auto cam tensioner assembly

auto cam tensioner on an xj550 seca. can anyone lead me to a schematic other than the one on yamaha's website. or pics? There are 2 washers that i cannot find a place for. lol

 

The cam chain tensioner on your bike is a manual, not an automatic version!

 

"Semi-automatic" is probably about right. I THINK I have a spare at home that's never been apart. If so, I'll take it apart, lay out the bits and take a photo.

 

thanks, i have seen photos of a ratchet style tensioner. Mine incorporates 2 large springs

 

You have a 550 Seca, right? So do I, two of 'em. I was going to dissect a spare from a 550 Seca, isn't that what you're asking about?

 

yep, a red 1982 seca 550

 

Perhaps the red ones are different, Fitz.

 

Both the automatic and the manual tensioners are "ratchet" style.....the ratchet action is what allows it to keep tension on the plunger and guide.

The manual one has a bolt sticking out of the SIDE of the tensioner body. That bolts allows you to set the position of the plunger and "lock it" in place.

The automatic tensioner does away with this set bolt because it does all that "setting" for you, automatically!

 

The 550 Secas (all colors, remarkably) have the "manual" type tensioner.

I will dissect and photograph one for our fellow XJ'er, if I can find it.

 

lol!

 

This one has 2 plungers with a large spring on each. Kind of like a dual stage spring. The screw on the outside acts as a set screw to adjust the the tension and depth of the first plunger/spring. There is no ratchet mechanism. It looks as old as the bike. lol

 

The screw on the outside UNLOCKS the the plunger so it can adjust itself. Then you re-lock it. I just got home, I'll see if I can find my spare and take pics of the guts so you can see where all the bits go. I hope it's as old as the bike...

 

Oops, my bad on the ratchet on the manual tensioner........don't know what I was thinking!

 

Maybe you pulled one off a red bike...

 

I've been known to do that at times............

 

OK, here you go:

The Yamaha fiche for the XJ550RJ:



a spare adjuster from a (white, sorry) 550 Seca:



The only washer is #13 on the adjuster lock bolt.

CAREFULLY NOTE #16 Yamaha calls it a "damper." I drew an arrow pointing to it in my pic. It is a washer, sort of, it's metal on one side (goes toward the spring) and rubber on the other (goes toward the big plunger.)

#14 is a rubber seal, it may have been an o-ring in a past life but it is mashed beyond recognition as such.

And all silliness aside, these are the same on all Seca 550s, no matter what color (or model year) they are. Maxims, too. Hope this helps.

 

You guys are a couple of ball-busters. lol...

I hear that sometimes the "auto" tensioner gets stuck and doesn't do it's job. My search-fu has failed me because I can't find the procedure for making it take up the slack.

I read somewhere about whacking the engine with a piece of wood or something. Anyone have a lead to the procedure?

 

the above picture is from an 82? lol mine is black with silver dots.

 

The picture is one from an '81. They painted the housing black for '82 and '83, but the guts is the same.

Sushi; There is apparently some voodoo-dance involving turning the engine forward then back or something and then tapping on the adjuster but I can't give you specifics for sure since mine are 550s.