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Cam chain tensioner failure survey

432K views 687 replies 357 participants last post by  <G Man> 
#1 ·
I would be really interested on who has actually had a cam chain tensioner failure, what year of bike and how many miles. Also was it covered under warranty. It does not have to be a catastrophic failure can include worn beyond factory specs.

It would be interesting to see if there is a pattern that developes.

I had a 2003 Ultra with 40,000 miles that was beyond factory specs and replaced under extended warranty in 2005.

Doug
 
#372 ·
2004 88b with 60,475 miles

softail 2004 88b my drive cam tensioner separated and took out my oil pump, destroyed my inner bearings and basically smoked my engine. i have told everyone that i know and they were saved. mine just happened so my bill is worth a new engine as it did major damage.
 
#375 · (Edited)
2005 Road King Classic: 44,000 Mi.

Bought it new. Took it to dealer today for inspection. No wear...tensioners are in "like new" condition. Saw them myself. Dealer charged $81.00. Small price to pay for the relief I feel. I rarely hot-rod (but sometimes can't help myself) and usually shift in the lower to medium speed range for each gear. When I can, Highway speeds to 65 mostly and rarely over 70 unless every one else is trying to run over me. Amsoil 20-50 starting at 1st oil change and thereafter every 5,000 miles. Stage 1, K&N filter, Techlusion fuel injection system, Rinehart true duals. Will have them checked again in 20,000 miles. :woohoo:
 
#377 ·
When you change out the tensioners, do the Andrews cam upgrade to the hydraulic tensioner shoes, new cam plate, new oil pump and roller chains. I installed in my 2005 Road King 50,000 miles ago and haven't regretted it. Runs quiet and strong. It's a stock 88 except for the Andrews 21n cams. 85,500 miles on it. Used standard Harley oil for the first 60,000 miles and shifted to Screamin Eagle synthetic.

The problem with a lot of the reports of tensioner shoe failure is few people give any details about whether the engine has been modded or not. If someone puts hi-lift cams and heavy valve springs in a 99-06 Twin Cam, then they have to expect the tensioners are going to wear much faster than if the engine is running a stock or mild cam. And did the mech who did the mod take time to change out new tensioners when he took the engine up to 95 ci and installed a hot cam or just put the thing back together with the old tensioners? In addition, how was the bike ridden? Burnouts, frequent run ups to red line, etc., will take their toll as well. None of this is communicated when people talk about premature failure so it's impossible to glean any scientific evidence.
 
#378 ·
uh oh~

Was on a PGR Escort Ride yesterday. Engine was running perfectly UNTIL.....we escorted the troops about 2 miles down the highway and pulled off. Got to the end of the ramp everything was fine. Headed west, and the bike felt like it "shuddered" just a bit, which I thought was a bit odd. Turned north and suddenly the tone of the engine started changing. By the time I got up to my next turn, a mile from home, something just didnt sound right. Got the bike home, shut it off, had a firend walk me thru checking the pushrods, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the pushrods, and now I read this. I have a feeling the repair bill is going to be way too steep and after checking some other things on the bike, my wife and I both got this funny feeling - the same feeling you get when you get that awful letter from the IRS that you are being audited.

Maybe I should have bought a gun for myself for Christmas and broke it in last night.
 
#379 ·
Well, that's certainly taking the most pessimistic possible view of the situation, isn't it? Hope it's not a dire as you've imagined. But unless the cam chain tensioners were the cause -- and it could be a range of possibilities -- what's your engine trouble got to do with this thread?

The tensioner thing is the most overblown scare in Harleydom. There are a lot of other issues with HD Twin cams that are much worse - like the lousy valve seals, compensators that come loose for no reason, excessive oil burning, poorly designed shift linkages, weeping cylinder gaskets, etc. - but this one keeps coming back like the no-count brother-in-law that sleeps on your couch and raids your beer. I'd think that shops had just about mined all the hysteria and sold unneeded, and in some cases ineptly-installed, cam gear drive systems in everybody's TC 88 bikes by now.
 
#381 ·
2001 E-glide Ultra mine were replaced at 35,000km & then again at 45,000 with new cam plate & oil pump all on waranty but with big time hassle each time. Off warranty again at 57,000km by non harley shop had all chain removed & went with gear drive cams 525's & new type cam plate & new oil pump , oil pressure is much higher at idle. no more noise & runs much better & stonger
 
#382 ·
I had mine checked at 34K and they were hardly worn. I had planned to wait until around 45-50K to do something. I cut my oil filter open after the first oil change after the "check" and discovered small shards of orange tensioner shoe....HOLY SH!!.

When I cracked it open I found the shoes severely pitted. Plenty of shoe left...they were just coming apart in small chunks.

I went with the hybrid hydraulic upgrade kit (which can be had off e-bay for around $350) and a set of adjustable pushrods. I am very pleased with both the oil pressure, noise reduction and the ability to replace the shoes (if I have to) with simple hand tools
 
#383 ·
This whole cam chain tensioner thing should be covered by the motor company. I have seen tensioners in cars with 150,000 miles on them looking like new. Why, because of proper engineering and quality materials used. Harley just decided to go cheap and this is what happens. I hope someone goes forward with a class action suit!
 
