cam chain tensioner

[Anonymous]

Hey all,

I have developed a little bit of "chain slappage" on the timing chain. Can I tighten it with out taking the tensior off the bike?

Thanks
Josh

[moto_dan]

Re: cam chain tensioner

Hey all,

I have developed a little bit of "chain slappage" on the timing chain. Can I tighten it with out taking the tensior off the bike?

Thanks
Josh

What kind of bike? More than likely you have an automatic adjuster and should not need any manual adjustment. If your adjuster is malfunctioning, follow the procedure in your manual for remove and replacing.

[Anonymous]

its a gs750. might of helped if i didn't forget to add that little part eh?
thats what i thought. i just didnt want to tear it apart till winter came.
thanks
josh

[Anonymous]

I'm not an expert on these bikes (yet), but if yours is like mine it's self adjusting with spring tension always keeping the chain tight.

I suppose this assumes the chain hasn't stretched beyond the point of the throw of the tensioner. Though I haven't looked at it, I'd assume Suzuki made it so the tensioner arm doesn't just fall out when the travel exceeds a certain amount, so that would mean over some time the chain just goes slack. I suppose they assume this won't happen within A: the life of the bike, or B: before an overhaul.

In my Cylmer book they discuss a manual chain tensioner. Again, if the chain is that loose though, I'd not risk twisting the engine into a useless pile of aluminum for not replacing the chain.

Cheers,

Roger Moore

[moto_dan]

its a gs750. might of helped if i didn't forget to add that little part eh?
thats what i thought. i just didnt want to tear it apart till winter came.
thanks
josh

Ok now we know it's a 750 now is it a 8v or 16 valve? They may be different. Also, how did you determine that the cam chain is slack?

[Anonymous]

i wanna say its an 8 valve but i am not sure. its making alot of noise. sounds to me like its loose. i just didnt know if i could tighten it or not. there is alot of oil seepage around the tensioner anyway. i just wanted to wait till winter to pull it off and fix it.

Thanks Guys for the responses,
Josh 8)

[Anonymous]

Chain Slap Happy

If the engine has round cam cover end caps it is a 8-valve, if they are rectangular it is a 16-valve.
These motors make a fair amount of mechanical noise normally, and can develop something called cam end knock where the ends of the cam shafts tap back and forth on the insides of their covers, so make sure it is in fact making an unusual amout of noise. You can check the chain tensioner fairly easily, and replacing the gasket around it is a cheap fix, but if you really suspect the chain is loose you need to take the the cams out and measure the chain. You should be able to find out how long it should be in any good service manual.

[focus frenzy]

check the lock down screw on the tensioner to see if the tensioner has been locked down, ( done for servicing) on the left side of the cam chain tensioner there will be a lock nut and set screw, loosen the nut then turn the screw in till snug then turn it back 1 quarter turn then tighten the lock nut making sure that the screw does not turn.
if the screw does not turn in then the tensioner is locked and will not adjust itself.