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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
 
#2 ·
Not my own bike but I just tore down an 03 with 25 thousand miles on it and the rear tensioner was metal to metal on one side, the oil pump had obviously pulled some junk through it at some point and the rear outer cam bearing was spun in the plate, I am replacing the whole works with an SE plate with the new style pump. I have taken a few others apart and seen some with less wear and more mileage and vice versa, the only thing I have noticed is that some cam tensioners definately seem to have more spring pressure than others, If I ever get the time I would like to set some different ones up on an old camplate and test the spring pressure with a scale. Spoke with a tech at a local small dealership and he said they had done about a dozen sets last year due to failure and he said he feels it is just the tip of the iceberg, a lot of these bikes built early in the decade dont get ridden much and are now just getting up in mileage where problems will start to show up.
 
#668 ·
Motor mechanic by trade, I have a 2015 Streetbob Special (103ci) which has just clocked up 20,000km (12,420 mls). This motor is running roller link timing chains. Today I pulled the outer tensioner off to take a look at the wear. The chain side plates have barely 'scuffed' the surface of the tensioner shoes. Although I did not pull out the inner tensioner, I'd be quite happy to let these go till 50,000 km (31,000 mls) and take another look.
Based on the design of the two tensioners, the outer tensioner shoe has more load on it than the inner shoe, therefore I can make a safe assumption the inner shoe is just fine.
I think when the timing chain was changed from the standard link style chain to roller style chain, the wear issue was substantially improved. With what I have seen of my cam chain tensioner, as I don't ride the bike like a sports bike, they will last me for a good while yet.
I'm a happy Harley owner!!! :cheers:
 
#4 ·
2003 Road King Classic...33,457 miles - $1,028 repair bill...attempted to get Harley to pay and even filed a claim...response from Harley...NO... I normally do not purchase extended warranties and wish I would have...this is a repair that will need to be done as a scheduled repair...just like changing the oil except at around 25,000.
Big
 
#35 ·
2003 Road King Classic...33,457 miles - $1,028 repair bill...attempted to get Harley to pay and even filed a claim...response from Harley...NO... I normally do not purchase extended warranties and wish I would have...
I dunno, the extended warranty they tried to sell me (used bike) was more than that. Figured I could bank the money and use it for repairs if something broke.

I tore mine down at about 18K to do a BB kit & cams. Outer was OK, inner was worn pretty well so I replaced them both. I polished the chain while I had it out.
 
#6 ·
My 03 was toast at 36k. Buddy's bike was an 02 ,failed twice in 100k
 
#9 ·
I replaced the ones on my '04 Road King with 25,000 miles and went with gear drive. They were close to the failure point. I am hoping the new system on the '08's has eliminated the weak point in the system. Only time will tell.
 
#10 ·
May have eliminated one weak point but developed a new one to replace it.

The beat goes on.
 
#11 ·
Although my gear drives were installed before failure of any sort the inside tensioner was ready to be changed out and I believe the mileage was around 8500 at that time. I was lucky to have someone point it out to me before any real big problems happened.The outside shoe was pitted but within spec, whatever,could have made a mess if not caught early. Extended warranty was a good buy in your case,congrats to you for having it.
 
#12 ·
40K first time with wear but not failure,103K (original 40+63 more) second time and shot to hell.
Gear drives installed at that point and no worrys after 30K more miles so far.
Bike is 2000 FLHTC

Good friends '03 Ultra was trashed at 23K.
 
#13 ·
I replaced the tensioners on my RKC at 38,000. I was worried that they would fail miserably while I was on a long ride and I would be left stranded. The outer one was showing a little wear, but not bad at all. The inner one had worn quite a groove in it and was probably a couple thousand miles or so away from coming aprt. The part that puzzles me is that in the service manual, it says nothing about the tensioners as a part of general maintainance. Considering the amount of damage that a failed one can cause a bike...I think it should make note of that somewhere in the service manual.
 
#303 ·
The part that puzzles me is that in the service manual, it says nothing about the tensioners as a part of general maintainance. Considering the amount of damage that a failed one can cause a bike...I think it should make note of that somewhere in the service manual.
You've hit on the main issue. The service manual lists the cam chain tensioners as wear items, giving the tolerances for wear. But nothing in the service manual lists checking the tensioners as part of the scheduled maintenance procedure. This is where HD screwed up. How hard would it have been to list a check at the 25,000 or 35,000 maintenance interval? The checklist lists other wear items such as brake pads. If they had been listed then service departments would have to check them on a routine basis, which is what should be done.
 
