CCT (Cam Chain Tensioner) Fail Safe Mod. (aka Stopper Mod)

[cola414]

I also notice in the Haynes manual there is no mention of setting the timing up for removal of the tensioners????

[tony.mon]

I also notice in the Haynes manual there is no mention of setting the timing up for removal of the tensioners????

Yep, that's why you need to trust Sirch's guide in the Workshop Knowledgebase rather than Haynes.

[cola414]

I also notice in the Haynes manual there is no mention of setting the timing up for removal of the tensioners????

Yep, that's why you need to trust Sirch's guide in the Workshop Knowledgebase rather than Haynes.

Crazy that really as most novices will trust the Haynes manual!

[cola414]

A couple of queries!

I notice on the normal tensioners there is a small red mark on the front and a white mark on the rear?Any reason?

Also,when refitting a standard tensioner should it be retracted and held with the key until fully bolted down?

[AMCQ46]

The various paint dots are to define what quality improvement were done at the factory., but none have proven to be bomb proof so ignore them.

Yes it needs to be wound in before fitting.... Make sure you are at tdc before removing

[cola414]

The various paint dots are to define what quality improvement were done at the factory., but none have proven to be bomb proof so ignore them.

Yes it needs to be wound in before fitting.... Make sure you are at tdc before removing

Cheers!:-)

[cola414]

My front CCT had a broken spring so after fitting a new CCT I turned the engine over via the crankshaft (Counter clockwise) and lined up the FT mark at the inspection hole but the cams are not facing away from each other and the and FE mark is nowhere near where it should be!The F1 Mark is in line with the casing and the lobe is facing away from the other!Am I to assume the chain has jumped teeth in a big way?
Is it likely that there is valve damage now?

[tony.mon]

My front CCT had a broken spring so after fitting a new CCT I turned the engine over via the crankshaft (Counter clockwise) and lined up the FT mark at the inspection hole but the cams are not facing away from each other and the and FE mark is nowhere near where it should be!The F1 Mark is in line with the casing and the lobe is facing away from the other!Am I to assume the chain has jumped teeth in a big way?
Is it likely that there is valve damage now?

Rotate the engine one complete turn at the crankshaft so that you are once more looking at the FT mark and look again.

If still wrong you will need to completely re-time the engine.

When you do so you may have bent a valve- to check without pulling the heads off set the cams to (rear head) cams pointing upwards and inwards, scribe lines on sprockets lined up with the head top surface, or (front cylinder) same, but with cam lobes pointing upwards but not far up from horizontal and away from each other.

Check valve clearances in each position. If any gap is bigger than .4mm you have bent valves.

[cola414]

Cheers Tony!

[Geoff S]

Superb guide thanks mate! Made the job nice and straight-forward.

Did drink tea and stare at the bike before starting it though.

If anyone is thinking of doing this who can't visualise what the tool is doing in the end of the CCT then starting with the front CCT allows you to see where the tool is going. Easy either way but just a thought!

[chaz]

just done the third cct change on 3 different peoples bikes. each time using the instruction sheet. all went smoothly as I just stood and watched the owner this time, lending a hand when needed,
my only observation being there are two types of key available, the Honda type that comes with the cct when you buy new and Haynes model one also the type with the larger round head. if making your own, or buying, go for the larger round head type as better for big fingers and thumbs especially when doing the back one.

[eerie]

hello, I'm new to the forum so please excuse me if I ask about something that have already been answered. I've read all I found about cct's here but I still have some doubts..

I bought a firestorm a week ago and after all the reading I decided to go with the stopper mod. I told my mechanic about all this and he told me that most probably he could remove the cct's and put them back without needing to strip so many parts and without removing the cam covers. he just said he'd know how to do it. my question is, is that possible? I know that when swapping from autos to manuals the cam covers have to be removed to check the 5/7mm slack in the chain, but is it mandatory for doing the stopper mod, or for changing oem cct's for new oem ones? in this case could be enough to align the marks in the check window or do you have to physically see how the lobes are oriented? any way to know the tdc-compression stroke without "seeing" it?

it's not that I don't trust my mechanic but I'm afraid he could mess up something trying to fix it "his own way". I know he haven't serviced a firestorm for this matter before though he obviously knows how cct's work and has solved many issues with other bikes. I don't feel confident with my skills to do it all by myself so I don't really know what way to go now, any advice?

[Wicky]

Probably your mechanic is thinking of removing spark plugs (has to be done anyhow to make it easier turn over by hand) and using a stick down the hole to find and confirm the top of the piston is at tdc. Check that is his plan as it's a gamble just pulling out the CCTs without ensuring the timing is correct, as unlike a Inline-4 on the VTR there's nothing taking up the slack and it can cause the cam-chain to jump with ensuing problems.

[tony.mon]

Probably your mechanic is thinking of removing spark plugs (has to be done anyhow to make it easier turn over by hand) and using a stick down the hole to find and confirm the top of the piston is at tdc. Check that is his plan as it's a gamble just pulling out the CCTs without ensuring the timing is correct, as unlike a Inline-4 on the VTR there's nothing taking up the slack and it can cause the cam-chain to jump with ensuing problems.

That method can't be relied upon- there are two tdc's per cam revolution, and in only one of those two possible positions is it safe to remove the cct's.
It's a 50:50 gamble....

By the way I never bother removing the plugs- just use a fixed breaker bar instead of the ratchet handle, as it can spin past the point you want to stop at.

The only safe way is to remove the timing caps and the rear cam cover- from there it's possible to do the job without dismantling anything else.

But to get to the front cct you need to remove the tank and airbox.

[sirch345]

I agree, removing both cam covers and aligning up all the timing marks, plus checking the cam lobes are facing in the right direction for each cylinder is the way to go. Cutting corners by not doing that will definitely be a gamble, and one which could cost you more in the end,

Chris.