My bike has about 25,000 miles and I've been afraid of all the horror stories about my cam tensioners, even though the cam case is as quiet as a mouse when running. So I decided to check them for my Sat. nite project.

It's super easy to check, took me maybe ˝ hour or so taking my time.

Only tools needed for this job are:
3/16 ball end allen socket
needle nose vice grips
Flat screwdrivers, I used 1 large and 1 small and a little pick to rotate the tensioners for inspection
small allen key to hold the tensioners away from the chain
hammer
Form-a-Funnel from Amazon to direct oil into pan
Catch pan

The key to the job was the ball end 3/16 allen. I broke all 10 bolts loose with my ratchet and zipped all but two out with my battery impact, leaving two side bolts in loosely to catch the cover when the oil seal broke, to keep the oil from going everywhere.

The ball end allen allows you to remove an allen bolt at an angle, which allows you to do the job without removing the exhaust pipe. You can also see how I used the flexible form a funnel, tucked it underneath the engine and over the frame and clutch cable and wiring and directed the oil into the little pan. About a ˝ cup or so came out and this funnel prevents a mess. It's a tool I use often for oil changes.



Toughest part of the job was getting the cam cover loose. Tried rapping it with a rubber mallet but that was futile. I used a small thin screwdriver and a hammer to tap it between the cover and the block and once I got it started a little the cover popped right off, and I was glad I left two screws in to catch it. Didn't even mess up the gasket.

I was very pleased with my tensioners, they look pretty darn good to me, there is barely a ridge that you can feel.

You can see how I grabbed the tensioner with vice grips to rotate it away - there is a hole to put a thin allen in to hold it away, but I didn't have quite enough rotation to get the pin in. It was ok, I held it in place, used the screwdriver to pull the tensioner back to inspect and even took a picture. That took three hands, not sure how I did it as I type this.



On the back tensioner, you can see it at the top of the cam plate. I pried its bracket up with a screwdriver, the bracket has hooks on it designed to hold it away from the chain when you put a small allen through the hole in the cam cover to hold it up. I used the screwdriver to lift it some more from the allen and a pick to rotate it so I could see it. It was actually a little better than the front, barely a ridge. I couldn't get a picture as I was using both hands and my mouth to hold the flashlight. Some guys say they get a dental mirror in there to inspect, I couldn't get my small inspection mirror in, but I could see it pretty well when I held it up and rotated it with the pick.

Overall, a very easy job, and I'm feeling much better knowing my tensioners are still in good shape. I'll check them in 10k or so and keep an eye on them, now that I know exactly how to do it, it'll be a 15 minute job next time.

 

Damn, at first I thought I had written this LOL I got my 2003 Heritage 4 weeks ago with 21k miles then read the stories about the CCT pad failing and last weekend I did the same thing as you, even buying the form a funnel from amazon. Both of mine are in great shape but I talked to a local HD mechanic about changing to the hydraulic style this winter but adding different cams, He quoted me $1,500 for new tensioner with oil pump, new cams, new adustable pushrods oil change and filter

 

Thanks Joe, good writeup. I am sure this post will give lots of folks courage to do the inspection.

 

Lol cool! You are a smart man buying that funnel, I love that tool. Saves many a mess changing oil on the cars as you can form it around the suspension parts that normally catch a quart of oil and leak it out over a month despite your best efforts to wipe it all up. Ok maybe a month is an exaggeration but it's still a great tool.

I'm planning to go with the Cyco tensioner when mine go, it's hundreds less than the upgraded hydraulic tensioner and oil pump. I have an oil pressure gauge and I run excellent oil pressure and temp all the time so I don't see a need for the upgrade.

http://www.harleydavidsontensioner.com

Thanks Cocky, that was exactly my point. This was frankly a lot easier than I expected so I figured I'd do a little write up to try to help others understand it's easy to take a look.

 

Nice write up, I wonder why some tensioners look great and some seem to wear faster. Hopefully the inner tensioner looks just as good.

 

Seems the chain on some bikes have small burrs on them which tear up the pads faster.

 

I checked my inner and it was as good or better than the outer. I just couldn't get a good picture of it.

I read that if there is any stiff spot in the chain it will cause the tensioners to wear quickly due to increased chain movement.

 

That makes sense! I`ve got little over 30K on mine and probably should take a look in there too

 

Fantastic! I'm checking mine next year when it hits the 20k mark.

 

Just outta curiousity, if the bike has a big bore kit with 203 cams are the tensioners still oem to the 88tc an should be checked? I got an 04 with a 96" an 29k on the tack.