#384 ·
Won't happen. The tensioners are listed as a wear item in the service manual, just like brake shoes, tires, belts, etc. The problem is that Harley didn't list them as an item to check in its service interval schedule, so many technicians and even home mechanics don't check them as a matter of course. They should be checked at least at 30,000 to 35,000 miles, but nowhere in the service lit is that mentioned.

Harley has fixed the issue, albeit only for buyers of late models. It fixed it with the 06 Dyna and all Twin Cams made from 07 up. The new roller chain system with hydraulic tensioner shoes and bigger oil pump is giving excellent service. Andrews Cams figured this out in 07 and began to make camshafts that let you convert to the new system on older Twin Cams. Works like a charm for everybody I know who did the conversion and you don't need to mess with crankshaft runout and gear meshing issues. It's a do-it-yourself project for anyone with some experience working on motors.

If you're waiting on a lawsuit so that Harley will do the conversion for free you're going to be waiting a long, long time. Besides, the lawyers would get most of the money and best owners would get would be a $25 gift certificate.
 
#385 ·
2 friends, a husband and his wife, each had the tensioners go south in '08. HD replaced their engines with remanufactured under extended warranty. An '03 and '04 ST Standard with @ 45K miles on each.
Their bikes were serviced regularly by a HD dealer with a decent reputation. I told them (my friends) repeatedly they had to keep a close eye on this item for wear. They said screw that, if it breaks HD will fix it, and they did. No idea if the dealer did regular checks for condition.
 
#390 ·
The outside one is pretty easy, the cam plate has to come off for the inside one however. Still not that hard, you can do it!
 
#387 ·
I had my 06 Ultra checked by the dealer twice at my expense. Both times they said the tensioners were fine. I finally traded the bike in at 60K. That said at 57K I would at least have them checked. The outer tensioner is easy to check, it's the inner that's a problem. They qouted me an hour labor to check the tensionres but actually chareged for two. At a hundred bucks an hour I think I should have just had them replaced. The parts are not that expensive, it's the labor. You may want to have your cam bearings replaced at the same time.
 
#388 ·
I went to the gears at around 27k. The tensioners had worn some, but I wanted to sleep better at night (and get a new cam). Sure many of them last years and years, I just didn't want to take the risk.
 
#389 ·
At a little over 75,000 mi, mine started making ugly sounds. Upon taking it apart, I found the tensioners were actually in pretty decent shape...what happened was the front inner cam bearing disintegrated, taking out the oil pump and inner journal of the front cam. Lots of metal pieces everywhere. Personally, I think the tensioner issue is made out to be worse than it is, but is worth checking out every so often. If you get in there, I think it is worthwhile to replace the inner cam bearings with torrington/timken ones. Those cheap INA bearings can wreak havoc on your motor.
 
#392 ·
Hello Everyone

I am on a 2000 FXST which I bought NEW .... I have over 120,000 KMS on it and havent been on the last 2 summers.... Got off in other directions and a relocation. I got into the engine last week in preperation for spring 2011 and the tensioners are not worn all that bad... but then again a rear tire lasts me 30,000 Kms.

Dare
 
#396 ·
Awesome site, and those tools definately make the job easy, but you can get by, especially for inspection purposes buying just the mirror. You can use a cresent wrench with a screwdriver through the hole in the handle to pry back the outer shoe, use a screwdriver carefully to pry back the inner shoe, then use allen wrenches in the holes to hold them open.
 
#397 ·
Mine were changed out when I replaced my cams. Went to the 07' Hydraulic setup. Actually these look pretty good considering. I run Mobil 1 (silver cap) 15-50 in my motor and have since 384 miles on her.



 
#398 ·
To add to my post above. I was riding up with a friend to Myrtle Beach. We were on 17 between Charleston and Georgetown when his 04' Heritage started squealing/whining very suddenly and loudly. He killed the motor and coasted into a gas station right there (lucky for him). He started the bike once and his brother and I heard it coming from the cam chest. I knoew right away what it was. His brother and two others rode on into Garden City and got a truck and trailer from a friend. He trailered the bike and went on to Garden City. He ended up driving someones pickup for the whole weekend and was totally bummed. He rented a Uhaul and his brother and I put our bikes in as well and rode home with him to Cocoa Beach. To make a long story short his tensioners went at 57K or there abouts. The inside shoe was gone!!! it was metal on metal, tension to chain, hence the squealing. Luckily the bulk of it remained intact and was resting at the bottom of the chest. His wrench cleaned it all out and found a bunch of orange **** inside the oil pump and all ground in the chains. He got the hydraulic system and it took a few extra days as the wrench went through the motor with a fine toothed comb getting bits and pieces of tensioner. Funny part of the weekend was he was continually getting teased and asked if he was riding "bitch" with somebody.
 
#399 ·
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