Does anyone have any good ideas how I might set the cam timing back in place without having to remove the upper cam cover from the engine? It slipped while I was changing a tensioner gasket and the cam timing is now a couple of teeth advanced from where it needs to be.
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Cam timing slipped
- Thread starter Xs650911
- Start date
If your cam chain jumped teeth that easily it's probably time to replace it. That being said, in the mean time I guess all you can do is remove the tensioner again and try to "jump" it back into the correct position. No need to take the housing off, just pull the adjuster screw and plunger out of it.
And loosen the valve adjusters as far as they will go. These are not freewheeling motors. The pistons can and will hit the valves if the cam timing gets far enough off.
I see where you would have came to that conclusion but it was a mistake I made when replacing a gasket on the cam chain tensioner. When I reinstalled the tensioner it wasn't meshed with the timing chain correctly and it slipped, well see what happens is normally in the direction everything is rotating a slipped cam would retard itself if it slipped but the valve springs spin the cam forward so fast that it out runs the crankshaft. You've experienced this if you've ever turned a cam over by hand that was loaded with the spring pressure of the valve train. If there was a good way to hold the cam still I may have a chance at slipping it back. As it stands the cam is advanced roughly ten degrees and the ignition timing if made work by modifying the points plate. I ground away more clearance as to allow me to retard the timing to compensate for the advanced camshaft. What would happen would be after around 3000 rpm it would run it's ass off..lol but I'm afraid at idle and lower rpm it would be rough. It's exactly what a high performance camshaft is but without more advance. Its just like advancing the cam timing with a adjustable cam sprocket...except they are in smaller increments but also are a helluva lot more expensive than my way. I've found out how Im going to have to do it and it's no big deal. The engine likes about 4 bolts and removing the master link and it's free anyway. No problem but thanks for your input it's exactly what I tried to do this morning.
5 twins...with either one of the points or advance mechanism housings removed from the cylinder head can that camshaft bearing be "pulled" out and removed? And then would I be able to look inside and see the cam sprocket? I'm assuming I'd have to raise the upper engine cam cover a little to free the bearing? I'm not sure on this part because I've never been into a xs650? By the looks of everything it maybe possible. See if I could access the camshaft sprocket from the side like from behind either housing and camshaft bearing I could take a long screwdriver and walk the chain back as many teeth as needed. Thats how you do it on anything you can access the cam sprocket on....either way it's alright. Thanks again
Something you should know is 650 cam chains are extremely tight when new. If they stretch enough to jump time with the tensioner out the chain is past it's wear limits. Your bike do as you wish.
Perhaps there is Something useful
http://www.xs650.com/threads/timing-way-off-points-cam-is-out-of-position.60435/#post-710590
http://www.xs650.com/threads/timing-way-off-points-cam-is-out-of-position.60435/#post-710590
Thanks for that link
