I think I've wrecked a new cam chain :(

[TLDV8]

What is a cam chain and what does it do?

Generally it is an endless chain driven by a gear on the crankshaft which goes to the top of the engine to drive the camshaft or camshafts at half the crankshaft rpms.The tensioner is normally a blade type on the trailing side of the chain with a spring or hydraulic loaded ratchet,when they are worn,things get very noisy at idle speeds.

This is the topend of a Suzuki TL1000 V Twin...a little different since the cam chain drives a idler gear which in turn drives the 2 camshafts,one for inlet,one for exhaust...a more common method is the chain coming up and driving on cam sprockets.

Here is a pic..the curious may notice the 2 cam postion sensor's ; )

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...a/Scissor3.jpg

http://imageevent.com/tldv8/camsscissorgear

[erik]

I've been experimenting riveting links on the old chain. My attempts at making a different rivet tool have failed, the steel hasn't been hard enough and has just dented (shaft of an old screwdriver. when I tried to harden it, it fractured, but that might've also been due to the shape of the tool). So I've been using the rounded rivet tool that came with the cam chain tool.

I think I'm getting the feel for it, the last one I did (from right to left) seemed ok and wasn't way too stiff. (second to last one I wanted to see what a little bit tighter did).

Stay tuned for more riveting entertainment when I do the actual link (tomorrow probably, have to sleep now).

[Pixie]

I've been experimenting riveting links on the old chain. My attempts at making a different rivet tool have failed, the steel hasn't been hard enough and has just dented (shaft of an old screwdriver. when I tried to harden it, it fractured, but that might've also been due to the shape of the tool). So I've been using the rounded rivet tool that came with the cam chain tool.

I think I'm getting the feel for it, the last one I did (from right to left) seemed ok and wasn't way too stiff. (second to last one I wanted to see what a little bit tighter did).

Stay tuned for more riveting entertainment when I do the actual link (tomorrow probably, have to sleep now).

If you want to make a really hard punch,Use a Ramset nail,the ones that fasten into steel RSJ's.
You can grind it to a point or chisel,but don't over heat it when grinding

[erik]

If you want to make a really hard punch,Use a Ramset nail,the ones that fasten into steel RSJ's.
You can grind it to a point or chisel,but don't over heat it when grinding

Thanks for the tip, I haven't come across Ramset nails before.

Seeing as the exhaust shims haven't arrived yet, there was no pressing need to rivet the chain straight away, so I decided to have another go at making a different rivet punch.
I had some music wire left over from my model airplane days and initial tests showed it was fairly hard. So I got a piece of 3.2mm dia music wire, made a punch similar to the shape of the rivet head, then got a piece of 6.35mm dia music wire, heated the end till it was a dull red (as hot as I could get it with the hobby butane torch I have) and punched the end of the 6.35mm dia rod with the smaller punch. Quenched it in oil but it started to dent when I tried it on a rivet, so heated it up and punched it a bit more, then heated it as much as I could (still just dull red/orange) and quenched it in water. It seems to be hard enough now, doesn't seem to dent after riveting pins in the old chain. It seems to do an ok job (see photo).
Now I just have to grind the diameter down to 5.5mm in my lathe so that it fits in the cam chain tool.

[erik]

The shims arrived on friday, I got them from Precision Shims ( www.precisionshims.com.au thanks to crash harry for mentioning them).

After messing around with the punch I made, I still wasn't really happy with it. In the end, it broke when I tried riveting a pin the the old chain using a hammer rather than the cam chain tool.

So in the end, I tried the rivet tool that came with the cam chain tool. But from all the practice I'd done on the old chain, the tool had become rather flat. So rather than indenting the pins, it just squished them.
I ended up grinding the broken rivet tool I made to a rounded end and hardened it and used it in stead. I didn't get it perfectly lined up, but it'll be ok I think.

With the new exhaust shims and cam chain, I swear the exhaust sounds slightly different. More kind of "poppy" or like a musical note, rather than before.

It's still not running right though
But it's good that I've done the chain and shims now.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Your crimp looks good. I noted when we put the new chain in tonight on the, GPX 250, the pins are tight and it only takes a small amount of crimp to secure them. We worry about these things to much. You did good. But if the chain in the picture is the one you fitted why didn't you use an endless chain? Because if that is the chain you are fitting it is now endless but not installed.
You say it is not running well. What is the problem?

[erik]

Your crimp looks good. I noted when we put the new chain in tonight on the, GPX 250, the pins are tight and it only takes a small amount of crimp to secure them. We worry about these things to much. You did good.

Cheers.

But if the chain in the picture is the one you fitted why didn't you use an endless chain? Because if that is the chain you are fitting it is now endless but not installed.
You say it is not running well. What is the problem?

The last picture of the crimped chain is of the end of the chain hanging out of the top of the engine. It is installed, just the cloth (to keep dust etc out of engine, yeah I probably worry too much ) is hiding the engine.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Cheers.

The last picture of the crimped chain is of the end of the chain hanging out of the top of the engine. It is installed, just the cloth (to keep dust etc out of engine, yeah I probably worry too much ) is hiding the engine.

Cool. we do as well. Still nice to get these jobs