Watching some Chris Harris stuff on Youtube I hear him going on about installing an updated cam chain tensioner on an 1150. He says that if the hex on the tensioner is 17mm it`s the old type, 15mm it`s the new type. My 04 1150 GSA has a 17mm hex on it and therefor the old type. My motor sounds tight enough. Slight rattle that is most probably cam chain when she first fires up and gets oil pressure but then quietens down. My question is: Should I be putting this updated tensioner in as a matter of good maintenance? I mean are the old style prone to failure? I`m reading horror stories of broken cam chain rails and the like and am wondering is this due to the old style tensioner.
mos def, replace it. it's a bit tight in there, but i replaced mine with an open end wrench. i maybe took 1/4 turn at a time. i got mine at www.rubberchickenracing.com it was around $80. to me, the flopping at startup couldn't be good on a plastic tensioner, and the new tensioner eliminates that altogether.
Ok. Think I`m getting the picture. This is`nt a BMW update but an improved aftermarket replacement. I`m guessing spring tension is used instead of or combined with oil pressure to eliminate cam chain slack at start up
No the tensoiner is a bmw update. Not aftermarket. It is now much like a hydraulic valve lifter, it is now a spring and filled with oil that can only drain slowly, like over many days. Rod
Your cam chain rails will thank you. I think putting the updated part in early in its life has helped me make it 150k without the plastic rails breaking.
I did this to my 1150 right after I bought it. I used a box end wrench to remove the old tensioner. Then I lucked out installing the new one. I realized I had a socket and ratchet that fit in the confined space. Perfect! Got the part from Max BMW along with some other goodies. No more cam chain rail rattle on start up!
I also did the cam chain tensioner upgrade when I got mine 40k ago and made that nasty rattle go away at start up. 80 bucks for me it was well worth it.
I have been reading about this modification for some time now and, please correct me if I have it wrong, but this issue was supposedly resolved with the 2004 model GS. I have a 2004 GS with over 100,000 miles on the clock and do not have this annoying rattle upon start up.....with the 17mm original cam chain tensioner. Lumpy749, based on your description on start up, it doesn't sound like you are in need of this modification. I'm sure there are several inmates on this forum that can set us all straight on the 2004 onward being exempt.....or, at the very least, if no rattle, no need to go searching for a fix that's not needed. Thoughts?
Well............. Secret agent man, you have now successfully confused me.....don`t feel bad it does`nt take much. The rattle at start up is by no means disturbing. It`s very momentary and not at all loud but.........it`s there. To be honest if it were not for various posts I`d read on here about cam chain rail breakage, case splitting to replace, or at the very least a very fiddly job to get it in with head off. Then Chris Harris speaking about an updated tensioner I would not have paid the rattle any mind at all. While I`m not a fully fledged motor cycle mechanic I am a practicing diesel mechanic and have heard my fair share of mechanical rattles. My GSA is an 04 and the head of my tensioner measures 17mm. According to Mr Harris that makes it an old style tensioner as the new type is 15mm. I think I might part with my $80 and go with a new one. Like many of you I love my GSA and like to use her for her intended purpose of going out past where the highway ends. Peace of mind is a strange currency and $80 is a good exchange rate I reckon.
My 2004 was the old style and I replaced it as insurance. If I remember Chris' video, you can't go by year. The F'ing 15mm is the new one and the GD old one is a MF'ing 17mm POFS. Mine was not too noisy either, but the upgraded part was definitely different that what was in there.
lumpy749, I'd like to get your read on if the replacement makes much of a difference (again, specific to the '04....I am aware of the issue on pre '04.) I have heard the rattle on other 1150gs's but, as previously stated, mine's doesn't have it and I have the original 17mm tensioner.
been thinking about this too, 04 1150gsa. why is it only on one side? thats whats got my head spinning
My understanding is the left side tensioner is on the top so it doesn't get the lubrication as fast where as the right side is on the bottom and gets lubed immediately upon start up.....hence the left side is the one that gets the modification.
It's the left side because the tensioner is on the top where it drains oil over a period of time. The right side it is on the bottom and does not lose oil pressure.
This update IS BMW approved, not aftermarket. It involves fitting the latest 1200 tensioner. The LHS tensioner changed twice over the years up to the first DOHC 1200's (in 2010?) and is backward compatible. The right side never changed. Note, however, if you are not experiencing the rattle on start up or it is not bad, this update will do nothing for you except lighten your wallet. Also, if it's only momentary at start up, it is unlikely to damage the tensioner chain rails.
Hey all, just my $.02. But DEFINITELY do the cam tensioner upgrade. Mine failed me in Costa Rica on my way from the US to Argentina. Long story short, ended up having to remove and rebuild the bottom end of my engine in a front yard with a Costa Rican auto mechanic named Eduardo. I'm no expert, but I did not notice any warnings that the tensioner was about to fail. Once it did however, the bike sounded like there was metal in a blender. It's been a long time since I've done it, but I think what I remember is that the original had a spring to maintain tension. The spring would wear out over time, losing it's ability to maintain tension. The updated BMW part is totally hydraulic and doesn't have a spring at all. ( I think!) Just my $.02, but of all the money you could spend on your bike, my personal experience makes this one of the most important. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free