Quote:
Originally Posted by johncrist1988
Something that I don't understand is why the OEM tensioner is failing in the first place, and this is bothering the heck out of me. The manual tensioner stops the clicking, yes, but it doesn't answer why this is happening in the first place.
I ordered new springs for the CCT and installed it. Right away the clicking goes away, but after several miles the clicking will slowly start to return. I let it go, for kicks, and it got to a point where it sounded like someone was chewing through my casing with a chain saw. I'd stop, reset the tensioner, and it would all go away again.
I checked the bearings and they are good and round. There are no nicks in the plunger rod. The oil had no debris in it.
So why is the OEM tensioner failing? What am I missing here?
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I think this due in large part because Kawi doesn't list cam chain tensioner maintenance in their maintenance schedule... Or maybe I've over looked it or people don't make a big enough deal about it...
You change the oil, adjust the valves and maintain every other part of the bike. Only after I had to replace my cam chain did I realize that it too needs to be adjusted... Now the cam chain tensioner on the pregen is very basic when compared to the one on the new gen...
I got in the habit of rebuilding my cam chain tensioner with every valve adjustment. I actually got a second stock one from @Mamaru when he changed to a manual tensioner... So I can take my time rebuilding it and having it ready when I do the valves....
But the pre-gen's tensioner is so easy to take apart and rebuild it should just be added to the checklist for a valve adjust.
So, why does it "fail", because it's a sleeve within a sleeve, and getting oil up in there is difficult, never mind the fact that it doesn't have an active oiling system. I've done a few of these, and I put some Bel Ray axles grease on the spring and in the plunger and they are always happy when I take them out for the next valve adjust...
So, not sure it could be constituted as a "failure" on the parts end, maybe on the documentation and making people aware of it?
Either way, my bike is still singing with the stock cam chain tensioner at 60K, after an engine rebuild because the only way to replace the cam chain is to split the cases (or break the guide off the crank case) and while I was in there, why not?
If you ever get a new-gen, good luck with rebuilding the tensioner though, it's a serious PITA...