I didn't do anything but wring the throttle & jam on the brakes, no wrenches or screwdrivers involved. I got on it & it just felt a bit peppier, I don't have a way to keep up with mileage except memory & that thing usually self erases before I get to "reserve" But, it just seems that tank was gone real fast.  I wonder if I could have jumped a tooth on the cam? Is it possible to move tha cam that far & NOT screw the performance up but enhance it? I doubt that.. really, or the stock cam timing would be different. But, I will be checking timing marks before I disturb anything in the cam chain replacement job coming up..

Anyone know enough about the engine to say for sure about cam timing?

Greg, I know Ive been talking about being in to the cam for so long everyone must surely think Ive done it, but I am still waiting on the cam. I just got on it yesterday & it seemed noticeably stouter, NOw I am gonna have to either go in or do just as you say. What worries me is, IF it's possible something changed once, it could do it again. If it does it again, it may create conflict between valve & piston. I wouldnt want to see the top O my piston get a "Black eye" where a valve punched it.. I guess I need to park it. The cam is on its way( Thanks Lancer)
I dont want to drain it & pop the side off & check the tensioner just to ride for 2 days. I will look at it & report back..I guess I coulda made that decision before I said anything..

And even if you thought there might be a problem or a chance of punching holes in the piston, then why the heck are you out wringing the throttle off?


Well, since I know the tensioner was at 18.75 mm last I looked at it I was a bit worried, but I never heard any chain slapping noises & I used a stethoscope & racked it off a few times, no racket I could tell.I saw someone say their tensioner was at 22mm & still looking okay,tho the manual says 18 is time to do something. I dont think you are quite reading what I was saying OR I diont say what I meant to say. I will try agaion..


IF the cam has jumped timing, it did it VERY recently, It felt really good yesterday, Maybe it jumped when I shut off the niught before. IF it can jump once, then it just might do it again, IF it does it again THEN there might be a real p[roblem..You see I come HERE to discuss whats going on & see IF I need to be worried about it. I dont get where you are coming from. Maybe re read what I said. I know it's not yer style to be rude or hateful, but you gettin pretty close..

justin_o_guy wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:

???

I wont be worrying about that tensioner letting go any more. I drilled a hole & ran a piece of .025 piano wire in it that traps the ratchet so the tensioner cant come from together..

It's too late to comprehend...  

I hope what you meant is the plunger is tied back to prevent it from coming out of the tensioner housing.

I didnt tie it back. I watched the swing of the ratchet as the tensioner extended.  Then I saw how far the ratchet had to swing in order for the full diameter of it to pass thru the ratchet. I scribed a line would show me how close I could put the pin thru the body of the tensioner so as to restrict the swing of the ratchet, so the full diameter of the tensioner couldnt pass thru it, but the ratchet would still be able to swing far enough to allow the tensioner to take up the slack in the chain. I drilled a very small hole & ran an even smaller, Hard, wire thru it & secured that wire by drilling a hole in a corner of the casting that houses the swinging ratchet. I spose "Pawl" would be a better word than ratchet,

I hope others can figure this out,

If you will look at the pic Greg has now in his sig line, you can see the axle the Pawl swings on. You can see the area below the line in the casting is radiused, difficult to drill on. The hole needs to be parallel to the axle the Pawl swings on,I earlier called it the ratchet, it is the pawl of the ratchet, I spose would be most accurate. So, the hole to drill needs to be parallel to the axle, or pin, that the pawl swings on, that is seen in Gregs pic.  I made  a pocket in that curved area that would allow my drill( actually a 1/32 end mill, I th9ink I paid 6 or 8 bucks for at a machine shop supply house a few years ago) Then, realizing the very small area I had to work with, I decioded against a 1/16th hole & larger wire & went with the 1/32 = .03125 & used a piece of piano wire, available in hobby shops, radio control plane types call it control rod pretty often. It is available in many diameters & I try to keep a good selection around, have for years. A piece of .025 wire went thru the .031 hole easily but without so much slop it was usel;ess. I DID get the hole too close to the edge & had to drive it toward the spring with a pin punch, but it wont alow the thing to come apart & thats all I care about.
Also, be aware that the spring cant be interfeered with, so the placement of the hole is critical. Pretty small area to shoot at.
Once someone gets the thing in their hands & looks at it & studies how it works, all this will become clear. This can be done with a steady hand & a vise & a good drill bit or two, so I hope that I have a drill press doesnt keep others from going for this..

I have calculated the expected life of a cam chain using the wear on mine at 14,480 mjiles & comparing that length to the length of a new chain & figuring the percentage of wear. I figure a chain, with guides adjusted so as to keep the tensioner from coming to the end of its travel before the chain is worn out, should get between 20 & 21,000 miles.