Changing a cam chain

[cargo]

DO NOT START THIS JOB UNTILL......................................

An oil leak that appears to come from the head gasket area may NOT always be a blown head gasket. In fact I would suggest that it is almost certainly NOT a head gasket problem.

Each spark plug recess has a little drain hole that exits just above the head gasket at the front of the engine and if the rocker cover seal is leaking oil into the spark plug recess then oil will appear at this hole on the front..................I'd nearly guarentee that your problem is a rocker cover oil leak and NOT a head gasket

[adreid]

You were right, I changed the rocker cover seals and the the o ring seals that are on the metal cyclinders around the spark plugs and the dreaded oil leak stopped, well pleased as I have been chasing it around for ages. Thanks

[cargo]

[Scott221]

When you split the old chain, cable tie the new chain onto the old. As you pull the old chain out the new one will feed round. If they're arent already marks on the cams then get some chalk or similar.


Ok I'm abit late there! Cargo does it again.

[cargo]

When you split the old chain, cable tie the new chain onto the old. As you pull the old chain out the new one will feed round. If they're arent already marks on the cams then get some chalk or similar.


Ok I'm abit late there! Cargo does it again.

A genuine Kawasaki camchain does not split.......................I know that you can get after market camchains with a split link...............but I would suggest that using one of them is not a good idea..................the damage that a broken camchain can do is seriuos valves,pistons, bores, head conrods. just about everything would be at risk.

Changing tne cam chain is really very easy even using the genine chain.

I'll have one apart in the next few weeks might take a picture or two if I can remember

[RedexRobB]

a genuine chain is only 20 quid new isnt it? Not alot really compared to the potential cost incurred of engine replacement to the saving on a split link chain.

[cargo]

a genuine chain is only 20 quid new isnt it? Not alot really compared to the potential cost incurred of engine replacement to the saving on a split link chain.

My point precisely

[Lee]

appropriate topic as im just in the middle of rebuilding my engine after it siezed on me, turned out it was a snapped con rod which made its way into the gearbox. Anyway im trying to put the new cam chain in but its so bloody tight, how the hell do you get it over both cams as im struggling? The manual says " take up the slack on the exhaust side" but there isnt any and thats before iv put the tensioner in. Its a genuine chain and i measured it against the removed one and its the same length, even counted the links. Is there a knack to this?
I notice that cargo said its easy haha, any advice mate?

[cargo]

Given that you have replaced a conrod you should have put the camchain in place on the crank when you had the crankcases apart.

Now you are finding that a little bit of the crankcase is getting in the way and stopping the chain from going on to the crank. It can be done and Zimm will I'm sure post and tell you of is method..........however


You can with a little care grind away ( I used a Dremmel ) a little bit of the material on the crankcaes that is stopping the chain from going on the crank.
Take care NOT to get any swarf into the rest of the engine clean the area throughly afterwards.

The bit you are reading in the manual about slack applies when refitting the camshafts there will be slack in the chain et c etc etc

[tk400]

You can just wiggle the cam chain onto the lower sprocket. Trust me it works for years I thoght otherwise. but have done it several times now. you sought of just gently side roll it on while just rotating the crank a couple of degrees...cheers

regards TK400

[zimm]

yeh, can just be wiggled .. its not exactly "my" method .. i got it from a post on here by rmkd about 2 million years ago

however it sounds more like you are trying to fit the chain after fitting the cams, than it sounds like you cant get it on the crank sprocket .. in which case .. take the cams back out and slip the chain over the cam sprockets before fitting the cam caps.

[Lee]

Yeah i did put the chain on the crank sprocket then re-assembled the case. The problem i have is that the chain is around the crank sprocket and up through to the head but tryin to fit the two cams sprockets onto the chain is difficult, thats without the cam caps on? It just seems really tight. The cams wont sit fully in there grooves until the caps are holding them down as obviously the valve springs are holding the cams out a bit as there is no force pushing against them to push the valves down, i thought thats maybe what the problem is. Im off work tomorrow so il have another go and report back.

[cargo]

You need to put the cams in one at a time inlet first I think.

They will not really appear to be in right until you tighten everything down but it should be relitively easy to do

[zimm]

doesnt matter which first.. think i normally do exhaust first though, hook the sprocket under the chain and "roll" it forward till it sits down into place, then pull up the slack, slip the inlet in right next to the exhaust then "roll" it back till it drops into place.


edit : i have no idea if that makes sense

[U_h0rnet5]

I've got that rattle and is it best to get a new chain aswell as the tensionor or can I just change the chain tensionor. I need a new rocker cover gasket and seals so I might not be dropping the engine out (i Know its better/easier to do) is it still possible to do with it in the frame without getting overly frustrated with it?????