I just bought an 03 wide glide 2 months ago and it currently has 18,000 miles and they will continue to add up quickly, I bought from a dealer so I hav a 3 year Harley warranty///,,


assuming the cam chain tensioner is still the original one and has never been serviced,, if I have a failure due to this chain would it be covered by the warranty? How does this failure occur? and would the dealership even know that a break down was caused by the cam chain?


Some people have said that a warranty claim might be denied because the cam chain may be considered a service required item even though there is no mention of it in service manuals.


so doe sanyoen have any real life stories of this failure and any fixes under warranty?


Should I have this serviced & upgraded to the hydraulic tensioner on my own at a certain mileage or should I ride out my 3 years warranty? I guess It would be wise to just have it upgraded at 30,000 miles so it isn't an issue, hopefully that wouldn't void my warranty either.

 

Did you ask the dealer that sold yo the warranty?

 

that's a good idea but you know how these dealerships/ corporations are, they always tell you what you want to hear but when it comes time to pony up the claim you get a different story..

 

It should be good for 40K miles, I would fit a gear drive conversion and be done with it....don't let people put you off with tales of crank run-out....it's not that big a deal as long as it doesn't whine when running.

 

thanks, is it really worth putting a gear drive on? that sounds expensive, and if the stock tensioner is good for 40k, why bother? I bet the hydraulic ones last even longer than 40k and are a much cheaper upgrade.

 

I purchased a 2 year extended warranty on my '01 SG and they replaced both cam tensioners at 34K miles under the warranty because I told them I could hear "a noise from the right side" after they told me that they cannot look for things wrong to fix under warranty unless I tell them that I think there is a problem...

They are picking it up on Tuesday at no cost to replace the voltage regulator and check out the charging system as well as adjusting the clutch that they replaced around 5K miles back...My cost is $50 but I will probably have to pay for replacing the primary oil since it is due for a 5K mile checkup.

 

Wow, a dealer interested in repeat business!

 

There's a long story there...This dealer did two fairly extensive repairs for me last year. The first one went great but the second was really bad because of shoddy workmanship and I swore I would not take it back after that. Then my son bought his first HD there this past summer and while he was closing his deal, I casually mentioned my bad experiences with their service department to their sales manager and he set up a meeting with the GM and service manager to discuss my issues. They seemed sincere and I was impressed with their willingness to accept full responsibility and their candor about the problems they were having with their personnel at that time. They promised to do it right if I would give them another opportunity...I agreed to let them pick it up at my house and fix the charging problem I am having and inspect and readjust the clutch they replaced last year under the warranty. I know I can easily do both of these tasks but the OEM cost of the voltage regulator alone is three times what my deductible is...and I did spend $1100 on that extended warranty (I already got my money back on the last two warranty repairs) and there is less than 3 months left on it so I want to use it until it expires. They both said that if I agreed, they would inspect the bike for any other issues and fix them under the warranty as well.

But I still hear that old saying nagging me...you know the one..."Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."...we will see how it goes...to be continued.

 

i just did the tensioners myself, it isnt hard but if you arent an accomplished mech i dont advise doing it yourself. mine is an 01 fxdwg and i bought it with 57k miles on it. the tensioner shoes were worn, my cost was $150 in parts and $150 in labor for burley to R&R the inner cam bearings, support plate bearings, R&R the "shoes" and keep the existing spring tensioners. i removed the rocker assemblies and kept the factory pushrods, i also replaced the the cc breathers. if he would have done the entire job it would have cost approx $700. dont go gear drive, dont go hydraulic. stay stock and keep cash in the bank for the unforseen HD gremlins. pull the cover and look for yourself, or have a mech do the cover for you and show you an example of a new tensioner and your current ones. oh yea, my opinion is that if the tensioner fails and you failed to pay the dealer to inspect it prior to grenading than i think you are in that boat, on that river, without that paddle.