Harley Cam Chain Shoe Tensioner 20k Service
Hello to all,
My background is that I have been riding HD's since the 60's and have a mechanical and technical background from the time my grandfather put a wrench in my hand working on AMC's. I have been a technician in the USAF working on B-52's, KC-135's, C-9's, C-141's, and a host of others. I was also an instructor at the USAF Academy's Parachute Team for many years. Attention to detail was important then as it is now.
After retiring from the USAF I worked at an H-D dealership in Colorado as a Service Writer / Manager of the Technicians. Later moving back to Wisconsin I again worked as a Service Writer and later wanted to get back into wrenching, which I did. I have been through numerous H-D schools and have been an "H-D" technician for a number of years.
Ok enough of that.
What I am going to inform you about if you don't know already is you need to have your Cam Chain Tensioner's looked at in around the 20k time frame. The shoes may become worn to a point that they will actually fall apart and pieces end up in the engine and could possibly ruin it. An important procedure to help alleviate the problem is to change that engine oil often and keep it clean!
If you do have to change out the Shoes, you can upgrade to a new Cam, to make your engine work more efficiently. Also you can just cut the pushrods verses removing the top end and install adjustable rods. That will save some time and money.
Attached are a couple of photos that I took of what can happen.
Knowledge can be good.
West
Comments
Cam tensioners
Is there a symptom of a warn cam tensioner? My oil pressure at 30K seems to be all over the place. I am thinking I have a blockage and particals of a cam tensioners are my hunch.
2005 Electraglide
warning signs of cam chain tensioners going bad....
One is it makes a sound similar to a small biycle chain being quickly pulled over a metal edge. The best thing is to have the Cam cover removed at around 20k and look at the tensioners.
Oil pressure problems could possibly be from problems of particles of the tensioners, but it could be other things too. Have a tech check oil pressure. See if there are objects in your oil and filter, a bad or improperly installed oil pump o ring can cause this too.
Wess, I read your article and
Wess, I read your article and just wanted to put in my two cents worth. Changing your oil more frequently has little if anything to do with preventing the tensioners from wearing out. I am and have always been an oil freak using Mobile One V Twin 20-50 not Harley's so called Syn 3 which is a blend and not a pure synthetic. If you review my messages on Clayton's site you will see that I have gone through ten upper ends, two bottom ends, two transmissions, two swing arms on my 00 RK, three stators, two starters and the list goes on and on and on. The tensioners not breaking are a matter of luck and many of them do break and those that do break do so because they were not aligned perfectly at the factory. The twin cams are made by machines and as you know tolerances wear as machines do their jobs. The best way to ensure that your tensioners won't break is to have them inspected by a qualified mechanic at around 20K, my tensioners blew at 18K on my second last build. I replaced them with a set of 510 cams and S&S gear drive, a little noisy but worth doing to ensure reliability. If you ask any shop foreman at a HD dealer, not a service writer but the shop foreman they will tell you that the weak link in the twin cams is the tensioners, what else do we need to know other than that!
Gabe
Gabe, Received your E-mail
Gabe,
Received your E-mail this morning thanks,
The whole premise of the article was to inform H-D riders that there could be a potential problem around the 20k time frame and that it was important to have the tensioners checked. Normally a technician can hear when the tensioners are bad.
To say oil has very little to do with wearing out anything (tensioners) needs to be addressed. Anytime a lubricating product is contaminated it produces wear and that is what contributes to the tensioners wearing out. As you alluded in your letter the products are man and machine made (any other way to make em?) and need quality control to inspect them prior to using them. We all know that inferior products will be made, and in the end it will get to the consumer and then it becomes a crisis. I'm sure there will be a number of engine problems that have not come to light yet because of those tensioners. As to the oil there are many brands and for every motor head out there the brand that they use is always the best. I do agree with you on H-D oil in that it is an outside contractor providing Harley with something they feel comfortable with and for the most part it does well. I have always used AMSOIL since I met Colonel Al Amatuzio in Milwaukee in the '70's. Yea, he was Air Force and flew the jets and I was the technician working on them we used synthetics back then too. Al, is the founder of Amsoil. I cannot think of any other oil I would even consider using.period. As an H-D technician I cannot tell you or your audience how many riders don't have their engine oils changed regularly. I have seen the inside of those engines; lubrication in an air-cooled engine of any sort is the life blood of that engine. So no matter what oil you prefer change it and the filter regularly and more frequently under extreme conditions.
Alignment of the cam chain is important, it is for the alignment of the chain between the crank and cam sprocket faces and they need to be parallel to each other. The variances to the tensioners are important, but there is no alignment they are preset to their attachment point. This is not the reason they wear out. You made a comment on the gear drive cams a good alternative to the H-D units, yes!
I have no knowledge of how you ride or maintain your H-D, to say you got a lemon, I don't know, they are out there as with all man made products. Seems you had a string of bad luck, poor maintenance, or parts or a combination of all. I hope you eventually have a running H-D.
Also don't begrudge the Service Writer or Manager there are many out there that know and understand the workings of H-D's
I try to look at the whole picture, and if I see a problem be proactive and see what can be done. As you can see outside of H-D there are companies with numerous upgrades, performance parts, and accessories to H-D's that people have come up with to "improve" the V-twin experience. Some work others well ...
Again I just wanted people to understand that there is a possible issue at around 20k and their engine Cam Tensioners.
West
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