cam chain tensioner
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2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: wichita,ks
cam chain tensioner
I have a 05 road king. Do I need to covert to the hydraulic tensioner?
It has the spring tensioners now. Also there are some factory bearings
that need to be upgraded. I plan to keep the bike for awhile. If these cam
parts are weak should they be replaced before I have any performance parts installed?
It has the spring tensioners now. Also there are some factory bearings
that need to be upgraded. I plan to keep the bike for awhile. If these cam
parts are weak should they be replaced before I have any performance parts installed?
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 868
Likes: 51
From: Illinois
I have a 05 road king. Do I need to covert to the hydraulic tensioner?
It has the spring tensioners now. Also there are some factory bearings
that need to be upgraded. I plan to keep the bike for awhile. If these cam
parts are weak should they be replaced before I have any performance parts installed?
It has the spring tensioners now. Also there are some factory bearings
that need to be upgraded. I plan to keep the bike for awhile. If these cam
parts are weak should they be replaced before I have any performance parts installed?
Cruiser
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 208
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs, CO
It is more about the miles you have on your bike. 30K seems to be the magic number to start keeping an eye on them. Check my previous posts on options and costs. I would not recommend neglecting them since one of mine was down to 20%. There should really be a recall on this problem but we'll never see it. Going gear drive is the way to fix it forever but it is not cheap.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,203
Likes: 2
From: Pittsburgh, PA
How long is "a while"?
How many miles do you ride a year?
On my 03 FXD and my 04 FLTR I went to gear drive, and upgraded the cams at the same time,
I am happy on both counts,
Peace of mind with the gears,
A huge performance gain with the cams,
How many miles do you ride a year?
On my 03 FXD and my 04 FLTR I went to gear drive, and upgraded the cams at the same time,
I am happy on both counts,
Peace of mind with the gears,
A huge performance gain with the cams,
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,142
Likes: 7
From: Michigan
The answer to your question is NO, you do not NEED to change to the hydraulic version. You do however need to keep an eye on the tensioner shoes and if nothing else, replace them when they begin to show wear. If you do a good amount of riding each year, then it may be more economical to go to the hydraulic kit, but you can change the stock shoes (parts only anyway) 3 times before you get to the price of the hydraulic kit.
The other alternative is always going to gear drive cams, search for the numerous threads on this topic as well.
The other alternative is always going to gear drive cams, search for the numerous threads on this topic as well.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,203
Likes: 2
From: Pittsburgh, PA
The answer to your question is NO, you do not NEED to change to the hydraulic version. You do however need to keep an eye on the tensioner shoes and if nothing else, replace them when they begin to show wear. If you do a good amount of riding each year, then it may be more economical to go to the hydraulic kit, but you can change the stock shoes (parts only anyway) 3 times before you get to the price of the hydraulic kit.
The other alternative is always going to gear drive cams, search for the numerous threads on this topic as well.
The other alternative is always going to gear drive cams, search for the numerous threads on this topic as well.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,328
Likes: 15
From: Pacific Northwest
You have three alternatives here:
1. Keep the spring type tensioners which means inspecting them at least every 10K miles.
2. Convert to hydraulic which means still having to inspect the shoes...just less often (every 30K miles).
3. Convert to gear drive which means never having to inspect tensioner shoes again.
Any of the above can and should be done at the same time as your power upgrades.
1. Keep the spring type tensioners which means inspecting them at least every 10K miles.
2. Convert to hydraulic which means still having to inspect the shoes...just less often (every 30K miles).
3. Convert to gear drive which means never having to inspect tensioner shoes again.
Any of the above can and should be done at the same time as your power upgrades.
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Banned
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,719
Likes: 1
All good advice, but I have to add if you are going to be in there doing performance upgrades, why not save yourself the worry and do the tensioners at the same time?
Also, if you are considering gear driven cams you need to have your crank shaft runout checked. I believe to run gear driven cams the runout cannot exceed .003" or you might end up with an intollerable whine from the inadequate tollerance.
If it were me, I'd also make sure to change out both the outer cam bearings and the inner cam roller bearings in the crank housing, to prevent catastrophic failure which is all too common in these engines. Most of the cam installations call for changing out these bearings anyway.
Also, if you are considering gear driven cams you need to have your crank shaft runout checked. I believe to run gear driven cams the runout cannot exceed .003" or you might end up with an intollerable whine from the inadequate tollerance.
If it were me, I'd also make sure to change out both the outer cam bearings and the inner cam roller bearings in the crank housing, to prevent catastrophic failure which is all too common in these engines. Most of the cam installations call for changing out these bearings anyway.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 5,072
Likes: 104
From: Prescott, AZ
I have been thinking of the same 'fixes' then I remembered I have the 7 year factory warranty that I bought.... I now have right at 40K miles and the warr is good until Feb 2011... I am just going to ride and see what happens... I am hoping I have the failure before the next 15 months... worst case, I am stuck on the road somewhere...
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 531
Likes: 0
I have been thinking of the same 'fixes' then I remembered I have the 7 year factory warranty that I bought.... I now have right at 40K miles and the warr is good until Feb 2011... I am just going to ride and see what happens... I am hoping I have the failure before the next 15 months... worst case, I am stuck on the road somewhere...
LOL Probaly won't cover cam shoe adjuster failure,a normal wear item that
requires inspection. Kind of like never changing your oil.