I have a 1989 Kat 750 with ~70,000 km on the clock. When I was replacing the cams with some GSXR cams last spring I noticed that the cam chain guide (the one that the tensioner presses on to tension the chain) is looking quite anemic. The plastic is understandably old and is quite brittle, and it looks like a small piece at the top already broke off (I found most of it in the tensioner hole when I pulled it out.) However, upon reading the service manual, it seems like a royal pain in the arse to change it (remove engine, split the case, remove the head, remove the pistons and crank, remove the chain, then finally do the 5 minute job that you did all that work to do.)
I haven't been able to find many threads on here of people actually changing these things, unless I have been looking in the wrong place.
So the long and the short of it is, is it worth my time replacing this on a bike of this age and mileage, or do I just ride it till it dies? On the ride till it dies front, what is the worst that would happen to the engine if that plastic piece completely disintegrates? Tensioner presses directly on the chain making a hell of a racket until I pull over and shut it down cause its fubarred? What would be damaged besides perhaps the chain? Would the cams be saveable? Are these engines interference engines? I realize that oil starvation could also be an issue if pieces of the plastic start breaking off and clogging the pickup.
Another factor to consider is that I have a second 1997 Kat 750 with ~40,000 km on it, so I wouldn't be that broken hearted if the engine grenades itself, providing it doesn't cause me to crash when it does so and my possible ability to still use the GSXR cams in this other bike.
I haven't been able to find many threads on here of people actually changing these things, unless I have been looking in the wrong place.
So the long and the short of it is, is it worth my time replacing this on a bike of this age and mileage, or do I just ride it till it dies? On the ride till it dies front, what is the worst that would happen to the engine if that plastic piece completely disintegrates? Tensioner presses directly on the chain making a hell of a racket until I pull over and shut it down cause its fubarred? What would be damaged besides perhaps the chain? Would the cams be saveable? Are these engines interference engines? I realize that oil starvation could also be an issue if pieces of the plastic start breaking off and clogging the pickup.
Another factor to consider is that I have a second 1997 Kat 750 with ~40,000 km on it, so I wouldn't be that broken hearted if the engine grenades itself, providing it doesn't cause me to crash when it does so and my possible ability to still use the GSXR cams in this other bike.
Comment