Cam chain tensioner question

[Guest]

Is it possible to modify an automatic cam chain adjuster to a manual one, or do you have to buy a new manual tensioner?
Doze.

[focus frenzy]

well I have seen in a magazine where they say to get a bolt of the correct size and pitch and tighten it down locking the adjuster, but then again the tensioner already has a locking screw in the side.
it is for locking the plunger in the retracted position, but there is nothing to keep you from useing it to lock the plunger with the tension set.
just loosen the lock nut and screw the set screw in till tight and then tighten the lock nut back down.

[Anonymous]

Dont jump the gun don. I will soon have a spare one of each im sure. My stock one was modded but i didnt do it myself and i purchsed a used manual one last year. My new engine will probably get a new manual one and i will make a similar deaL WITH YOU AS I DID WITH THE ENGINE COVERS.bUT OF YOU ARE IN A HURRY THEN DO WHAT YOU MUST


CAPS?????

[scotty]

don email me about the cam chain tensioner if you are still thinking of the mod.

[graham harron]

just my two cents on this subject

I bought a ape manual tensioner about a year ago and after some carfull thought changed my mine for two reasons, The first reason i did not like the ape unit ,was the crappy way they seal the bolt with a half a@@ oring that leaked much more than my old tensioner ever did. The other reason is unless you are very sure you are setting the tension corectly you can do much damage in two ways , the first is two loose and that can cause jumped timing poor performance ect. But the other problem is two tight and you will excel wear on a already worn system ,if you ever take your motor apart you will see what i mean. so i just rebuilt mine with new seals and orings and will take my chance that the suzuki design will work for me !!!

[earlfor]

Re: just my two cents on this subject

You just gave the prime reason I dont change to a manual cam chain tensioner. Is there anyone here that knows precisely how to set the tension to a specific ft/lb setting and does anyone know what that factory spec is? I sure dont know either of those things.

Earl

I bought a ape manual tensioner about a year ago and after some carfull thought changed my mine for two reasons, The first reason i did not like the ape unit ,was the crappy way they seal the bolt with a half a@@ oring that leaked much more than my old tensioner ever did. The other reason is unless you are very sure you are setting the tension corectly you can do much damage in two ways , the first is two loose and that can cause jumped timing poor performance ect. But the other problem is two tight and you will excel wear on a already worn system ,if you ever take your motor apart you will see what i mean. so i just rebuilt mine with new seals and orings and will take my chance that the suzuki design will work for me !!!

[Anonymous]

cam

The only way I know is to pull the valve cover to check the up and down tension on the chain between the cams, after you take up the chain slack and set the tensioner, my guides look perfect after 30,000 miles, stock engine leave it alone, modifiyed well thats a different story, and if suzuki thought that a cheaper manuel tensioner was better they would have put one in and added it to the valve adjustment interval, as part of the service

[oldschoolGS]

Running stock cams, the factory tensioner should be OK. With aftermarket cams, I would not use rely on the factory tensioner. The problem occurs when you close the throttle from high rpm and unload the cam chain. Back in the mid 80's when these bikes were being modified for racing, I have seen factory tensioners on the 16v 750's fail and allow the motor to skip time bending valves and all that. The insurance the manual tensioners provide far outweigh any other concerns on a modified motor.

I had moded the stock tensioner on my 16v 750 15 years ago when I started running aftermarket cams, I simply removed the spring mechanism which acts on the tapered plunger at a 90 deg angle and had a machine shop drill and tap the housing to accept a 5/16 bolt. Now the bolt exerts pressure on the plunger's tapered shaft at a 90 deg angle preventing the plunger from moving backward. A locknut and blue locktite prevent anything from coming loose. I have put about 30,000 miles on this setup with no problems. Adjustments ,if required, are made when valve clearance is checked-about every 2000 miles for me. It is easily done by sight and feel- simply spin the motor by hand, with no slop in the system you will know when the tension is right.

The only disadvantage is that with the bolt 90 deg to the plunger, the full range of adjustment is limited to the amount of taper on the plunger shaft. Regardless, I am going to go with a new cam chain and APE tensioner on my current 816cc motor for this reason.

BTW, the 16v 750 motors use the same tensioner and cam chain as the 16v 1100/1150 motors. good Luck, Ed.
1983 GS750ED

[earlfor]

Re: cam

I recently had the head and barrels off my 1150 to replace gaskets and "O" rings and at 30K miles, there was no notable wear on the cam chain guides. As far as I can tell, the automatic tensioner is doing its job perfectly. I see no reason to replace it with a manual tensioner.
If it aint broke, dont fix it. :-)

Earl

The only way I know is to pull the valve cover to check the up and down tension on the chain between the cams, after you take up the chain slack and set the tensioner, my guides look perfect after 30,000 miles, stock engine leave it alone, modifiyed well thats a different story, and if suzuki thought that a cheaper manuel tensioner was better they would have put one in and added it to the valve adjustment interval, as part of the service