Can Cam Timing be off from Top Dead Center?

[Joesmoe]

Somebody call me ? I was asleep. Oh, I see now, just let me know. Good luck.

 

[Neville Lush]

At 60000 MILES your cam chain will be stretched a lot. In your picture you do not have the little chain bridge tensioner bolted on ( or I cannot see it) this will alter your timing marks as well.

 

[GaryB]

So I actually got the timing set by holding the chain at the crankshaft with my finger while installing the tensioner so the chain wouldn't slacken and jump a tooth. It helps being well rested to think through things and figure it out.

However, the chain is near its limit and I have ordered a new one.

I guess I will be without my Baby for another week or 2.

 

[R-III-R Turbo]

Great, the 'trick' you wanted was to hold the chain into the crank sprocket.
What chain length did you get, out of interest?

Also the tensioner drop?

A very salient point re the tensioner drop, the critical measurement needs to be made after you have turned the engine over by hand a few times (with the centre nut and spring in the tensioner), this gives it a chance to take up all the slack.
You should get multiple clicks on the tensioner ratchet as you turn the engine over.
Then the more accurate drop measurement should be taken.

 

[warp9.9]

After messing with these motors a couple years now and watching all the changes Triumph there is only two things I would do. one would be switch to Neville lush's manual tensioner if and only if I new I could maintain adjustment. Some people might not which could suck very loudly as the pistons hit the valves. If I was worried about properly adjusting it and remembering to adjust it then I would cap the plunger on the auto tensioner so it was 2-3mm longer maybe even 4 or 5 if I could get away with it.

 

[Neville Lush]

In normal service one would only expect to move the manual adjuster maybe a 1/32nd to 1/16th of a turn every 5 or 6000 kms. If you let it go until the valves were hitting, the chain would be very noisy long before. These engine have a lot of room between the valve and the piston.

 

[GaryB]

Great, the 'trick' you wanted was to hold the chain into the crank sprocket.
What chain length did you get, out of interest?

Also the tensioner drop?

A very salient point re the tensioner drop, the critical measurement needs to be made after you have turned the engine over by hand a few times (with the centre nut and spring in the tensioner), this gives it a chance to take up all the slack.
You should get multiple clicks on the tensioner ratchet as you turn the engine over.
Then the more accurate drop measurement should be taken.

I didn't write it down but the tensioner drop was over 25mm which I knew was almost all the adjustment you can get out of the tensioner. The good news is the tensioner did its job even without the spacer. I was going to order the stock OEM chain with the sprockets and chain guides. I held off while researching anything else I might want/need at the same time.

 

[GaryB]

After messing with these motors a couple years now and watching all the changes Triumph there is only two things I would do. one would be switch to Neville lush's manual tensioner if and only if I new I could maintain adjustment. Some people might not which could suck very loudly as the pistons hit the valves. If I was worried about properly adjusting it and remembering to adjust it then I would cap the plunger on the auto tensioner so it was 2-3mm longer maybe even 4 or 5 if I could get away with it.

I'll probably stick with the auto tensioner as it hasn't let me down. I'll have to look at capping the plunger.

 

[bernard]

As nev says do the tensioner drop and chain length measurements. In the manual, but you can use a calipers instead of the Triumph tool for the drop. 16mm is the limit before spacer is needed.

Also you might have a watch of this, you might spot something useful

Thanks for posting this.

 

[Kevin frazier]

In normal service one would only expect to move the manual adjuster maybe a 1/32nd to 1/16th of a turn every 5 or 6000 kms. If you let it go until the valves were hitting, the chain would be very noisy long before. These engine have a lot of room between the valve and the piston.

would you mind explaining how to adjust your manual tensioner. thank you