cam chain

[zorkler]

the bikes has had this quiet tick for awhile was at my local guy to put a set of tires on and his reply was the cam chain needs to be adjusted he said the adjustment thingie is right above the idle screw and it just off a bit . Doe this sound correct .Its a 05 with 29k on it. Also 1 of the brake pad in the front right side is wearing out more than the other . His fix was to take all the fluid out and take the pads out and clean the pistons up .

 

[FJRBluesman]

That's not a fix for CCT. The CCT is self adjusting, no manual adjustment needed. Change it.

If you believe it's the CCT change it. It's not that hard to do, the CCT part costs about $100 at the dealer plus labor if they do it.

My CCT thread.

It's possible your pistons are dirty and one is not moving as freely as the others so that side brake pad may wear differently. I've also cleaned my pistons up without removing all the fluid or pulling the pistons.

Check my Gen1 rotor lesson learned thread change for brake pistons too. Clicky.

 

[Geezer]

There are a lot of horror stories about cam chain tensioner (CCT) failures. The tensioner is supposed to be automatic, but seems to be limited in that capacity. You can manually adjust the tensioner by taking the bolt out from the center and using a long thin screwdriver to snug it up, but it will probably start making noise again in the future. The better solution is to replace the tensioner with either the re-designed part from Yamaha or an APE manual tensioner.

 

[wfooshee]

FJR has an automatic cam chain tensioner, but they've been known to fail. Most failures are insufficent tension against the cam chain, resulting in a timing chain in the valve gear. One actually broke its spring, resulting in a totally floppy cam chain with completely random valve timing for a fraction of a second.

Easy and inexpensive to replace if done soon enough. If done after the chain skips a tooth or two, it's a VERY expensive repair, because valves will be bent.

There is a manual-adjust tensioner available now, for those whose paranoia (or experience) leads them to mistrust the automatic tensioner. I can't find where to get it, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly.

RH? Paging RadioHowie!!!!!

EDIT: Ah, tree'd by Geezer. APE has the manual model.

 

[SkooterG]

Dude! Both these issues have been covered ad naseum!

Is the noise on the right side? Like marbles in a can? Then it's very likely its your Cam Chain Tensioner, or maybe the cam chain.

CCT is automatic. You *can* test it by inserting a long screwdriver through the frame (that's what that little plug is there for) and manually putting tension on. This is only temporary, but if the noise goes away you know you most likely have a bad CCT, or less-likely (with your miles), a stretched cam chain.

As for the brake pads, it's a fairly normal occurrence. At least on Gen I FJRs. No way would I have paid for what you did. They'll just do it again. The simple solution is to just reverse the pads so they wear unevenly back to even!

As I said, a little searching will turn up all kinds of little nuggets of great info.

 

[lnewlf]

More ad nauseum-wisdom suggests removal of the timing cover [right side] and securing the chain with cable ties to prevent the slack in the chain after removing CCT to allow a tooth to jump.

 

[zorkler]

Thanks for the Info , Read your tread FJRBLUESMAN . Called the shop i use and asKed if its covered on my Y.E.S . (EXPIRES 4/10/10 ) Wanyne says yes it is i will order you 1 today nice . ScotterG cut me some slack i have only been on the forum for 5 years .

 

[03HiYoSilver]

ScotterG cut me some slack i have only been on the forum for 5 years .

Yeah, he's a noob!

Zorkler,

Really, Congrats on you YES repair on your cam chain. That will take remove most your your anxiety for many miles.

Wishing you a Successful repair.

 

[S76]

Or.............

Maybe it's a ticker?

 

[RadioHowie]

Zorkler,

One VERY IMPORTANT POINT no one has mentioned in the above replies.....

If you do attempt to "adjust" the CCT to see if your "tick" goes away, make the adjust WITH THE MOTOR OFF, and by turn the adjusting screw COUNTER clockwise ONLY!

I know, it's counterintuitive, but the adjusting shaft of the CCT turns counter clockwise to tighten...clockwise to loosen. The ONLY time you need to turn the adjuster clockwise is during a cam removal (as in during a shim replacement) or CCT replacement. Otherwise, don't turn the adjuster clockwise.

And if/when you do a manual adjustment on the OEM unit, it only takes a slight turn of the screw, counter clockwise, to extend the CCT plunger to take up any slack in the timing chain. Then and only then do you start the motor and see if your noise has gone away.

IF a turn of the screw counter clockwise eliminates your noise, get thee to your dealer/internet supplier and replaceth thine Cam Chain Tensioner with all due haste!

A cam chain noise that goes away when the CCT is adjusted indicates the CCT is dunfer and is no longer doing its job. Adjusting away the noise is placebo. The CCT needs replacing at that point in its life.

