Chain tight spot

[vinducati]

Can anyone tell me why a chain developes a tight spot?
TA

[erik]

I think it can be due to poor lubrication. If part of the chain doesn't get enough oil on it, that part wears more than the rest, creating a loose spot. The tight spot is the bit that didn't wear so much.
The bandit I bought recently had a tight spot on the chain. The previous owner used a weird kind of lube (made by shell, but can't remember what it was called) but it didn't look very oily or sticky. He liked it because it didn't make a mess of the rear wheel. I suspect it might not have been lubricating the standard (non-o-ring) chain properly. I noticed rust coloured stuff on the pins of the joiner link when I pulled it apart.

[kro]

seized link is my first thought.

[onearmedbandit]

Seized link or links probably due to lack of lube.

[Jackrat]

The chain doesn't develope a tight spot.
The sproket is worn and out of round.
If you take the chain off and check it,you will find your tight spot will no longer be there.
Time for new chain AND sprokets.

[erik]

The chain doesn't develope a tight spot.
The sproket is worn and out of round.
If you take the chain off and check it,you will find your tight spot will no longer be there.
Time for new chain AND sprokets.

I disagree. After replacing the chain only on the bandit, the new chain doesn't have any tight spots.
Also if you look at how sprockets wear, it tends to be the sides of the teeth that wear, not the bottom of the valley between the teeth. So they can't really wear out of round as far as I can see.

[Jackrat]

I disagree. After replacing the chain only on the bandit, the new chain doesn't have any tight spots.
Also if you look at how sprockets wear, it tends to be the sides of the teeth that wear, not the bottom of the valley between the teeth. So they can't really wear out of round as far as I can see.

Well in over thirty years of messing with bikes and doing all my own work as well as a lot of other peoples,combined with working for an MC wrecker for some time,I've seen a LOT of stuffed and out of round sprockets,but don't listen to me,don't even consider the possibility,I know fuck all.

[quickbuck]

Okay, listen up. This is what I have found after going through many sets of chains and sprockets.

O-Ring chains have the lube for the pins sealed between the o-rings. Hence the name, and reason they last longer than a Heavy Duty chain. Now, the tight spots develop because the lube between the o-rings is no longer protecting the pins, thus seizing.

When you clean and lube an o-ring chain, clean off all the crap with kero, and lube with what the manufacturer of the bike or chain recommends. I know my old GSX hand book recommended engine oil. It was messy, but worked. Some people pay lots for sprey cans, but I find the top falls off in the tank bag, and the sh1t wrecks the perspex on my tyre gauge.... long story.

All the sprey, or oil is doing is lubricating the metal to metal contact between the rollers and the sprockets.

As for heavy duty chains, yes, tight spots appear because the lubricating oil hasn't gt all the way into the pins. I used to fing pulling the chain off and soaking it in oil every so often helped, but I quickly discovered o-ring chains.

Hope this helps.

[nadroj]

Putting my neck on the line here but experts will tell you that chains do NOT stretch! just the rollers on the links wear. They can wear in patterns causing tight spots by the likes of engine torque pulses. It is much more common for sprocket wear, either out of round or tooth wear in one area of the sprocket (again caused by torque pulses) to be the culprit. Torque pulses cause different wear patterns depending on firing order, number of cylinders and length of chain just like harmonics effect any steels.

[quickbuck]

The chain doesn't develope a tight spot.
The sproket is worn and out of round.
If you take the chain off and check it,you will find your tight spot will no longer be there.
Time for new chain AND sprokets.

Yes, sprockets can wear out of round. I agree with that.

I took the last chain off my CBR, and there was definatly a seized link or three in there (Yes, the chain was F'd).

New chain and sprockets... Fore sure. It is the only real way to fix it.

[quickbuck]

Putting my neck on the line here but experts will tell you that chains do NOT stretch!

I will agree with that too. It is the wear in the pins that make the chain longer.

If the plates stretched it would have ment you have heated the steel to a very high temperature indeed, or put a load on it that is very very high.

[Jantar]

The first point is that chains don't suddenly develop tight spots, they develop loose spots..... It is when we correctly tension the chain to eliminate the loose spot that another section appears tight.

Chains DO stretch. I know because I fu**ed a chain through stretching the side plates. It happened when I applied a lot of power at the very instant that the rear wheel hit a bit of an obstacle, and from that moment on the chain had a nasty vibration. When I changed the chain and sprockets there wasn't any significant difference in play or freedom of movement in any of the pins, but one section of 10 links was almost 6 mm longerthan any other sectionof 10 links.

Most chains I've had that have developed tight spots is due to uneven pin wear, so that what we refer to as a stetched chain is simply excessive wear on the pins over a section of chain. This will normally only happen when the chain is approaching the end of its useful life. Chains can also develop uneven wear if fitted to an out of round sprocket.

Sprockets can also get out of round, but the cause of an out of round sprocket is continuing to ride on a worn chain that has been adjusted too tight. I have never experienced an out of round sprocket that has developed its wear pattern independantly of the chain. Its a chicken and egg situation which can be avoided by changing chain and sprockets at the same time.

[Troll]

The chain doesn't develope a tight spot.
The sproket is worn and out of round.
If you take the chain off and check it,you will find your tight spot will no longer be there.
Time for new chain AND sprokets.

sorry but chains do develop tight spots

have had to replace several chains becasue they developed tight spots, and no problems with teh repalcement chain until it had done soem considerable mileage and outlasted several tyres

sprockets can become out of round and should always be checked

best solution is to check the sprockets and replace only if necessary fit a scotoiler and a quality o ring chain

[2much]

There's a pretty good explaination (including diagrams) of chain wear here: http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-004/000.html

[thehollowmen]

But did you notice the tight spot BEFORE you adjusted your chain?

sorry but chains do develop tight spots

have had to replace several chains becasue they developed tight spots, and no problems with teh repalcement chain until it had done soem considerable mileage and outlasted several tyres

sprockets can become out of round and should always be checked

best solution is to check the sprockets and replace only if necessary fit a scotoiler and a quality o ring chain