Self Adjusting Valves

[kawahog]

I know that these bikes have self adjusting valves but I did read where over time the tensioner gets weak and the chain gets floppy. My bike (2005 1600 Nomad) is making an odd sound up in the front of the engine that kind of sounds (maybe) like a loose chain. My bike has 27,000 mile on it. How often does this chain and or tensioner have to be changed?
Thanks
Kawahog

[blowndodge]

27K is kind of low to me. Most get about 50K. There are cam chain "extenders" on the web that extend the usable life of the adjusters.

[waterman]

Talk to Chuckster. He makes the the extenders.

[vulcanero03]

Originally Posted by kawahog

I know that these bikes have self adjusting valves but I did read where over time the tensioner gets weak and the chain gets floppy. My bike (2005 1600 Nomad) is making an odd sound up in the front of the engine that kind of sounds (maybe) like a loose chain. My bike has 27,000 mile on it. How often does this chain and or tensioner have to be changed?
Thanks
Kawahog

first, the tensioners can not just be replaced, they have a range of travel, when they reach their limit, meaning extended all the way, they no longer maintain proper chain tension, thus the chain becomes somewhat sloppy, becoming noisy.
second, the vulcan do not have self adjusting valves, they do have hydraulic lash adjusters inside the rocker arms, that maintain proper clearance.
my 2003 started to make a "lifter" like noise around 70,000 or so miles, i was so suere that it was the lifters that was making the noise, but i went to the www.gadgetjq/fixit.com page and read the article about cam chain tensioners and learned a lot about what happens, i strongly recomend that you do the same before you touch anything on your bike. should you choose to remove a tensioner to inspect, be aware that once you do that, you MUST NOT TURN THE MOTOR. or you will disturb the timing between the cams and the chain. that means you have to remove the engine from the bike to get it re-timed. not fun! good luck on finding out your answer, i have read many posts from guys that claim their tensioners to have gone out at 25,000 miles, others claim 50,000 miles i guess it depends on lubricant used, rpm range of use, intervals between oil changes, driving habits, etc,,etc, i sincerely hope this helps you find the right answer.
vulcanero "aka" jesus

[vulcanero03]

Originally Posted by kawahog

I know that these bikes have self adjusting valves but I did read where over time the tensioner gets weak and the chain gets floppy. My bike (2005 1600 Nomad) is making an odd sound up in the front of the engine that kind of sounds (maybe) like a loose chain. My bike has 27,000 mile on it. How often does this chain and or tensioner have to be changed?
Thanks
Kawahog

BTW, i made my own extenders but there is a guy recomended on gadget's page that sells them at a decent price. beware that sometimes they can just be pressed in, as other times you might have to add some strong bonding agent like permanent locktite or so to hold them in place.