Hi all,

I just installed gear driven cams and have a few questions for the experts. I checked the inner cam drive gears for backlash and got .001 (within specs).

I checked the pinion gear runout with cam support plate installed and got .003 (within specs).

But when I checked the rear cam outer gear to pinion gear backlash I got .000 at the point where the timing marks come together, I got .0007 at 90 degrees out, I got .000 at 180 degrees out, I got .0005 at 270 degrees out and back to .000 at the timing marks (specs call for .0005 to .001).

The Andrews instructions states that backlash must be present at each position. Is it your experience to go with an undersize pinion gear or can I go with the present readings ?

If I go with an undersize gear, won't my present readings jump to out of specs ?

Thanks in advance.

 

Any help ? please...

 

That is close enough that I would be comfortable going with it ~ as-is.

You may have one of the installs that has a little bit of gear whine, but that's about the extent of it. The inner lash @ .001 is spot on & will not introduce any noise or issues.

If it bugs ya down the road, you can always "f" with it then. If it were me... I button it up!

You do the oil pump alignment process... right? Snug two (diagonal) bolts while someone rotates the rear wheel, with tranny in highest gear.... Hope so, since ya already covered up some of the bolts with the outer cam gear....

 

I run gear drive and I also checked backlash and was lucky mine was .0005 to .001 all the way around and my runnout was .0025. mine are quiet whether hot or cold. I would bet that the majority of people who run gear drives do not or have not had thier back lash checked. were yours gears 100% clean when you checked or did they have oil residue on them as it makes a big difference. If you did not clean them completely with brake cleaner you probably have some back lash. If they do not bind I would bet you are good to go. If they do not bind I would put it together and run it and see how it sounds when it heats up. It is easy to pull back apart unless you have stock exhaust that is.

 

You're right.

 

What exactly do you mean by binding ? I have two spots (0 degrees and 180 degrees) where there's no play between the outer cam gear and the pinion gear.

The gears were brand new with no oil on them. I did not clean them but I will pull them off and clean and check again.

Thanks...

 

Thanks Phil...I did perform the pump alignment.

 

spin them with your fingers with them mounted in the plate and bike (just pull the pinion gear off and use the cam gear) they should spin smoothly. If you have a hard time turning them when they get to the no lash area they are binding.

 

I believe he was questioning the mesh of the outer gears rather than the inners....

2Seas... the oil referenced was really more along the line of the very think maching grease. I be if you were to spray them down real well with carb cleaner, they would have a slightly different feel after they dry than the did "out of the box".

On of the things that causes bind on the inner gear pair is not having the bearing pressed into the camplate square and flush - both of them.... This is one reason I ended up using the heat / cool method (rather than simple press) for installing these in the 06 & older bikes over the last year or so....

 

I prefer the oven/freezer method also. Seems to work great.