Has anyone ever changed their cam chain?

[Dangerous_Dave]

The ticking on my bike is becoming unbearable, I can hear it when doing about 60mph or so and I believe that means it's time for a change.

Has anyone done it before?

Is it a simple job?

Any advice will be much appreciated

[Rubberchicken]

I've done it on both my bikes. No, it's not really a simple job, and I imagine it's worse on an OHC v-twin.

What bike do you have?

[Dangerous_Dave]

It's a CB500.

It's been like it for a while, and I recently read a thread where someone's chain snapped on their Husky... It ended pretty bad

[jasonbc]

The ticking on my bike is becoming unbearable, I can hear it when doing about 60mph or so and I believe that means it's time for a change.

Has anyone done it before?

Is it a simple job?

Any advice will be much appreciated

Are you sure it's the cam chain and not the tensioner that's knackered as chains don't normally need changing it's the spring in the tensioner that goes then allows the chain to move

[Dangerous_Dave]

Are you sure it's the cam chain and not the tensioner that's knackered as chains don't normally need changing it's the spring in the tensioner that goes then allows the chain to move

It could be, but I don't know how to tell the difference as to whether it's the chain or tensioner...

[datsun fan]

When my 1979 xl250s dropped a valve at easter,I replaced the cam chain on with a pattern from David Silver - it lasted 2 weeks and was shagged -(hy vo type), early types were small versions of the final drive chain. Got a genuine HM from him no extra charge but it still cost me the rebuild! Use a genuine Honda part - £80.00 for mine,

A stretched chain alters the valve timing and if too stretched - you cannot get enough adjustment to correct it. (the tensioner usually acts on the non driven slack side of the chain) .

To get an idea of how much wear there is you have to get the old chain off and lay it on its side on a flat surface, usually cam chains these days are "endless" so you then painstakingly make a loop, with one end held firm between two panel pins, stretch it out as "long as it will go", so the chain is touching itself, mark the end with a fine marker and squeeze all the links close together back towards the fixed end, so the length is as "short as it can be" and mark again.

The difference between the marks is the amount of slack between the links.

Do the same for the new chain and you will see the difference.

Do the same for the final drive chain for interest, you can see amazing amounts of "loose play" a couple inches easily on knackered ones.

Alternatively, some people like to hold the chain, (both cam and final) horizontally sideways and see how much "droop" (Oh er Missus!) curves down, but I find it harder to measure.

I also put a new tensioner and guide in (along with the valves), but comparing them alongside, the old and new - it didn't really need the new ones! It was down to the chain being stretched.

All in all, it really isn't cost effective, loads a money & time - unless you are an"enthusiast and can DIY, or just like doing it, time & money you could sell for parts, and buy a newer low mileage!


Picture of the dropped valve wedged in the head!

[Rubberchicken]

As these things go that pic looks relatively benign...

Anyway. Ditto on the chain stretching, I only replaced the chain on the NX, nothing else, and then it's relatively easy with just the rocker cover having to come off. It wasn't an endless chain by the way, doing up the link is a bit tricky and definitely a two-man job.

[Mervinh]

try Dave at

www.tsrmotorcycles.co.uk

he is a member of the Rd club and seems to do a bit with cb500,s as well
Merv

[tedmagnum]

cam chains are usually good for 80,000 miles plus on most engines...

Its always the guides or the tensioner becoming week..

Ticking could be the valves too btw !

[Rubberchicken]

Rubbish.

The whole of my cam chain experience is the 2 bikes mentioned in my sig, and on both of them it was the chain, not the tensioner, that needed replacing.