XJ650H Cam Chain Problem

First Post Ever.... Hope it goes well.

I just recently bought a 81 Xj650 Maxim and I want to restore it back to its former glory. It didn't run at first but all I did was clean the carbs, change the gas, and oil and it was running pretty good.

One thing that's bothering me is that I hear and light and rapid swishing/clicking sound coming from the engine. I'm no great mechanic by any means but I know how to read and follow a service manual. I'm thinking it's either a loose cam chain or I need to adjust the valve clearance.

The problem that I've come across is that my Haynes manual says that I should be able to adjust the cam tension with the adjusting bolt and locknut, but I've come to find out that my tensioner housing doesn't have either of those. It seems to have a housing that is used on the 750 models and the xj650j and xj650 -11N (UK).

So my question is this: Is it possible that the previous owner changed the cam chain assembly from a non-automatic to an automatic? If so, could this be a problem?

 

It's entirely possible the cam chain tensioner was updated. Not a problem if it was. The updated one is fully automatic (assuming it's in good working order) and you can take it off your maintenance list.

Valves that are in spec will tick a bit, especially cold. You should check them though.

Loose cam chain is typically more of a buzzing or growling sound.

 

Thanks for the quick reply,

Glad to hear that it's admissible for someone to change up the cam chain assembly. I'll be checking the valve clearances this weekend hopefully.

I remember reading on a previous forum something about being able to swap out different size shims with people. Does anyone know anything about this?

 

Member hogfiddles runs a shim pool. PM him for details.