sunday afternoon build your own manual cam tensioner

[spark23ca]

things i used ...threaded rod, grinder, file, drill press, tap set, 2 nuts, welder or you could grind the rod on the outside so it fits a wrench

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take the stock tensioner out

take it appart and use the smaller half

tap out the hole in th smaller half ( i used 1/2 inche but 3/8 will work..i just didn't have any)

cut some threaded rod 3 or 4 inches make sure the end is the same size and shape as end of the original cam tightener ..( i used a drill press a grinder and a file as a make shift lathe

you need to double nut the outside of the new tensioner so it won't come lose ..take a nut on the outside end of threaded rod

[spark23ca]

oh this is for an 85 big red 250es i think sx are the same ..this cost me nothing just scraps in my garage ..save 50 bucks

[dougspcs]

I take it you did this to replace your stock tensioner in attempts to quiet a noisy over stretched chain??

If so, let me know how well it does the job..I've got one with the same and it's just a farm beater I want to keep going!

[spark23ca]

yeah my chain is pretty stretched it quieted it down really good...but the ammount i had to turn it in i can tell that the old chain ain't gonna last long ..it always made noise when it was cold then it got so it was when it was hot too..so i made sure it was hot and just turned it till it was quiet when ..still ticks a little when its cold

[ps2fixer]

Not a bad setup, too bad you couldn't mass produce these :P. They are $50 on ebay with the gasket.

[dougspcs]

It'll either last a fair while or burn thru the remaining bit of the guide, fill the bottom of the engine with shrapnel and grenade!!

I'll be watching to see how long it holds up for you..then decide if it's how I want to go with mine. I may just jump in and do the chain..but it's an old slammer for my dad's farm so the less I have to do with it the better!!

Besides, truth is it's a quad!! The 86 TRX250ES..not a trike so I don't value it quite as much!!

[spark23ca]

chain is definitely the best bet but just don't have one right now...i have to wait weeks for any parts i order as i am in canada..i figure this is better then wearing a hole in the side of the block...trike or quad motor is still work keeping ..and this is just as safe as the ones you buy on ebay...its made out of grade 8 rod

[ps2fixer]

It'll either last a fair while or burn thru the remaining bit of the guide, fill the bottom of the engine with shrapnel and grenade!!

I'll be watching to see how long it holds up for you..then decide if it's how I want to go with mine. I may just jump in and do the chain..but it's an old slammer for my dad's farm so the less I have to do with it the better!!

Besides, truth is it's a quad!! The 86 TRX250ES..not a trike so I don't value it quite as much!!

I picked up one of them things, mine is a poor beater, while researching quite a few of the parts will interchange, however quite a few don't as well, more along the electronics :(. I have spare parts if you need some, including an engine that seems to be solid, but has some wiring issues that I havn't delt with yet to hear it run.

Anyway, in either case changing the timing chain would be best, but this trick should extend the life a bit. As long as the slides are in fair shape yet, and the chain is kepted tight, I don't see any issues running the stretched chain. Maybe odd sprocket wear for the crank/cam?

[spark23ca]

I picked up one of them things, mine is a poor beater, while researching quite a few of the parts will interchange, however quite a few don't as well, more along the electronics :(. I have spare parts if you need some, including an engine that seems to be solid, but has some wiring issues that I havn't delt with yet to hear it run.

Anyway, in either case changing the timing chain would be best, but this trick should extend the life a bit. As long as the slides are in fair shape yet, and the chain is kepted tight, I don't see any issues running the stretched chain. Maybe odd sprocket wear for the crank/cam?


the thing is noone can see the slides ...or anything else ...this is just a get threw a few weeks trick and plus the cam tensioner i had was rattly ..the role pin was just about to let go ..pin was bad and the hole was uns alvagable ..i don't know why..maybe the chain had a bad link on it knocking the tensioner arround as it did sit for a few years

[spark23ca]

have run a few tanks fo gas threw it and it runs perfect...it even took stutter or bog out that it had when you were idling allong at almost too high of a gear

[spark23ca]

still running ..a few more tanks tanks run threw er ..ordered a new cam we'll see if any damage was caused ..will post pics