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Cam Chain Tensioner Replacement (3 cylinder engine 05-07)

Guess I should have said " when the tensioner failed to tighten up and the chain got loose it may have slipped a tooth ".
I'm sure grizztracks can help as he knows these engines.
Anyway before you put the new tensioner in I think you will have to slip the one cam a tooth, then zip tie the chain in place with marks lined up. The trick will be to know which cam to slip and still keep the timing mark on the flywheel on. Also they say DO NOT turn engine backwards ???
 

BigDog05, If the engine jumped time before you took it apart it would have idled rough. From your pictures it looks like you're OK. I've had the marks out that much also and questioned it so I moved the timing one tooth on the crank to try and align the marks. All that did was make it worse. If it jumps time by even one tooth the marks won't come close to alignment so as long as you're close to the "II" marks when the cam gears are aligned it's correctly timed. Make sure you roll it over several times with the new tensioner and recheck marks before fully reassembling the engine and always rotate the engine in the proper direction. NEVER ROTATE THE ENGINE IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION it puts slack in the chain which can cause it to jump time.
 
Thanks for the help grizztracks. One more question. The rubber valve cover gasket appears to have grey Yamabond sealant on the two ears on each side where they go down over the block.

Do you suggest putting Yamabond back on this area? Thanks again.
 
BigDog05 said:
Thanks for the help grizztracks. One more question. The rubber valve cover gasket appears to have grey Yamabond sealant on the two ears on each side where they go down over the block.

Do you suggest putting Yamabond back on this area? Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I keep Yamabond in my toolbox because of the amount of work I do on these but I'm sure equivalents like permatex ultra grey would work. It and other quality sealants can be found in most local auto/hardware stores.
 
Hammertime Sports in Illinois just told me they would need to pull the motor on my '06 Venture RS to replace the tensioner. $800 labor. What kind of BS it that? If that is true I think it would be time for us all to get together for a class action against Yamaha to cover this. Really PO'd because I like my sled but right now have nothing good to say about it or Yamaha.
 
Yup, 1 place I WON'T go in. Had far to many bad experiences with them. PM me and I'll give you a name and number to call.
 
Thanks for the help grizztracks ;)!

Sled is back together and started fine and definitely quieter than when I took it apart.

Timing marks lined up exactly as when I took it apart. Timing marks are approx 2mm past the pointer when turning crank CW.
 
Did get Yamaha to repair the rattling clutch and replace the jackshaft and bearings all for free. Not a bad deal for an '06 sled. What I don't understand is those are not major dollars if they fail. If the tension fails, which is a known issue by Yamaha, you trash the motor. Why don't they cover that?
 
Guess I was lucky, Yamaha/dealer did change the tensioners on my two 06 Rage's. I asked dealer if he was doing it or if Yamaha was covering it. He just said not to worry.
For that reason I snow checked a new Viper.
 
I've asked my dealer 3 years in a row what's up with yammie not covering it......................... Notta-zip-zero...... MM.
 
So I had my old tensioner on the bench and was pulling it apart, if nothing else other than curiosity!

One thing I noticed is the tensioner seems to rely on engine vibration to move the pin out. It is just a spring loaded screw, without engine vibration its just going to sit there and do nothing. The friction of the screw is more than enough to hold it, essentially it is the same as trying to back up a worm gear, its not going to happen freely.

It seems that just rotating the engine a couple of turns after installing a new one will do almost nothing to move the tensioner? I'm wondering if it should be almost mandatory to get a small screwdriver in the tensioner and screw it in as much as possible before starting the engine... Thoughts?

(I haven't verified, but I suspect mine jumped a tooth after installation, higher rpm's are fine but idle is a little lumpy. And yes, I made at least one full rotation of the chain by moving zip ties, and also turned it over probably half a dozen times without.)
 
I'm sure you are correct that yours has slipped a tooth.
After having my two 06 Rages done at the dealer they ran just like you said. Ran them a whole winter, didn't seem to harm them.
After some posts by grizztracks I did the checks and both were one tooth out. The check is easy as per gizztracks info.
 
I have just completed my replacement and thanks to all for the info. Sleds idles great and am surprised at the lack of noise, now lets work on that noisy clutch. As this was my first attempt at this it took me longer as I took off other items to view and gain access. Several tools that I would suggest to have on hand are, a small "pencil"type magnet, some type of spanner to hold cam sprockets, and to access the lower bolt on tensioner I located a 8mm "nut driver" that worked with the offset ratchet that Grizz had mentioned. This worked extremly well as using the 1/4 drive adapter to a small 8mm socket and the offset was to long with the motor forward. The 8mm nut driver in the offset eliminated the need for the 1/4 drive adapter/extension and with the knurled ring on the offset ratchet I was able to turn with my fingers to get it started. I had also "rube goldberged" a 3/8 drive extension with a key way welded on the end to remove the engine spacer. The use of many wire ties while rotating engine worked fine, even though it takes time, it is time/wire ties well spent. I will hopefully post some pics of the tools I mentioned as a picture is worth a thousand words. Once again thanks to all and to Grizz for the pm's. :jump:
 
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