Cam Chain Tensioners

[Fourdogs]

Have a question....I had 36,000 miles on my 04 Roadking....and before a trip out west I had my RK gone over with a fine tooth comb ...so to speak..they had to replace the cam chain tensioners ...and I have talked to other that also have had them replaced ..and to the others it was very expensive...fortunately mines was under warranty..my friends weren't...My question ..is Harley having a problem with them ..does anyone know??? I have had a friends whos broke and did $1400.00 damage internally...They replaced mine with the same HD parts that was in there...has there been a improvement in the part....Also after the fact of course..I had many people tell me to use something differant...Help!

 

[glider]

The only solution to the chain tensioners is to do a gear drive cam setup which would mean the cams also would have to be changed to a gear drive cam . The grind on the gear drive is because of the directional change due to the gears.

The tensioners have been a problem for some (most) because they follow no particular reason. Some have had them go out at 15K miles while others run them to 60-80 K miles. Usually at about 20K miles, it's time to pull the cam cover and take a look at the tensioners. If you use a small dental mirror, you can get an idea of the back one behind the cam plate and how much is left on it.

Only disadvantage to gear drive cams comes with improper gear setup (lash) or excessive run out on the crankshaft that either will make the gear drive noisy.

When the tensioners come apart because of excessive wear, the pieces usually score the oil pump and have been known to take out an engine completely and require replacement in the worst case scenario.