newbe with a rattle

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hi to all have a quick question on xl600 lm sounds to me like camchain rattle but it not there all the time comes and goes am i right in thinking that the camchain is automatic as i can see no way of adjusting it

[StumpyFingers]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
I think the tensioners are automatic.
Are you sure the rattle is from the camchain, as I would expect it to be there all the time?

[Krtek]

Hello, welcome!
Yes, Stumpy's right, the tensioner is automatic.

Cam chain slack sometimes comes and goes: if it's not that bad yet, it may be heard only when the engine is either cold or hot... I forgot which. In any case, it's very common for it to be heard only when you're neither accellerating nor braking on the engine... in other words, when the chain is not being pulled at all.

But I would not describe that sound as a rattle. Rattle sounds a bit too loud for that.

When do you hear it?

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im sure it camchain rattle and it does come and go hot or cold if its not camchain what ealse could it be

[Krtek]

Well, if you're sure, you're sure... so what exactly are you asking?

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i would like to know will it be ok, is there anything i should do, if its not the camchain what else could it be i dont want to be in the middle of nowhere when something breaks

[Krtek]

If it is the camchain, it's not OK. Camchains shouldn't rattle.
So if it is the camchain it's either too long or the tensioner isn't working.

If it's not the camchain, it may still not be OK. Rattling generally isn't a Good Thing. But from the description of 'a rattle that comes and goes', it's not exactly easy to tell what it is.

Time to break out the spanners, I'd say.