KZ1300 cam chain tensioner won't go back in

Hey, gang.  Upon checking the valves of my '81 KZ1300, I noticed that the cam chain had a lot of slack in it; I know that the stock tensioners are a problem.  The FSM said to remove it periodically to check it and reinstall.  I removed it hoping to manually extend the rod somehow to take up slack but the rod appears to be frozen.  The bigger problem is that when I went to reinstall, it won't go back in the hole as if something is blocking it right on the other side.  No, I haven't moved the crank or cams at all.

What am I doing wrong?

I assume the slack in the chain you are talking about is between the cams ? - this is normal, there is a guide in the cam cover that takes up the slack when the cover is fitted however before re-fitting the cover you need to back off the tensioner. Now your tensioner is removed don't refit until the cam cover is on or the chain will be over tightened !! The manual should tell you how to release the adjustment in the tensioner until it is re-fitted

If by "cam cover" you are referring to the valve cover or the engine head cover as the FSM calls it, I have put it back in place and tightened the bolts in the center around the cam gears.  I have not done them all in case I need to remove it again.

No, I was not referring to the slack between the cams; there is little anyway.  I was referring to the section of chain below the intake came.  That is loose which led me to investigate and would account for the rattle I was hearing at idle.

If I'm not getting ahead of you, I checked out the tensioner (I have installed others on smaller bikes).



I played with it and pretty much figured out how to "cock" it, and insert it all the way into the block (I figured out that I couldn't reinsert it earlier probably because it was extended all the way out).  But first, is the flat portion of the rod "up" toward the 10mm screw at the top?  If so, do I simply insert and loosen the 10 mm bolt to apply tension?  I assume that I remove the valve cover and check for tension.

The FSM addresses none of this.

I forgot to consult the parts schematic which shows the flat portion up.

detmeyer wrote:

I played with it and pretty much figured out how to "cock" it, and insert it all the way into the block (I figured out that I couldn't reinsert it earlier probably because it was extended all the way out).  But first, is the flat portion of the rod "up" toward the 10mm screw at the top?  If so, do I simply insert and loosen the 10 mm bolt to apply tension?  I assume that I remove the valve cover and check for tension.

The FSM addresses none of this.

I would suggest that with the valve cover in place you insert a piece of round bar etc into the tensioner hole and push firmly against the tensioner blade - note the distance from the guide blade to the gasket face. Now compare that to the tensioner when fully extended. I would expect the extended tensioner to be at least 20mm more. If there is little difference then either the chain is stretched or there is a problem with the tensioner guide inside the motor (this has what appears to be a plastic gear on the parts slide) If all is ok then with the valve cover installed fit the fully retracted tensioner, rotate the motor slightly so there is no slack in the front of the chain then release the tension, let it settle and tighten the bolt. Do not remove the valve cover with the tensioner activated or the chain will over tighten (common across the Kawasaki range to have a guide in the valve cover between the cams)



 

I reinserted the tensioner, removed the valve cover, and now the tension appears very tight, and loose on the front side of the engine.  In any event, I had learned about the defective 1300 cam tensioners and found light grooves on mine indicating that it had backslid and have ordered ZX11 tensioner (I know about shortening the spring to make up for the difference in tension), so I will be addressing that first.  I read on line to count the clicks and that will tell how loose the chain is, 3-5 being normal, 10-12 being bad.

There is a black strip of rubber on the valve cover that corresponds to the path of the chain.  Is this the guide you refer to?  If removing the valve cover overtightens the chain, then how does one remove it to adjust valves w/o readjusting chain tension every time?

Okay, Wookie, having read through your post a second time, I completely understand what you said about rotating the engine as it pertains to installing the tensioner and that makes sense, especially seeing now how I have slack at the front- rotating the engine would take remove that slack and the tensioner would take it up on the other side.

The question remains about how to remove the cover to adjust valves w/o dealing with an overtightened chain every time, b/c I just reviewed the FSM which says simply to reinstall cover after adjusting valves without addessing chain slack.

All of the 11100's. 1000"J" and smaller with "Hyvo chains" have this guide and need the tension released to fit the valve cover withover causing over tightening of the chain (the guide on the 1300 looks slimmer than the 1000/1100 so you may get away with it (or the valve cover bolts may strip when you pull it down against the chain) personally I would drop the tensioner out to be safe and re-fit when the valve cover is on