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The spring tensioners put a constant pressure load on the tensioners. The hydraulic system varies the pressure load with oil pressure according to engine speed.
The spring tensioners put a constant pressure load on the tensioners. The hydraulic system varies the pressure load with oil pressure according to engine speed.
The comment about the pressure changing with engine rpm is is incorrect. Everyone here is missing the point! The spring tensioners have what? The spring when the pads are gone and metal start moving what happens? And fir the comments on gear drive! If you are not taking your bottom end apart and having the wheels trued and welded your li e expectancy will be slim! The run out means Absolutely nothing at time of install EXCEPT if it is out it wont last long at all. IF you dont have them trued and welded when you scissor the wheels your engine us junk! Anyone that knows anything about building horsepower on these knows this! The advantage of hp for just having gear cams is minimal with out good cams headwork and the bottom end your waisting your money! Keep the chain drive put tw 60 andrews cams in remap it and youll smoke the tire without popping the clutch!
The hydraulic tensioners apply tension roughly perpendicular to the chain. The spring tensioners apply tension angularly. On the Harley Twin-Cam engine, the outer spring tensioner applies tension in a trailing manner, the inner spring tensioner applies tension in a leading manner.
A leading shoe tensioner increases force as the chain moves, and increases force as the shoe wears. This type of design will wear rapidly, and at an increasing rate as it wears because the angularity becomes progressively worse.
Hydraulic tensioners typically are designed to operate adequately at the lowest oil pressure (idle). There can be some chain slap at cold start due to lack of oil. This chain slapping won't be heard or encountered on a Harley engine due to design, but is fairly common on automotive engines where the chain can slap against the guides and even the timing chain cover (Toyota R series engines were well known for this as an example).
Hydraulic tensioners, owing to their near perpendicular angle, continue to tension the chain without change as the shoe wears. As there is no appreciable change in tension, the wear rate of the shoe will not appreciably change. Hydraulic tensioners do wear. But for most applications, they can last the life of the engine.
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