camchain tensioner

[bigmockuk]

ive had to take the head of my 550 k3 3 times to find out what the loud tapping sound was,it sounded like a very loose tappet even tho i knew they were all set,bike was misfiring on no 2 so while i had the head off i removed the valve springs thinking one had broken but all was good,so after i took out the camchain tensioner i saw what the issue was,about an inch n a half up from the bottom (facing towards back of engine) something has been hitting against it,so i thought maybe it had came out of place since i had did about 100 miles since barrel was last off,so i put it all back together and noise was still there  so pulled it apart again and put a slight bend where the shiny groove was from whatever could be hitting it,built it up and hoped it would be ok but its not,its not as loud but still there,any one any ideas as to what could be hitting against the bottom of the tensioner?

[SteveW]

Is the bottom end of the tensioner sitting properly in its groove in the case?

Very easy to fit it without it sitting in the correct place.

[DomP]

Do you have any photos of the tensioner?

[Seabeowner]

The bottom of the tensioner sits in a pocket in the crankcase. Best to remove the sump and check that it is correctly inserted.

[bigmockuk]

i dont have pics which is totally unlike me i take pics of everything i work on,my next question has just been answered,can the tensioner be seen from below when sump pan is removed? so thats my next job,if its half dry tomorrow i`ll get the pan off,take some pics n hopefully find a solution,so i`ll upload pics of what i find,cheers guys

[bigmockuk]

steve W,the book says it just drops in,aye right! i had to fiddle with it before i could get it to sit properly and when the barrel was right down it wobbled like it was`nt sitting flush so took a few attempts to get it right,but i should see fom below if it is actually correct,cheers

[Johnny4428]

This is what happens if the bottom of the tensioner is not seated in its location.

[SteveW]

From memory, I think the Haynes manual says drop it in with the barrels. When the barrels are 10mm or so from being fully down, guide the end of the blade into its slot.

[Johnny4428]

This is the tensioner in the correct position. You can see a mark on the outside of the tensioner pocket where the bottom of the tensioner was before I stripped the engine.

[bigmockuk]

jonny4428 that pic you have of the marks on the tensioner is identical to the marks on mine!! which means its still not in place  cheers for the other pic it lets me see what to look for when i drop the pan,ive seen two vids on youtube now that shows the tensioner being fitted to the barrels prior to lowering the barrel? might be a good idea to do this,could take away the guess work

[Murf]

This is the end of the tensioner I took out of my engine which had not been fitted into the pocket by the PO. 
The wear is from it being worn down by rubbing against the side of the primary chain, could that be the noise you are hearing.  It’s on a K1 so could be a bit different to yours.

[Murf]

Also I don’t feel that it’s possible for the tensioner to properly tension the cam chain when the bottom end is not supported in the boot. There must be a degree of flexing which would  allow chain slap.  This is often most noticeable on tickover and on the overrun, this could be mistaken for  tapit  noise. 

[bigmockuk]

ye definately murf,that pic posted by johnny is exactly the same as mine so its hitting that chain,i hope to take it apart again either today or tomorrow so i`ll post my findings cheers

[bigmockuk]

got engine top half stripped down today and can verify that tensioner is i the wrong place,i also noticed a bolt had worked loose by quite a bit so eith vibration or PO not nipping it up

[bigmockuk]

having to upload 1 pic at a time as it wont allow 2 or more ?