Manual timing chain tensioner fitting

[JTL]

I bought a manual timing chain tensioner last year but didn’t fit it (reading what could go wrong rather put me off! As expected the dealer wasn’t interested)
The timing chain is making a hell of racket at start up now that I’m going to have to fit the manual tensioner.

Any advice from the collective XR minds on the forum??

[st4gary]

Did my 2016 yrs ago and never looked back.

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[st4gary]

Here’s the pdf instructions

http://www.southerncaliforniamotowerks.com/uploads/8/9/7/7/89777035/s-series_installation_guide.pdf

[smithy]

Originally Posted by JTL

I bought a manual timing chain tensioner last year but didn’t fit it (reading what could go wrong rather put me off! As expected the dealer wasn’t interested)
The timing chain is making a hell of racket at start up now that I’m going to have to fit the manual tensioner.

Any advice from the collective XR minds on the forum??

It's very simple...and pretty difficult to screw it up TBH. I've done 4 or 5 for other chaps with XR's, R's and RR's without issues.

Smithy.

[Antares]

Hard to mess it up and even if you do there is a LARGE margin of error. You really have to go hulk on the cam chain tensioner to cause damage and the signs are fairly clear. Basically just nip it up until you feel slight resistance, start you engine, warm it up. Then back off until you hear rattling, once there, start tightening again until its just gone away, and I do an 1/8th of a turn just for peace of mind, been running like that for close to 25k miles with no issues (tensioner fitted around 16k). No more startup rattle. Honestly you are causing more damage by using the stock tensioner than the manual could do as long as you exercise sensible caution.

[af1-windy]

Originally Posted by Antares

Hard to mess it up and even if you do there is a LARGE margin of error. You really have to go hulk on the cam chain tensioner to cause damage and the signs are fairly clear. Basically just nip it up until you feel slight resistance, start you engine, warm it up. Then back off until you hear rattling, once there, start tightening again until its just gone away, and I do an 1/8th of a turn just for peace of mind, been running like that for close to 25k miles with no issues (tensioner fitted around 16k). No more startup rattle. Honestly you are causing more damage by using the stock tensioner than the manual could do as long as you exercise sensible caution.

I'm not sure if mine has one fitted, never checked. I'll check this weekend and if not I'll buy one. Which one to buy...

Maybe you could pop round for a coffee and a bacon buttie and watch me fit it so I don't mess it up.. 

  windy

[Antares]

Originally Posted by af1-windy

I'm not sure if mine has one fitted, never checked. I'll check this weekend and if not I'll buy one. Which one to buy...

Maybe you could pop round for a coffee and a bacon buttie and watch me fit it so I don't mess it up.. 

  windy

Can do, to be honest i never really paid attention but you hear a horrible rattle for the first few seconds after startup with the stock. If you wanna check it's located just under the coolant reservoir on the right hand side. To buy up until last year there weren't many options but all of a sudden there are a bunch of cheap and decent options. I have one from ETL that cost me about 50 quid but I think the exact same one can be had for 30 quid on Ebay. There isn't much to be said for quality, it's just a a screw in a nut that goes in your engine, that's all it does so I don't see the point of spending hundreds on it like the SoCal one.

[bazzer]

You say there is little or no chance of error, but if you don't have the cams and crank locked there is a "small" chance the cams could move due to the valve spring force. This could obviously mess up valve timing.

Just worth being aware of this.

[Antares]

Originally Posted by bazzer

You say there is little or no chance of error, but if you don't have the cams and crank locked there is a "small" chance the cams could move due to the valve spring force. This could obviously mess up valve timing.

Just worth being aware of this.

True, but I think this is covered under "sensible caution", don't try to spin your crank with no cam chain tensioner haha, can't hurt to pop the plug by the timing gears and lock the crank but it's unlikely to move if you just pop it up on the centre stand and do a straight out with the old in with the new.

[af1-windy]

Originally Posted by Antares

Can do, to be honest i never really paid attention but you hear a horrible rattle for the first few seconds after startup with the stock. If you wanna check it's located just under the coolant reservoir on the right hand side. To buy up until last year there weren't many options but all of a sudden there are a bunch of cheap and decent options. I have one from ETL that cost me about 50 quid but I think the exact same one can be had for 30 quid on Ebay. There isn't much to be said for quality, it's just a a screw in a nut that goes in your engine, that's all it does so I don't see the point of spending hundreds on it like the SoCal one.