Had mine replaced at 35.700 miles. Check out this thread for more info:

TC88 Cam Chain Tensioner Inspection....just in time!!

IMO the 2003 twin cams are verry reliable. I have a little over 40.000 miles on my Dyna FXD 2003 and this was the first issue that had to be solved.

Like others have said before: have them checked & replaced at 20.000 miles and do the bearing upgrade.

 

Had mine done at 23k miles or 38k kms, they weren't too bad, i was having a complete chrome engine package install, so decided to do it then.

 

Don't be silly. I've got 50K on mine and have not had any problems yet, but I am due for shoe replacement for sure. The Twin-Cam is the most reliable engine HD has made other than the cam shoe problem. Buy the bike and don't worry about it. 13K is so low mileage. Gee, did the first owner ever ride the thing or what.

 

CAUTION GUMSHOE!!!. Yes, they are a great bike. Obviously you will have read what everyone here has said. If you paid attention, you will see that the wear patterns are all over the place. The really bad thing is that it is not even on the Factory Service Manual Maintenance schedule. It is a wear item and not on the inspection schedule. That is ridiculous.
I have no idea why anyone that has had really good luck with their tensioners would advise you to ignore yours. Nobody should ignore a wear item.
I have been researching this problem full time, for the last week and the tensioners wear out anywhere from 3,000 miles (not a typo) to near a 100,000 miles. Look at the pictures of FXD2003RIDER and you will see what you need to be afraid of. There are a few guys out there that have had catastrophic failures due to this problem. I have just under 30k miles on my 2001 Wide Glide (it ran great) and took off my inspection cover a week ago for no other reason than curiosity. It was a mess in there. The front tensioner was totally worn out and the spring was broken, so it was just hanging there useless. The chain guide was in a thousand pieces. The inner chain tensioner is very hard to see and you need a dentist's mirror to actually see it and you have to find a way to pry it up to get a good look at it. Just looking at it normally mine looked like it might be ok, but it had a crack in it, so it had to be changed. Now the fun begins. The cam plate and cams have to come out. You have two options. You take the tank, rocker covers and rockers off so you can take the pushrods out, or you cut the pushrods with bolt cutters and buy EZ install adjustable pushrods for $145 -$165 depending on which ones you want. That saves you from touching the top end. I finally made the decision to go with adjustables and took it apart. The inner tensioner was actually over 3/4 worn and most of the wear was on the end you can't see without the mirror routine. Both chains were also stretched enough that they need to be replaced. I was probably minutes away from catastrophic failure.
There are two reasons for the problem. First, the shoes have production quality issues where air pockets appear in some, which causes premature wear and failure. Second, the cam chains on some bikes are rougher on the outside where the shoes slide. This also causes premature wear. If you ever use new chains or take yours out be sure to polish the outside surface. So, . . . some bikes are lucky and some aren't. Which one is yours?
I would check them before I buy it, or have someone else do it.
Here is why. If they are worn, the tensioners are $65 each, the guide is $7 and the 2 gasket sets are a few bucks too. If you need chains you will be in the $200-300 dollar range Plus labor. You can exchange a lot of the labor for the cost of the adjustable pushrods, but it is still going to be quite a few bucks.
You can also choose to go gear drive or up grade to the new 2006 system and you won't have to worry about it again. That can be anywhere from $500 to $1000 depending on the options you choose. My research caused me to choose the Upgrade system from Herko.
Whatever you do, DO NOT ignore it.
Do your homework, buy the bike and enjoy the ride.

 

Wow GDT3, I think you are scaring the guy away. The bike only has 13K. He should not even worry about it for another 10K. There is nothing to fear but fear itself ... lol

 

I've been thru the cam chain shoe change it's no big deal. Have it checked at 20k-23k miles. There is a metal chain rubbing on a phenolic shoe causing wear. Thats like changing rubber timing belts in cars, it's a maintenance thing HD didn't foresee. Buy the bike and enjoy your ride.

 

Negative ... unless specifically included in the invoice / work order ....

* * *

Agree GDT3 is a little alarmist ... I changed mine when I upgraded stock cams at 26,770 mi ... although less than a quarter shot, the surfaces were a little pitted ....

Monitor the tensioners and replace them when at around 25-35K if warranted ....

When I did mine, I didn't remove the tank ... was able to remove the rockers and reuse my pushrods ... got the replacement tensioner shoes from Zanotti at a pretty good discount ... in my book cheap insurance, though I think I'd have been okay for another 20K miles .....

 

1. Is the cam chain tensioner a problem on the TC88 engine? Some think so
2. How does one know that it is becoming worn or non-functional? It will let you know with a racket if you let it get that far.
3. How much is the repair/replacement cost? $150 if you do it yourself. $450 by Harley
4. Am I having a cow over nothing? Yes

Check my album for pictures of it and what I think. Mine has the balance cams (not cam shafts) but they are a separate item but basically not much difference between a TC88 and a TC88b.

 

Well done to gdt3 for putting these things into perspective. As he says cam tensioners seem to be treated by Harley as servicable parts. It's a shame they don't give better guidance on when to check them! But frankly much of the rest of a bike can be as unpredictable as to just when it will need actual attention, as the great tyre debate demonstrates.

To gumshoe4, there is no reason not to buy a TC88. If 'yours' has had the cam tensioners done that would be just great, but it is not a big deal if they haven't. Post pics when you get it home!

 

Found a 1999 fxdl in 2008, 800 miles. At 2000, had a indy open it up, and put the se kit in. Total 1000.00, everything looked nice, but its done. New pump, shoes, bearing, and now I'm happy.Now that 88, can get pounded,and I'm satisfied.