cam chain tensioner GS550

[Guest]

I have read this article below and it is a great help. But I do have a question about something. Why did he use 1,5 turn on the torsion spring instead of the 1 turn like it is from new? Will this not give to much force ?
I also found that my tensioner was still leaking after changing the small O ring and the seal. So it seems to be the bog O ring causing the problem here which means buying a deep 30mm socket.
I am convinced that my tensioner will come out without moving the carbs luckily.
I also founfd that when the pushrod is all the way out that the adjustershaft will just spin round as it doesn't toch the pushrod. So the pushrod needs to be taken back slightly for the ajustershaft to come to a stop when turning it clockwise.

http://www.bwringer.com/gs/camchaintens.html

[steveb922]

I don't know for certain, but I would guess the extra half a turn is to make up for 30 years of stress on the spring. Presumably the spring would weaken a bit over the course of its life.

I've changed two of the large O-rings recently - that 30mm nut can be very tight!

[tkent02]

Springs change length over time, but they don't change stiffness. The extra half turn is just because Brian thought too tight is better than too loose. He's probably right, but one turn would work fine too.

[Ton1959]

I was thinking that too tight will cause more wear on the tensioner rail

[tkent02]

It might, but they don't wear much anyway. Go with one and see how it works. It should work fine.

[Steve]

I was thinking that too tight will cause more wear on the tensioner rail

Extra tension on that spring does NOTHING to wear on the rail.

The tension provided by that spring merely ensures that the plunger that pushes on the rail can NOT back up.

Oh, and good luck with removing the tensioner without removing the carbs.

I just did one, not only do you have to remove the carbs, you also have to remove the starter cover so you have access to the lower bolt on the tensioner.

.

[Ton1959]

Extra tension on that spring does NOTHING to wear on the rail.

The tension provided by that spring merely ensures that the plunger that pushes on the rail can NOT back up.

Oh, and good luck with removing the tensioner without removing the carbs.

I just did one, not only do you have to remove the carbs, you also have to remove the starter cover so you have access to the lower bolt on the tensioner.

.

I have the tensioner with two bolts and I can get my spanner on the top bolt and my socket on the lower bolt without removing anything. I did remove the tensioner like that before I removed the carbs .

[tkent02]

On some engines it's easy. On others, not so easy.

[Ton1959]

I didn't say it was easy but not impossible

[rogue1313]

Quick question.....I have an 82 GS1100GK with a leaky cam chain tensioner.....after some cleaning, it would appear the it's the large O-ring that's leaking (and there might be the tiniest leak from the little O-ring on the locking screw).

Anyway, here's my question.......Can I just remove the 30mm nut & replace the large O-ring without taking the whole assembly off the engine?

I was planning on taking the assembly out & rebuilding it, but upon closer inspection, I think I can take care of 95% of the leak by just replacing the large O-ring.....which I can do without taking everything apart (tank off, carbs off, etc).

What do you guys think? Is it safe to just pop the 30mm nut off, put on a new O-ring, and then screw it back in?

Thanks.

[Ton1959]

I was thinking that the big O ring was leaking on mine too as that was the only part I didn't renew but the more I look at it the more I think that it is oil coming from the base gasket and running towards the lower part of the tensioner. Is your engine absulutely dry on the front?
For me it seems hard to believe that the oil from the tensioner has worked its way to the front of the fins. I am talking about my oil leak now.
I will first renew that big O ring too but I will remove the tensioner. I can imagine that it should be possible to change that big O ring without taking the tensioner out.

[rogue1313]

What I did was use some degreaser & a couple cans of brake clean to completely clean the area......Then I ran the bike and sat and watched.

100% sure that the base gasket of the tensioner is leak free.....100% sure that BOTH the little O-ring on the set screw & the larger O-ring on the 30mm adjustor nut were leaking......Wasn't totally sure if the adjustor shaft seal was leaking or not.

After some research & advice, I decided that it would be safe to change both the small & large O-rings while the adjustor assembly was left on the bike.....I did one at a time just to be safe.

I tightened the 30mm nut a little too much at first (the spring loaded knob wouldn't turn), so I ended up backing it off just a little bit....enough so I could turn the knob & hear the tension rod chattering back & forth inside.....so I knew it wasn't hung up.

I put the set screw in with the new little O-ring.....and it was still weeping a little oil.....So I took it out, put a little High Temp RTV sealant on the O-ring, and then reinstalled it......Which took care of the weeping oil

I ran the bike for a while & no more leaks.....which means the O-rings did the job & the adjuster rod seal is OK (for now).

So as far as I can tell, the bike runs fine.....the same way it did before I started fooling with the adjustor.....So I think it's good to go.

Doing the O-ring replacement that way was super simple....saved all kinds of time......I'll keep an eye on things and hopefully it'll hold up.

I'm just glad I took the time to degrease everything so I could really see where the leak was coming from.....I mean I was planning on replacing the whole adjustor assembly, which would have be A LOT more intense.

As far as when it was leaking.....it was basically dripping onto the top of the engine, running along the base of the cylinder jugs, and then through a hole or crevasse somewhere & collecting on the underside of the bike.

I didn't have any leaks coming from the front of the engine though.....So I can't help with your situation unfortunately.