Z1OwnersClub GB

Built a z1 eng up over winter, runs fine apart from having a bit of a cam chain rattle from first start up, re adjusted the chain a couple of times as per manual no joy
Yesterday took the chain tensioner off and with one finger down the barrel pushing against the tensioner wheel and a spanner on the crank rocking it back and fore either side of the TDC mark you can feel the chain going slack and then tensioning up again. Found the point were the chain is at its slackest but the TDC mark is at about ten past !!!!!!
Put the tensioner back on, set the ajuster were it is and it runs sweet with no rattle.
any one any ideas why

Doesn't matter where the TDC mark is when tensioning the chain.
What matters is keeping all the slack on the tensioner side when locking the tensioner which is what you have done.

zed1015 wrote:Doesn't matter where the TDC mark is when tensioning the chain.
What matters is keeping all the slack on the tensioner side when locking the tensioner which is what you have done.

are the manual adjusters better than the spring loaded ones ??

baz wrote:are the manual adjusters better than the spring loaded ones ??

There's no risk of an APE type manual tensioner backing off under load which can happen with a spring loaded one but there is a knack to setting them up without over tensioning the chain.

Rob, Whats the knack then for APE ones as I have just fitted one and did think, how much tension should I apply?

With a 17 mm spanner on the ign side you can rock the crank (without moving the cams) and feel the slack in the cam chain.
While gently rocking the crank you will be able to screw in the tensioner bolt with your fingers until the amount the spanner moves is reduced.
You will never get zero movement due to cam chain stretch and some give between the crank sprocket and the chain rollers so some informed judgment is needed depending on how worn the chain is .
Once you are happy with the result tighten the lock nut without moving the tensioner bolt and that should be it.

Rob
so what your saying is turn the crank clockwise, then back a little so you can feel the slack the adjust the chain.

baz wrote:Rob
so what your saying is turn the crank clockwise, then back a little so you can feel the slack the adjust the chain.

Baz, you actually rock it back & forth a bit - you can feel it as it tightens each direction, so the "slack" bit in the middle of the rocking gets less as you wind in the adjuster. It shouldn't be dead-tight, there must be a bit of slack.

Is it a new cam chain - if not, it might have a tight spot due to a stiff link

think ive got it now

Once you get the hang of it, it's the quickest and most accurate way of doing it.

Thanks guys for this post and solutions... I learnt a lot from this complicated yet simple cam-chain adjustment using the APE adjustor or similar.
RegardZ.