I see on the forum where others are saying you should change out your cam tensioners before you get too many miles(30000) on them. I have a 2004 Road King Classic with 40000 miles and was wondering if this was a problem for this model year? Also, what are the signs that the tensioner is failing? Are most people changing them out for preventive reasons or is there really that much of a problem. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

It's hit or miss, I checked mine at 45,000, they were ok but we changed them because we were in there.
Others have failed a much lower mileage. I think the variable may be related to the operator. Throttle blipping, higher RPMs and poor maintenance may contribute but no one really knows.
I would definitely check them at your mileage. You may choose to upgrade to the hydraulic tensioners at the same time and be done with it. Some have gone to gear drive but, be ready to live with more noise.

 

The more I think about it, the more likely I'm going to gear drives. Never have to worry about tensioners taking out oil pumps.



cheers

 

I agree with dc1450 on checking yours now, they are hit or miss depending on mleage. You can go with gear driven cams and be done ever checking them, I think the secret to quiet gear cams is making sure the crank run out is correct. I have done gears in 2 different bikes, both of them are very quiet. Good luck.

 

2002 road king, checked mine at 35K and one was cracked.

 

opened mine up @ 49,000 they were toast. so I ended up doing a big bore kit, geared 570's,and high volume pump w/ cam plate. Replacing the shoes would have been cheaper but not as much fun.

 

A buddy of mine has a 2005 road king police, I made him change it at 25K, but they were fine, so he hates me now.

 

A quick and dirty way (and I do mean dirty) to check the tensioner pads is to cut open your oil filter after a change and check the filter media for bits of orange plastic. If you find some it is a sure sign that your tensioner pads are deteriorating. The absolute way to check is to open up the cam chest and do a visual inspection. This is a PITA coz you have to remove the front exhaust pipe, but it is worth it.

I changed mine out at 40K and did the upgrade kit. Mine were worn and upon closer inspection after they were removed, I found they had voids in them. They were like tiny air pockets and when the pad wore away it would open the bubble and cause a chunk of the pad to break away. It was worth the peace of mind. When in doubt, do it.

 

I think plastic in the oil is a sign that its too late

 

Not really. Too late is not doing any type of inspection and blowing out the cam chest. I found tiny bits when I opened my filter, then I pulled the cover and did the visual.