Good luck!

 

[SkooterG]

Zorkler,
One VERY IMPORTANT POINT no one has mentioned in the above replies.....

If you do attempt to "adjust" the CCT to see if your "tick" goes away, make the adjust WITH THE MOTOR OFF, and by turn the adjusting screw COUNTER clockwise ONLY!

I know, it's counterintuitive, but the adjusting shaft of the CCT turns counter clockwise to tighten...clockwise to loosen. The ONLY time you need to turn the adjuster clockwise is during a cam removal (as in during a shim replacement) or CCT replacement. Otherwise, don't turn the adjuster clockwise.

And if/when you do a manual adjustment on the OEM unit, it only takes a slight turn of the screw, counter clockwise, to extend the CCT plunger to take up any slack in the timing chain. Then and only then do you start the motor and see if your noise has gone away.

IF a turn of the screw counter clockwise eliminates your noise, get thee to your dealer/internet supplier and replaceth thine Cam Chain Tensioner with all due haste!

A cam chain noise that goes away when the CCT is adjusted indicates the CCT is dunfer and is no longer doing its job. Adjusting away the noise is placebo. The CCT needs replacing at that point in its life.

Good luck!

Good point about the direction of adjustment, but when I saw the tech adjust mine many moons ago, the engine was running. You could hear the noise go away as he adjusted it.

 

[RadioHowie]

Zorkler,
One VERY IMPORTANT POINT no one has mentioned in the above replies.....

If you do attempt to "adjust" the CCT to see if your "tick" goes away, make the adjust WITH THE MOTOR OFF, and by turn the adjusting screw COUNTER clockwise ONLY!

I know, it's counterintuitive, but the adjusting shaft of the CCT turns counter clockwise to tighten...clockwise to loosen. The ONLY time you need to turn the adjuster clockwise is during a cam removal (as in during a shim replacement) or CCT replacement. Otherwise, don't turn the adjuster clockwise.

And if/when you do a manual adjustment on the OEM unit, it only takes a slight turn of the screw, counter clockwise, to extend the CCT plunger to take up any slack in the timing chain. Then and only then do you start the motor and see if your noise has gone away.

IF a turn of the screw counter clockwise eliminates your noise, get thee to your dealer/internet supplier and replaceth thine Cam Chain Tensioner with all due haste!

A cam chain noise that goes away when the CCT is adjusted indicates the CCT is dunfer and is no longer doing its job. Adjusting away the noise is placebo. The CCT needs replacing at that point in its life.

Good luck!

Good point about the direction of adjustment, but when I saw the tech adjust mine many moons ago, the engine was running. You could hear the noise go away as he adjusted it.

Blame my (well deserved) paranoia.

 

[Brodie]

...also 1 of the brake pad in the front right side is wearing out more than the other . His fix was to take all the fluid out and take the pads out and clean the pistons up .

zorkler

The mechanic did a good job for you by cleaning up the pistons in your brake calipers. After 5 years the brake fluid must have been plenty dark. That is moisture in the lines, the stuff is highly hydroscopic. What he did was to make sure everything was clean and functioning properly. With the new brake fluid it should last several years before the next flush. The extra added benefit to the shop is (besides the extra work) the risk of you returning in a month or two for a do-over is mitigated. If you haven't yet, you should have the shop flush ALL of the bike's hydraulic lines, it's time.

Brodie

 

[RsvlFeej]

.Its a 05 with 29k on it.

If you haven't had the 26,600 valve adjust done, this is the perfect time. They have to get to the same parts of the motor to replace the CCT as to do the valves - if your dealer is on your side, he may charge the plastic removal time to the warranty, which will knock some hours off the valve adjust time.

BTW, another test for CCT noise is to slow your idle down to the 900 RPM range - the rattling/knocking on the right side of the motor gets much easier to hear.

 

[RadioHowie]

BTW, another test for CCT noise is to slow your idle down to the 900 RPM range - the rattling/knocking on the right side of the motor gets much easier to hear.

Gunny! An elevated idle speed will mask cam chain noise up to the point where nothing makes the noise go away and you're minutes/miles away from airmailing a set of valves.

 

[Patriot]

I don't understand what all the bother is about here... h34r:

 

[RadioHowie]

I don't understand what all the bother is about here... h34r:

Mikey Come Lately!

 

[zorkler]

Dealer changed the cct today tick is gone . My y.e.s expires this friday .

 

[FJRBluesman]

Dealer changed the cct today tick is gone . My y.e.s expires this friday .

I love a happy ending.... :cray:
Good for you Zorkler. Your hunch was correct and you can ride another day.... without a long waiting period in between a rebuild.