Installing Timing Chain & Tensioner Or Gears

7701 Aurora Ave., Seattle, WA 98103 phone: 206-297-3822 fax: 206-297-3828 e-mail: [email protected]

INSTALLING TIMING CHAIN & TENSIONER OR GEARS Begin by removing the front cover from the engine. On some models this requires the removal of the left-hand head pipe. Automatics require the removal of the radiator and its bracket. On all early models without the sump spacer at least some of the oil has to be drained from the engine. On alternator-equipped models removing the rotor requires a special tool that looks like a 2” long ¼” pin. Some Moto Guzzi tool kits came with one or it can be ordered under part number 1490 6600. A homemade tool can cause serious problems! Align the timing marks between the crankshaft and camshaft sprockets so you can see what they look like when they’re correctly aligned. On some bikes they really don’t line up perfectly so this step may save you a lot of work later. SPECIFICS FOR TIMING CHAIN: Only in the last couple decades has a spring-loaded tensioner been available from Moto Guzzi. The original, manually adjusted one is usually dead reliable except on some of the earliest chain-equipped models: Eldorado, 850-T, and V7 Sport. These early bikes sometimes had the rubber shoe swell up and get soft. It would then crumble with the remnants winding up restricting the oil flow through the rocker arm pivot pins. At this time, only the spring-loaded tensioner is available from Moto Guzzi. We prefer our aftermarket spring-loaded tensioner for about one third Guzzi’s cost. To avoid the necessity of pulling all three sprockets from the engine and the need to obtain the special tool for removing the crank sprocket nut, you can with a little care grind off one of the old chain’s links. Form a dam around the grind point so as not to contaminate the engine with steel filings. If you are changing the chain tensioner, do so now while the chain is out of the way. If you are installing our #130582000010 spring-loaded tensioner, attach it to the two lower right bolts (viewed looking at the front of the engine) that secure the front main bearing. The rubbing block is positioned facing up from the mounting bracket. Some find it easier to remove the rubbing shoe from the bracket, install the bracket, install the chain, then reattach the rubbing shoe to the tensioner’s mounting bracket. The new master-link-equipped chain can be installed with the sprockets in place. To insure that the link clip is properly installed it is best to install the spring clip on the front wheel side of the chain where you can see it. This makes it more difficult to get the master link through the chain, however. The solution is to use a link of the old chain to hold the chain together from the forward side (the side on which you intend to install the clip). We find it’s easiest to join the chain ends if they are located between the tensioner and the oil pump sprocket. If you have a spring-loaded tensioner, it helps to hold it out of the way with a small vise grip. Looking at the front of the engine, the chain turns counterclockwise. The clip should be installed so that its blunt end faces the direction of rotation; the open ends of the clip therefore face away from the direction of rotation. When the chain installation has been completed, check once again that the timing marks align, then adjust the tensioner tightly against the chain (if not the spring-loaded type). WHEN REMOVING THE MANUALLY-ADJUSTED TENSIONER: It is not necessary to plug the two threaded holes that were used to attach it to the engine case. SPECIFICS FOR INSTALLING GEARS: All that’s necessary is to align the timing marks between the cam and crank gears. Make sure the gear teeth are lubricated - assembly lube is best. If nothing else, coat the gear teeth with engine oil. BEFORE INSTALLING GEARS ON ’91-on MODELS: Engines cases in these years include a boss for an ignition pickup (used only on fuel-injected models) just in front of the oil pressure sensor. To clear the aluminum cam gear, the boss must be trimmed, easily accomplished with a high-speed grinder.

CHS 0580