OK, been doin' some reading here , and y'all have me worried. I have 24000 mi on my 02 Road King Classic, and am about to take another 1500-2000 mi road trip. Should I be worried or just go have fun? My dealer says they recommend checking the tensioners at around 40,000 miles, but what I've gleaned from this forum is you should start worring at around 25000 mi.

Any info is appreciated, as I am leaving in a week.

 

Check out the DIY section

 

I put 90,000 on my 99 FLHT before we even checked them and even then they were ok, but we went ahead and replaced them, now have 43,000 on the second set..But if it would make you feel better have them checked before you go on your trip..personally i wouldn't worry about it..one thing I must tell you though, I do change my oil and filter every 2500 miles.. [sm=biker.gif]

 

I have seen engines with 86,000 miles and stock tensioners. Others needing replacement at 30K. There are a few that fail earlier than that but checking them at around 30K is what I recommend. If you have any concern then change them and you won't have to worry about it. Oh and while your in there the lifters could use replacement as well.

 

My 02 Ultra has 41000 on it and so I asked my tech about this thing. He said it can vary widely and for no particular reason. He told me to ride until I hear an unusual noise in the bottom end, stop riding and call a tow truck. It is a $500 fix and may not be needed for some time. I hope he is right. (He has 29 years wrenching Harley's).

 

Remove front exhaust pipe, remove cam cover and check the tensioners, piece of cake. Follow your shop manual. It takes longer to bitch about the cam tensioners then it does to check them. Oh, and don't forget the beer.

Thorns

 

What are the symptoms of bad tensioners?

 

My motor got extremely noisy. At an idle, the motor noise was louder than the mufflers and/or radio.

 

Oh and while your in there the lifters could use replacement as well.


WHY???

unless there are signs of flaking, flat spots, or questionable noise from the valve train there is no need to replace them..
my lifters @ 28K looked like new. cam tensioners had minimal wear.
if you feel you need to replace the lifters for piece of mind then change them. if they look good save the money and spend it on something else.
besides when you're in there checking the tensioners, you should be instaling something with a little more (NAAA) a lot more oomph. as well as some adj pushrods.