Dear Friends!
I have of course heard about the problem in Twin Cam with the chain tensioners.
My bike is now 50000 miles more or less and i decided to have a look with the hope that someone was there before me...
unfortunetaly noone was there but fortunetaly I had a look in the very last moment inn my opinion.
There is some "meat" left in the front one... but the rear one... oh my God... I do not have dentist mirror but what I have managed to see
it is very very close to the end and brake...

Anyways job must be done.
Please let me know how to start with the subject.
I didn't want to touch the rocker boxes. would you recomend to change the push rods to the adjustable ones ?
How to do i right.
support will be highly appreciated. I do my bike myself as much as I can... and did change of the belt already and jobs like that.
some pictures from today

 

I do like the adjustable push rods, both my baggers have them

What do you have to cut the existing ones in half.... they don't cut easily and your run of the mill bolt cutters (consumer grade) ain't gonna cut it.

replace the lifters with something better than HD units, make sure to soak them in oil and pump them before installing

 

can you retro fit a hydralic tensioner like the later 07 and up TC's?

 

I'm glad you looked. Even though the front one doesn't have a ton of wear, it's heavily pitted, which IHMO means it's getting brittle.. Much easier & cheaper to replace them BEFORE they fail....

There are four main ways to update them. The cheapest is to replace the OEM tensioner pads with Cyco brand tensioner pads. Also, Twin Power sells replacement spring cam tensioners with Cyco pads, which are an easy switch. If you have access to the special tool, you can remove the rear tensioner without even removing the cams from the cam plate... The Cyco pad replacements are getting good reviews with many already at 50K miles on them, without the wear seen on OEM pads...

I like to go through the rocker boxes when doing cam chest upgrades... It's just a little time and a few gaskets... much cheaper than buying adjustable pushrods for like $200....

I would strongly urge to you to get the HD Factory Service manual for your year/model bike before diving into this.... With the manual and a few youtube videos (S&S and FuelMoto have a some good ones) it's really not that hard to do you if you basic mechanical skills....

Good luck with your cam plate update... keep us posted and don't be afraid to ask specific questions as you go through the process....

 

Yes, you can actually add an '07+ cam plate, pump, and hydraulic tensioners to an early 88". You need to round up the parts (there are lists all over the internet) and you will also get/use the newer cam sprockets and chains They use the better o-ring roller chains between the cams instead fo the OEM link style Morse silent chains. The link chains are suspected by many to assist with the fast wear and premature failure of the spring cam tensioners...

The big caveat to the '07+ cam plate upgrade is the different size of the inner cam bearings between the early twin cams and the '07+ twin cams. So this upgrade requires the need to purchase "conversion cams". They are designed to fit the '07+ cam plate, and the pre '07 inner cam bearings.... That adds to parts' costs and the need for a new tune.... It's an excellent upgrade if you are considering new cams anyways...

 

Your options are:

#1 Replace with factory parts only.
#2 Replace with upgraded tensioners.
#3 Replace with hydraulic tensioners and cam plate, oil pump.
#4 Replace with 07 and up hydraulic tensioners, cam plate, oil pump, and conversion cams.
#5 Replace with gear drive.

Each have pros and cons.

Inner cam bearings is a must for all options.
Lifters are recommended.
Other options include adjustable pushrods.

You will have to educate yourself regarding these choices, and what is right for you. There are various opinions here and not everyone will agree.
My choice is #4. Before that I went with #1.

I don’t like spring tensioners. The spring can break. Ask me how I know.

 

Thank you very very much for all the information.
I have Claymer service manual already which I already use.
I get myself fully prepared before I will start.
I have ordered already the blocking tool for the cam gears.
Basically I make up to 5000 km per year due to the weather here. so it is more or less 3200 miles.
I change all oils and filters every year before Winter.
When it comes to the solution I think that I will go into options no 1 - replace the components with new parts.
I have these ones avaliable here in europe

Tensioner external

https://malyhd.pl/rozrzad-nosek/1217...cam&results=73

They come from mentioned before twin power company and shall do the thing.

aditionally the set of gaskets from James gaskets
https://malyhd.pl/uszczelki-silnika/...am&results=355

having this there is just my time on top of that.
this basically closes within approx. 200 USD which is not too bad.
and with me making 3000 miles per year shall last for more or less 10 years
if you have any additional recomendations, remarks, hints - please let me know.
I will keep you posted.

P.S. Strange thing... this bike belonged to my Father R.I.P....I could not sleep tonight due to this tensioners...and he came to me in my sleep when finally I fell a sleep more or less 4 am - his words were... "OK, lets start and do this"... so the message is clear...

 

I did this last winter on an ‘01 TC88, I found this UTube video helpful.

 

The video doesn’t show this, but you will need to remove the gas tank too.

 

Just replace the shoes and check the oil pump for wear and of course the inner cam bearings.

It's a 2002. Your good for 50k more miles and 20 years.

Why spin wheels. And forget the silly SE upgrade . It's just Harley screwing you again. It leaves the inner link chain. That what never stops wearing.

The roller chain and it's not an o-ring one (doesn't need to be in a in an oil bath lubrication) once grooved in rolls and stops wearing.

On a link chain, on the inner one, if you can see witness marks from the pins hitting, the shoe is toast.