Cam tensioners
Cam tensioners
My cam tensioners have been replaced with the upgrade kit and ill be picking the bike up tomorrow. I am glad to get this out of the way i had 20,000 on my bike and i decided to do them now. also have new lifters installed. its supposed to be in the fifties tomorrow so hopefully i wont freeze my *** off. I do not plan on having my bike in the shop this riding season i want every thing i need to be done now its only 34 days until spring
Here's what mine looked like at 45k (yes the inner looks the same, I checked it). I'll be savin that $500 for other stuff! Probably check em again between 75k and 100k. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,395
Likes: 153
From: Utah
jreichart:
You cannot... cannot see the surface of the inner tensioner shoe without removing the cams with the support plate. I am pretty well convinced that most of these reported problems are heat related. I think that the heat causes the shoes to pit and flake little itty bitty plastic pieces into your engine. The inner shoes get hotter than the outer ones... I see you have cams so you probably have the better inner cam bearings. I think it would be a toss up on your bike as to how far to push it, but they will eventually be a problem. I'm thinking about getting an oil cooler for mine... since I moved further south it gets really hot down here... especially when sitting on top of an air cooled engine.
C#
You cannot... cannot see the surface of the inner tensioner shoe without removing the cams with the support plate. I am pretty well convinced that most of these reported problems are heat related. I think that the heat causes the shoes to pit and flake little itty bitty plastic pieces into your engine. The inner shoes get hotter than the outer ones... I see you have cams so you probably have the better inner cam bearings. I think it would be a toss up on your bike as to how far to push it, but they will eventually be a problem. I'm thinking about getting an oil cooler for mine... since I moved further south it gets really hot down here... especially when sitting on top of an air cooled engine.
C#
here is a set i saw my indy take out with 12 thousand miles on them
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j467/RICHIEANGELA2010/IMAG0420.jpg.......the one on the right is missing a big chunk
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j467/RICHIEANGELA2010/IMAG0420.jpg.......the one on the right is missing a big chunk
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 324
Likes: 1
From: USA
That's because so many of the 06-later motors have too much pinion shaft run out to use gear drive cams.
It depends on the year. Most pre-06 motors should be within tolerance for gear drive.
Actually, yes you can. All you need is a dental mirror. You can pry open the tensioner, and there is a hole to stick a pin in to hold it away from the chain. Then reach in with the dental mirror to get a good look at the surface. Here's a link to a page showing the process in detail:
http://www.harley-davidson-hangout.c...ner-check.html
It depends on the year. Most pre-06 motors should be within tolerance for gear drive.
http://www.harley-davidson-hangout.c...ner-check.html
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,395
Likes: 153
From: Utah
That's because so many of the 06-later motors have too much pinion shaft run out to use gear drive cams.
It depends on the year. Most pre-06 motors should be within tolerance for gear drive.
Actually, yes you can. All you need is a dental mirror. You can pry open the tensioner, and there is a hole to stick a pin in to hold it away from the chain. Then reach in with the dental mirror to get a good look at the surface. Here's a link to a page showing the process in detail:
http://www.harley-davidson-hangout.c...ner-check.html
It depends on the year. Most pre-06 motors should be within tolerance for gear drive.
Actually, yes you can. All you need is a dental mirror. You can pry open the tensioner, and there is a hole to stick a pin in to hold it away from the chain. Then reach in with the dental mirror to get a good look at the surface. Here's a link to a page showing the process in detail:
http://www.harley-davidson-hangout.c...ner-check.html
"It would be easy to say, "Well, the outer one's OK, so the inner one will be too." but if you wind back to the first picture, you can see why that's not a good idea.
At this time, I haven't managed to get a view of the rear tensioner. it would be easy if I took off the cam plate, but that involves removing the push rods, and a whole lot more hassle that I'm not ready for, so I've asked for help on various forums, and am off to find a small dental mirror, that hopefully will let me see enough."
As i said.
I'm still not drinking the kook aid. It all has to do with the chain. And yes, I can see the inner tensioner. It looks identical to the outer which is essentially brand new. Yes, I'll keep an eye on it, but no, I'm not spending money on something I don't need and might not need for many more miles. I'd love to see a new style tensioner at 50k to compare.