Timing chain question-no violence please

[kelstr]

these are cool bikes , i am happy for suzuki .

i had my doubts , but i was wrong ?

[gonzo]

I had them too trust me. But I bought one anyway.

[Subwoofer]

What is the earliest that I should check the chain? I only have about two hours on the bike.

[bigred455]

I checked mine at 3 hrs,it was a little loose,but nothing to worry about. When I went to check the 2nd time 10 hrs more on motor, that is wear the stretch was.

Check it now,then check it another 5 rides later.

[Subwoofer]

Thanks. Here goes nothing.

[ragemachine]

i think i know what you guys are talking about, i talked to a mechanic sun. He said you should check it every 3-5 hrs (but, he only deals with the pro's, not your average wk end rider). Anyway, transword motocross .com "how to" section has tony berluti cam tension to a rmz 450. It goes step by step with pictures how to adjust cam chain tensiner. I think this is what you guys are talking about and it looks easy. let me know before i destroy my bike.

[norcal_hoss]

quick question for you guys..

I did my cam chain today for the first time (myself) I was a little unsure of tdc but I got it as close to what ive read here as possible. After I adjusted the chain and tightened her back up I went to kick the bike over and there was like no compression?? I kicked it maybe 15 times and nothing.. My neighbor came home and i was talking to him and we were talking about my bike how it did not start after I did the cam chain.. Well I hopped on the bike and kicked it and it fired ride up? Any of you guys have this happen?

[Tooliemxer]

If its an 05 I heard that the auto decomp somtimes sticks.maybe that happened

[motox1027]

Everyone is making a big deal about the timing chain. This is what i would advise. Adjust it after 3 hours.. Then after 15.. then check it occasionaly.

To adjust.

clean your bike, Take off the seat and tank. Pull the spark plug boot. Take off the valve cover. Take off the timing cover on the left side off the bike on the motoe, near the bottom (look in your manual for a pic) turn the kick starter until the timing mark is lined up. To make sure you are on the compression stroke all you have to do is make sure the cam lubes are pointing outwards and the timing mark is lined up. If the lubes are not out, mover the kick starter until they are and again line up the timing marks.. Then, loosen the locknut on the adjuster a couple of turns.. -loosen the allen key on the adjuster. There the chain auto tightens. Now tighthen the allen, then the locknut.

YOUR DONE go ride

[motox1027]

You can find TDC without pulling the vavle cover.. Yes true.. but you wont know if your on the compression stroke

[Joe_Jet]

You can find TDC without pulling the vavle cover.. Yes true.. but you wont know if your on the compression stroke

You can find TDC easily without removing the cam cover. Remove both the TDC and Crank Plug. Use a non-ratcheting wrench like ASV "Y" wrench with a 17mm socket to turn motor over through crank plug hole. Turn crank CCW until you hear the motor sucking air in; you are now on intake stroke prior to TDC and power stroke. The first time the 2nd of the 2 TDC marks lines up after hearing the motor sucking air is TDC. The non-ratcheting wrench allows you to get the TDC marks perfectly aligned whereas a ratcheting wrench will allow the compression of the motor to spin past. Difficulty in aligning on the 2nd line is also another indication that you are at TDC as the compression is working against you trying to push the piston down in either direction away from TDC.

Good Luck,

[Q247]

Alright, I finally got around to doing the adjustment after a failed first attempt (long story...had to replace the chain). Followed the advice given here and...piece of cake! Thanks to you all.

[dhickeymotocross]

Ok, I just bought a used 05 RM-z450. I took it home and started thinking "man this engine sure is noisy compared to my sons crf250" So I started taking it apart. Pulled the tappet (valve cover) and there must have been one inch of play in the chain between the cams. Not having a shop manual but being somewhat mech. challenged I loosen the adjusted nut and lock screw for adjusted thinking the chain would snap back into place. Then BOOM nothing happened. So I removed the adjuster. I think my adjusted is bad? There does not seem to be enough spring tension to push the guide into the chain via making it tighter. Do I have a bad adjuster or am I just that stupid? (easy with that comment). I ordered a new adjusted. It is not here yet, but am I on the right track? I'm pretty sure this thing has never been adjusted. Because I asked the old owner and he said it was a auto adjuster What the &*#@ ?

P.S. what differance does it make if it is on TDC are the gears no all round? Dumb question I,m sure, but I gotta ask.

[zig06]

Before you reinstall your new cam chain adjuster ~ BUY A MANUAL! In the long run you'll be thankful that you did. They cover more than just cam chain adjustments.

The reason that you have to have the engine set at TDC (Top Dead Center) on the compression stroke is because of valve overlap. Which is to say that with the exception of TDC each valve is being pushed by the one of the cams. So it's possible that even if you have a ton of slack in the chain, because of the friction between the cam and the valve, the adjuster will not be able to over come that friction and your chain will still be loose. Even after correctly playing with the adjuster.

It's also possible that if you just play with the adjuster at BDC (Bottom Dead Center) or without even caring about the cam position, you could introduce even more cam chain slack than you had originally. This is because the valve spring is stronger than the adjuster spring. And the valve spring could push hard enough on the cam and rotate it the wrong way, thus adding slack to the chain.

Please, for the sake of your RMZ, buy a manual and learn how to properly find TDC. ?

[adamsrmz450]

? can u explain why i have had to stop racing coz timing chain has crunched or jumped?i loose power and it feels like back brake sticking on,engine sound rattley and not normal.does anyone know what tension to put on cam chain or should i pack out spring in tensioner a little.failing this i wonder if i drill out back and put a manual threaded tensioner there it may be a little better.never had this prob with yams,i love this 06 rmz its just this crap idea of a tensioner.i am at compression tdc before i tension chain.

help please!!!

[DEA]

I didn't read all of the replies

But ,to find TDC

Turn the engine in normal direction of rotation.After the intake valve(s) open and close(this is the compression stroke) and align reference mark's on the stator or flywheel for the "T" mark(refer to manual)

This is TDC for the compression stroke and yes the cam lobes will face away from each other.There is also TDC for the exhaust stroke also and the lobes will also face away from each other

Hope this helps some

[zig06]

DEA,

While it's true that there is a TDC on the exhaust stroke (as well as the compression stroke), don't forget that the cams spin at half the speed of the crank. Therefore, the cams have to be in exactly the opposite position at the exhaust TDC as compared to the compression TDC. So if they are pointing out at compression, then they have to be pointing inward on exhaust.

adamsrmz450,

Your cam chain adjuster has a limited amount of tension that it can take up, just like a rear wheel drive chain adjuster. So if you adjust your chain as per the manual, and it's still not tight, then dig deeper. Because you could also have a worn out a chain guide or even a stretched cam chain (not likely ~ but possible). In addition to that, if your cam chain has jumped a tooth on any sprocket, replace it! If not, it's just a matter of time before your piston crunches a valve.

[turbo38t]

Ok, I think I did mine right. Well, the only thing is, how do you know ur on the compression stroke? the lobes pointing away from the tappets? The exhaust side cam point slightly forward of vertical and the intake side came lobe points slightly rear of vertical? Then the timing mark is lined up, the piston is at TDC......but is there another way, like a surefire way to find the COMPRESSION stokre? Thanks. Dave

[bullybull9]

Once you remove the valve cover , do you need to replace the valve cover gasket.

[rmzracer87]

You can never tighten it too much, having it jump time is NOT what you want. If it is loose, it needs tightened. Just like a drive chain.