Topic: cam chain locked up

[Ketch]

OK so there I was trying to reassemble the 550. Next thing I know the cam chain just got really tight on the cam, not the sprocket just the cam. I can't seem to budge it but I'm new to this playing mechanic thing so I got scared and came here for help. ANY TAKERS???

  Thanks 

[Frostyboy]

If you're saying the chain is tight on the cam I'm assuming you haven't hooked it over the sprocket yet.
If that's the case, the only way I can see how this could happen is if you rotated the crank & the chain has bound itself up around the crank sprocket.
Gently turn the crank in the opposite direction whilst pulling up on the chain & it should come clear.
If you are new to assembling a 550, take care not to bend the valves when you are installing the rockers. Search in this forum for 'rubber bands'.
Good luck

[HawaiiMike]

And getting that chain on the cam then bolting it all up can be pretty tricky. I did it a couple of times, thought I knew what I was doing (I didn't that's why I had to do it more than once).  Then after reading through posts on this forum I made sure the cam chain tensioner was fully retracted which provided that extra slack in the chain.  That little bit of slack made it much easier to bolt the cam chain sprocked onto the cam.

[turboguzzi]

If you're saying the chain is tight on the cam I'm assuming you haven't hooked it over the sprocket yet.
If that's the case, the only way I can see how this could happen is if you rotated the crank & the chain has bound itself up around the crank sprocket.
Gently turn the crank in the opposite direction whilst pulling up on the chain & it should come clear.
If you are new to assembling a 550, take care not to bend the valves when you are installing the rockers. Search in this forum for 'rubber bands'.
Good luck

very un likely IMHO.

most chances are that you put the front chain blade in front of the front chain run rather than behind it, a pretty classic mistake for first timers.

[Ketch]

Thanks for the comments, but I'm still not sure what I need to do to fix this remember i'm a first timer guys. So do I need to take the entire thing back apart to get the chain free or what exactly should I do???

[turboguzzi]

Thanks for the comments, but I'm still not sure what I need to do to fix this remember i'm a first timer guys. So do I need to take the entire thing back apart to get the chain free or what exactly should I do???

we still unsure what's going on there maybe try posting some pics of the carnage?

[Ketch]

Ok wifes got the camera so no pics till tonight. To try and give a better idea of this I'l try and explain what happened. I had the cam in place with the chain already on it. In the middle and was trying to bring the spocket across the cam like I have seen on this forum as I was moving the sprocket along I knelt down and I landed on the kick starter wich turned the crank and now the chain is very tight on the cam. Hope this helps some.   Thanks

[Roach]

yeah sounds like when you kicked the kick start it moved the crank and binded if you take off your stator cover you should be able to move it back by hand and free up the chain.

remember to make sure the notch on the cam it set up properly with the block and that you are at TDC so you don't have to go back into the top to check after your all bolted up

use the rubber band trick to put your tappet cover back on

[Duanob]

Start over. Some times it takes a couple of tries. No big deal. Set your crank at TDC with the "T" mark. (1&4). Set your cam with the end notch lined up exactly to the deck of the head. Eyeball the bolt holes where they line up and put the cam chain on the sprocket. You will have to move the crank over a bit to get to the bolt holes one at a time. Once the sprocket is bolted up, recheck the timing of the cam to the crank. If it's off just a bit figure out which way the chain needs to go on the sprocket, unbolt it and inch-worm the chain in the right direction until it's timed just perfect. Keep an eye on your marks at all times as you can bump the crank or the cam, as you well know. And yes do remember to hold the tappets up in the valve cover before you bolt it down or you will bend your valves.

[Ketch]

Awesome!!  I will try this after dinner just got home.   Not familiar with the rubber band trick anyone got a link to it. It sounds like somehting I need to see a few times to make sure i got it working right.

[OldSchool_IsCool]

This thread has a pic of the rubber band trick as well as a diagram of what may happen if you aren't careful with the tappets.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=17132.msg177203#msg177203