[exploring/carolina]

Working on a possible triple bypass and have a question.



This is on a 1980 CX500D with 37,000 miles.



There was a new rear housing gasket on the engine

when I got the bike. The water pump mechanical seal

was leaking and looks like it's been leaking for a

while. The bike was running well and charging fine.



Guessing the stator and/or timing chain might have

been replaced.



Does it look like this timing chain has been previously

replaced for a bike with 37,000 miles?



Timing chain adjustment left & tensioner:

Been looking at other threads about stator replacement and not sure

if the following looks like an original stator:

Thanks!

 

[HotFoot]

I'd guess original cam chain, being that the tensioner lock bolt appears to be about midway in the slot on the tensioner arm. Engine looks pretty clean at least in the pics like it has had regular oil changes.



Stator appears to be OEM and is not as dark (discoloration of the epoxy )as the ones I have seen from dismantling 3 engines. More possible evidence of some regular maintenance and decent care.



But with all that said.... someone took off the rear cover for SOME reason (ie; the new gasket). Something was replaced or at least looked at. Or maybe just the gasket was replaced due to possible oil seep/leak.



Is there any evidence of a loose cam chain contacting the engine block assembly? No aluminum chips/grit in bottom of block sump?



Hoppy

 

[Blue Fox]

It appears you still have about half the life left in the cam chain. The adjuster bolt is about centered in the slot. You will certainly want to tighten it down before you forget tho. And it almost appears that it has some marks on it to indicate that at one time it wasn't tightened.



It's hard to tell on the stator, but it does look newer. Often times the old ones are blackish in color.

 

[exploring/carolina]

Will do on tighting the adjuster back down.



No signs of a loose chain or metal chips.



When I took the front cover off, the engine

was clean like it looks with the rear cover

removed this afternoon.

If I understand CX500 timing chain life/tensioner

correctly, it will normally last 50,000 miles before

needed replacement. Guessing this chain may have 20,000

miles of life left since it's at 1/2 adjustment.

If that's true, will use it for another 20,000 miles,

unless that's a bad idea?



Will use the current stator, too. Have a LED voltage

indicator from the UK, to keep an eye on the voltage

output.



Will replace the mechanical water pump seal with one

I got on a group buy a few months ago. Also replacing

the transmission output shaft seal, gear shift seal,

and oil seal on the other side of the water pump weep

galley.



Appreciate your comments!

 

[DaveF]

It would also be a good idea to replace the o-ring on the cam chain tension adjuster bolt. Easy and cheap to do now, impossible with the rear engine cover on, and a pain when it leaks.

 

[exploring/carolina]

Will replace the O-Ring too.



Thanks!

It would also be a good idea to replace the o-ring on the cam chain tension adjuster bolt. Easy and cheap to do now, impossible with the rear engine cover on, and a pain when it leaks.

 

[thackney]

Has the chain been rubbing on the bolt head above and behind the flywheel on the non adjuster side?

 

[Reg in Bristol]

I've just pulled a chain from a GL motor with 36 thou on

the clocks and the cam chain was worn out and the auto adjuster

at the end of its travel.

Had I seen what you saw on yours, I'd have left it alone.



I'm not sure using any mileage figure is the best way to determine wear.

using a dental mirror to inspect the adjuster position

is probably a safer way to know when to change the chain

 

[Allan]

It is hard to tell from the pics but it looks like the chain was hitting on the bolt on the guide side.



This may have happened if the tension was not adjusted for a while though.

 

[exploring/carolina]

It has rubbed the bolt on the non-adjuster side.

 

[morrow]

Don't worry about that, totally normal, especially if the PO didn't adjust it often.

 

[exploring/carolina]

This is a "great forum" to get questions answered.



Appreciate the replies!

 

[Shep]

This is a "great forum" to get questions answered.



Appreciate the replies!

What I would do is get some of the cheapest 20w50 mineral oil from the Supermarket and re-fill with that and a new filter.Run the bike for say 50/100 miles and then drain and replace the oil and filter with what you normally use(Many of us use 15w40 made for diesel car engines as it's cheap and robust).This will help make sure no debris is left in the engine and act as a,"Safe" engine flush.



HTH

 

[exploring/carolina]

What I would do is get some of the cheapest 20w50 mineral oil from the Supermarket and re-fill with that and a new filter.Run the bike for say 50/100 miles and then drain and replace the oil and filter with what you normally use(Many of us use 15w40 made for diesel car engines as it's cheap and robust).This will help make sure no debris is left in the engine and act as a,"Safe" engine flush.



HTH

Will do!



Agree on using 15W40. Running it in my motorcycles & two four wheel vehicles!!



Thanks, Shep!!!!!!



This project is back to #1 on my priority list and finally have the paint colors

selected, saw them on a Ducati Monster, yellow on silver with a little black.

 

[bricksandblocx]

Here is another look at that tensioner with the bolt backed out. Really looks like it's still got a ways to go. Am I worng?



IMG_20110902_230839 by bricksnblocx, on Flickr

 

[Shep]

That's got plenty of life in it

If you think about it as it stretches the chain spring will pull the guide and tensioner arms inwards and that slotted hole space will move to the lower side of the bolt as the chain stretches/wears

With correct oil and filter changes and regular adjustment some people have claimed as much as 100k miles from cam chains but anything between 50k and 70k is more normal.



One of the problems with 2nd hand bikes is that parts may have already been changed so if you see the common wear damage of the Crank shaft end plate bolt but no metal in the oil the chain may well have already been changed before.

It has been known for these chains to have been made useless within less than 20k miles if the owner did not know about the manual adjustment to the Cam-chain that is required as routine maintenance and service.



When I change my oil between 3,000/4,000 miles I make it a minor service point and do my engines oil/drive box oil/Check and adjust tappets and cam-chain.I can do whole thing easily in less than an hour with a bit of planning.I also keep my can of electrical switch cleaner handy and pull apart my under-seat block and bullet connectors and give them a spray,



http://www.pdsrecording.site90.com/cxgl500/Electrics.htm



This ensures I have very few problems especially with silly electrical shorts/breakdowns

 

[bricksandblocx]

Thanks Shep!

Hey Carolina....I didn't mean to thread jack! I have too many windows open apparently and post a pic that I meant to put on my thread. OOPS!

Anyway, Hi there...I'm in upstate SC!

 

[exploring/carolina]

Thanks Shep!

Hey Carolina....I didn't mean to thread jack! I have too many windows open apparently and post a pic that I meant to put on my thread. OOPS!

Anyway, Hi there...I'm in upstate SC!

I am still letting other projects get in front of my CX project.

Have to change my priorities.



Hope to ride with you when we have bikes back on the road!!

 

[bricksandblocx]

Cool! I need an excuse to get into those WNC mountains anyway!

 

[exploring/carolina]

Cool! I need an excuse to get into those WNC mountains anyway!

"Almost" went twisty riding today on the Ninja or Vstrom

, but have to take care of chores

.



Like I said, need to change my priorities.



Don't have much more to do on the CX project. These guys are a great resource on modification

and tech questions!