Manual Cam chain adjuster.

[Pauli363]

Has anyone fitted one of these to deal with the dreaded cold start rattle?
Pros/ Cons?

The part is available for £38 online.

26/03/23 EDIT :
Topic Title changed to aid future Forum searches,
from "Manual cam change adjuster." to "Manual Cam chain adjuster"

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[trophied]

I'm not exactly dreading a cold start rattle from the cam chain tensioner, it only lasts seconds if the tensioner's oil leaks down.

[Pauli363]

It's an oft used figure of speech, not meant to be taken literally .  I was just wondering if anyone had ever used one of these and what there experience of it was.

[trophied]

Just not sure how to arrive at the proper tension, since the valve adjustment procedure requires the cam chain to be torqued to .6 Nm, yes .6.  Not even hand tight with a screwdriver handle and impossible to even get close by feel at that little torque.  The Wiha tool costs $58, then you have to buy a bit holder to get you to a hex X 3/8" square drive for the hex key Triumph furnishes with the tensioning device.  Yep, I bought it. .  Guess you could use that same tool for the manual tensioner.

[Rick505]

I've not tried it but am somewhat dreading my first start after being idle for a couple of months due to winter and needing recent surgery that pretty much stopped me riding for a bit.  I'd thought about removing the fuel pump relay and cranking it over a bit to build oil pressure and then starting it in situations like mine.  It will probably still rattle but at least at a slower speed and makes me a bit more comfortable.   

[Pauli363]

The theory seems pretty straightforward.
Obviously an "automated" process should usually be better, but in this case it seems to be not a great design given that the automatic tensioner relies on oil pressure which doesn't build until at least 5 seconds after the bike is turned over.
Other than the awful rattle, I'm not sure if it actually can lead to any damage.  I haven't heard of any failures that would be specifically put down to the automatic adjuster.
But, there are plenty of comments here and elsewhere about the start up rattle, and most people do not like it, myself included.
In terms of use, it should be straightforward.  If the rattle becomes apparent, then simply incrementally tighten the adjuster bolt until the rattle disappears.  I wouldn't have though it would be something that would have to be done too often.
The only concern is the fitting, and ensuring the timing is not affected, but if the procedure is followed that would be unlikely.

BTW, the title of the thread should read "Manual Cam chain adjuster", but I can't change it!

[trophied]

With the way the top cam chain pad fits over the sprockets it would be highly unlikely that the chain could jump a tooth on the sprocket before the tensioner has enough oil to tension the chain.  The exhaust cam side is the one under constant tension, and losing tension on the chain could only result in a problem if the chain was severely, worn, under no tension, and the engine backfired, to allow it to jump a tooth on the crankshaft sprocket.  At least after adjusting the valves and doing prolonged scrutiny of the whole assembly that's how I see the design.  Don't get me started on shims and buckets though!

[Trophy Moderator]

BTW, the title of the thread should read "Manual Cam chain adjuster", but I can't change it!

I can - and I have !

For future reference you can use the "Report post to Moderator" button
found at the bottom right of all Posts, to send a quick message asking for help such as this.

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