Author Topic: Broken camchain  (Read 814 times)

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Offline Hush

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Broken camchain
« on: January 07, 2010, 11:59:33 AM »
I'm just wondering what sort of damage could occur if a camchain let go at speed?
I'm about to open up my partners bike and I suspect that it was the camchain parting that caused the bike to stop at high speed, there is very little debris in the oil and the motor turns quite freely.
Will the valves be bent? Guess that depends on the height of the compression chamber!
The crankcases do not leak.
How hard is it to buy camchains for older bikes?
I think the thing I most like about motorcycling is the speed at which my brain must process information at to avoid the numb skulls who are eating pies, playing the ukulele, applying make-up etc in the comfort of their airconditioned armchairs as they make random attempts to kill me!!!!!!!

Offline turboguzzi

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Re: Broken camchain
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2010, 12:41:26 PM »
is it a sohc?

there's plenty of signs to see if its a chain gone before opening the engine.

take off the valve caps, if the chain dropped the valves shouldnt move while you turn the engine

if you pull the oil pan you should be able to see a dropped chain with a flashlight or something worng around the cranks sprocket

never happend to me but would expect a motor with a dropped chain to be locked up.

 

Offline Bodi

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Re: Broken camchain
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2010, 01:08:00 PM »
What did "stop at high speed" look like?
I've had a camchain break at speed. I managed to pull the clutch in shortly after crapping my shorts when the rear wheel locked up solid. I don't think there is any cam position where no piston hits a valve. I suppose if things break just right the engine will still turn over freely but I wasn't that lucky.