How can I tell if cam chain is shot?
I'm trying to to track down an intermittent, erratic knock I sometimes get from my engine when it's not under load. I've read Mezo's great thread from 2014 on how a loose keyway on the counterbalance shaft can be to blame, but everything seems tight on mine.
So, working on the idea it could be a slack cam chain, I opened up the cylinder head cover and found the chain still snug against the sprocket with no obvious kinks or stiff sections in it. The cam chain tensioner is two thirds of the way in.
I'd be grateful for advice on two things:
- If the tensioner is that far in should I replace the chain?
- If the nuts and gears on the clutch side of the crank case are tight can I assume the keyways are also fine? (I don't want to go digging into parts of the engine that don't need digging into).
Thanks in advance for any help.
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