Anyone know how much tension is on the spring pac?
also how much can you shim the springs before you risk a coil-bind ?.
I suspect weak springpack , and dont see a SE comp for 03 fatboy

 

Interesting. First time I went into mine (alternator problem) I searched high and low for a check on it. Appears to be none. Since there is none and belleville springs tend to have a life span and at the end break, The only real inspection would be a visual that they are all at their normal cupped position which when you look at the crimped end there is no free play in the stack. Also when you turn the compensator nut up the last 1/4" of turn will be loaded and when tight there will be no play in sprocket and drive. It will drive alternator rotor like that with no spline in it. Found that out on mine. We have some applications using them at work as tool tension retainers. (hydralic pressure unloads them to remove tool by auto tool changer) when they go they break. Normal ridding as long as they are all still cupped they should be fine. My 04 works still works fine with 40K. I seldom drive hard but I can power shift and make it clack. To me it's doing it's job. It's there to protect drive train and take some shudder out of the v-twin. Some people drive so hard Harley had to put another one in the rear sprocket. Just were do you plan on shimming it. Shimming would unload it unless you remove crimp and shimmed inside. Shimming the back side of sprocket would throw chain out of alignment. (see my album as to why this is) What is it doing that makes you think it's weak.

 

tks for the reply, I have found that I have approx 1/4 inch of freeplay in the springs .
i/e by pulling the outer spring up to the "crimped edges of the holder . the springs rattle around ....
I think they have lost their tension.

reason for looking is bang/clank when starting.
bike only has 4k on it ( was built and then stored for seven years)
Of course springpac was compressed at the same position for the seven years.

I dont ride it hard , but the tip of the comp cams are well polished ,
Has a thunderheader on it , and I probably dont hear it rachet under load, just when starting.

 

I have found that I have approx 1/4 inch of freeplay in the springs .
i/e by pulling the outer spring up to the "crimped edges of the holder . the springs rattle around ....
I think they have lost their tension.

(sorry but I cannot say I actually tried to pull them up. just looked to see all cupped and it did not rattle. However I do know mine were not actually compressed at crimp and there was some play. However if you look at my picture I bet I could have pulled them apart. I just noticed the cup height was near top


reason for looking is bang/clank when starting.
bike only has 4k on it

( watch the engine bet its catching on one cylinder and missing on the next till the next cycle..the bang you here is normal then.. little different then poping clutch bang.)

Of course springpac was compressed at the same position for the seven years.

(not running, the springs are far from being actually flat..since they only do that when under drive load like poping clutch too hard and comp is fully locked up. would not worry about the sitting)

I dont ride it hard , but the tip of the comp cams are well polished ,
Has a thunderheader on it , and I probably dont hear it rachet under load, just when starting.

(do not think you ever will.. as the v finger drive apart once it runs out of room it's fully locked. How hard it runs out of room is the bang. Not sure what you mean by tips. The only polished area should be the side of the v not anywhere near the tips. Do you still have the 1/8 thick standard spacer in the lineup of part behind the shaft extension that the sprocket slides on? It's between alternator rotor and extension)

Couple thoughts. A warn out starter drive clutch will cause a bang if it does not unlock after starting. No way yours can be warn out with this low mileage. Like mine you probably have manual tensioner. When set to the minimum tolerance of 5/8 play I believe it tends to make the chain just a little too tight when you have a slight runout in your sprockets and therefore may only be 1/2" in places. It also gets tighter when hot. This tends to get you a bang from the starter pinion going in since the clutch sprocket cannot move any. Let me know how much free play you have and how hard you push on the chain to get it. I suddenly have a bang once about ever 20 starts after setting my chain tension after going in my primary and truing it all up. I know it's the starter and not compensator. It will actually bang sometimes quit loudly and then start cranking.

 

(do not think you ever will.. as the v finger drive apart once it runs out of room it's fully locked. How hard it runs out of room is the bang. Not sure what you mean by tips. The only polished area should be the side of the v not anywhere near the tips. Do you still have the 1/8 thick standard spacer in the lineup of part behind the shaft extension that the sprocket slides on? It's between alternator rotor and extension)

hks 4 the reply.. mine are polished "over the tips"..
i/e looks like never locks up ..just goes to the next avaiable detent.
yes the washer is in place .
?? If the clutch actually locks , wouldnt that cause damage if indeed the engine , or the drivetrain locked due to a mechanical failure?.
Years ago, I locked a old triump engine (crank) , and the compensater sounded like a machine gun as it was "camming over the tips)..no harm to tranny

Pri-chain is adjusted a little on the loose side .., have blown a starter clutch on other HD's ..different sound ....
stay in touch .I have a new starter clutch , and springpac on the way `...

glad to have someone who actually understands how this thing works ..
I will get back to you ( if that is ok with you )

 

The springs can say move about 1/4 inch. That lets fingers go up the ramp as far as 1/4 inch They never index like to the next v. Probably were you say the polished area is were they set down in the bottom. Mine may have been like that but I noticed a little smooth area up on the face a little up from bottom. Probable a little high spot. Mine at 30K look pretty much like they were first made except for some face wear on the spring contact. That part is a cast or forged steel part that has been heat treated to the hardness of a ball bearing. Not an expert but have been working on this stuff for 50 years and old tool maker and still in the machine shop world after 46 years. Do all my own work but only know stock stuff. My attachment shows about when assembled were they sit. It can compress the springs and come out about another 1/4" but never indexes. If it did that it would sound like a full auto rifle.

 

"""as the v finger drive apart once it runs out of room it's fully locked. How hard it runs out of room is the bang. Not sure what you mean by tips. The only polished area should be the side of the v not anywhere near the tips"""

You Sir are correct, I looked again and it would be impossible to "cam over the tips"
(I need to get my 1950's triump out of my head lol)

the outer cam bottoms out in the springcan..=bang/ bang..
Either way , the springs are weak.
I probably could have shimmed the springpac , and fixed it .
I have a new springpac coming , and if it bottoms out , I will have a 75 buck spacer...

 

Did not see this till your PM. I noticed that the new updates do not always appear in your user cp or maybe I missed it. Do a lot of welcomes to people.
Let me know how it works out. Still have not figured where you plan on shimming. What is the $75.00 spacer?

 

75$$ is the price of a new springpac..
if the new one still bangs , I will use one of the old flatsprings(bellview)
to shim it up ..i/e add to the springpac

 

Some of the problem with the 2003 compensator is that the nut is too long and bottoms out before a proper clamp load. Some remove ~ .040 from the length or use a spacer under the head of the nut.

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