#22 ·
2005 RoadKing Custom

Inspected mine at 30,000 miles, in/out were worn about half way through. Now have 37,000 and going to replace them at 40,000 before our vacation.
 
#23 ·
Cam Chain Tensioner Failure

2003 Heritage Classic....Replaced both inner and outer tensioners @ 31,000 miles. The inner was worn just about to metal. I seemed to have caught it just in time. I inspected both tensioners at 45,000 miles and (surprisingly) has no wear at all. I will continue to inspect at about 15,000 mile intervals.
 
#27 ·
68 k miles on '99 ultra. no failure as yet. Last two oil changes i cut open the filter and saw no junk inside; so i keep on riding and knock on wood.
I would inspect those asap. Usually by the time you can see junk in the oil, you already have a problem. Make sure to check the rear. At 68k, I would think that they would be just about shot, but I have heard of 100k engines that were never apart.(Never seen one, though. Most take them apart for something.)
 
#26 ·
It would be nice if respondents were a little more precise than describing the tensioners as "they were shot" or "not bad." What does that mean? How about some actual wear numbers?

I pulled mine on my 05 Road King last spring at 36,000 miles and had .05 wear on the rear one which was the most worn. Harley states .09 wear limit, I believe, so I had plenty of miles left. Since I was changing out cams anyway I went with the roller chain setup. Now close to 50,000 miles.

I agree with the post that the service manual never states the tensioners are to be checked, which is the root of the problem. Harley gives wear limits on the tensioner shoes, which means they are a wear item just like brake shoes. All HD had to do is include the tensioner check as part of the 25k, 50k and 75k service.

BTW, I've noticed a few shops recently advertising to do tensioner checks for $100 as part of overall service.
 
#29 ·
There have been a few more than that. They are wear items and usually are worn at 30k, so 68k is past time to change them. i don't run brakes metal to metal or tires to the wear bars, either.
 
#30 ·
I had 37K on my 04 FLSTC when I lost a cam bearing (a whole other story). Shoes looked like new. Something that you might want to include in your post is the brand of oil you use. I thought when my cam bearing went out, it was the shoes. NOT! After doing a lot of research, I found there seems to be some relationship on the oil type used, to the amount of shoe wear. Not trying to hijack this thread to an oil debate but it really makes a lot of sense. That old "Too slippery" synthetic oil argument may have some weight here. After all, the job of oil is to put a film between the two parts and reduce friction. Friction = wear. I use amsoil
 
#34 ·
04 ultra first set went at 32000 miles metal to metal on the outer. inside shoe was paper thin. used regular 50w harley oil. Lucky it was still under warenty, changed them out at 52000 miles outside shoe had very little wear inside shoe was half gone. used Royal purple 50w. At 60000 started to lose power, lots of noise in gear case when first started and oil at air cleaner breather tubes. 80000 crank shot along with everything it conects to. Im going to go to gears but would like a good fix for the crank. Engine is stock with stage 1 kit regular or eary oil changes and I ride 70+ miles a day so I would like to find a way to make it stay together.
 
#36 ·
My 2003 Ultra had really low oil pressure from day one.. Would idle about 4lbs... And run down the road under 20lbs... All the guys I talked to with close to the same year had the same situation...at 40,000 miles I had no problems but had the tensioners checked. Harley ended up replacing everything in the cam chest under warranty.

I got my 06 Ultra and I noticed right away the increase in oil pressure...Idles at around 15lbs and runs down the road between 35 and 40lbs... I had the tensioners checked at 36,000 miles and they were fine?

I was just wondering if the low oil pressure on the earlier models could contribute to the excessive wear and part failures? And if so if I was building a new motor I would consider adding a high output oil pump...
 
#37 ·
tensioners

:clap:I've a 99FXD and ran the original cam bearings (both ball) until about 30K. Recently upgraded the rear bearing with new chain,plate, and oil pump 99b. Also installed S&S reed valve. I had run V-Twin oil. The tensioners were about 50% and never had a problem with the rear ball bearing. :whistle:
 
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