad as it is to say I am glad there was something wrong with it that you could verify. Wonder how many more who don't have a clue. At least the seller is trying to reach out to buyers about the problem but how many other sellers are there peddling that same part,Hmm.

Just to add to the confusion about these parts: there are 2 "generic" tensioner kits (parts) out there, besides the Honda parts. The Taiwan type is one, the "Made in Japan" label is on the other, and then the Honda parts. I have engines out there, since 2012, with all 3 types (but no problems in any that I know about).

Always remember, when working with the tensioner parts, to make sure of 2 things: first, make sure the bearing inside the larger roller spins effortlessly. Second, make sure the swinging pivot arm that mounts over it, which has a square notch punched out in one position, is slick, smooth, and pivots freely. This seldom happens, even with Honda's parts, because the sheet metal parts deform when punched. The Honda ones appear to be more "tumbled" or "finished" than the others and have less drag at this notch, but still some: file the drag away and make sure the parts move freely. Reason: these are merely splash-oiled by the nearby chain, so their surfaces need to require little oil. The oil holes in the pivot shaft bearing are held upright by the rubber blocks in its ends: if it does now STAY upright, it also will not collect oil. Then it will seize the bearings. Then the rubber parts will be subjected to very high, erratic loads.

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Author Topic: WTF Cam Chain Tensioner (Read 4621 times)