[pokster]

Can anyone help me I have a 99 zx6r with 5800 miles on her that has an awful rattle on the right side of the motor. I just bought her and heard nothing until about two weeks of riding. I was only hearing it after a rev came down or if I keep the throttle open lightly at like 3000 rpm constently. It would come and go but It seems to be happening more often. I looked around in this forum and was amazed at how much info you guys give about these great machines and I saw some posts about the cam chain tensioner. Have I damaged the bike by riding it a few times with the noise? It took me awhile to figure out what it was and I probably would'nt without your help. I also read that this is a common problem with 98 to 2001 ninjas. Does anyone know if this will have to be replaced all the time I saw a post that said this was a faulty part. I went to the dealer where I bought the bike and the guy said its normal to hear these noises and if I had to replace this it would have to be taken apart to see what was faulty in the cam chain tensioner. I thought this was one complete bolt in part. I don't know much about motorcycle motors but the noises I'm hearing don't sound normal. I'm sorry for the long post but I really need some advice with this. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[milesmcever]

This is a problem I have seen on a couple of them, APE sells a manual cam chain tensioner for your bike you just set it to a torque spec and you are good to go. I think they are a little under 50 bucks but it will fix your problem and the bike we put one on seemed to have more power. This seemed to be a problem with the 99's that i saw it on. If you need more info like i part number i can get you one. I can also point you to a dealer that sells this stuff.

 

[pokster]

milesmcever
I would apreciate any help you can give I don't want to get raked over the coals for this by the dealer thanks for the help !!!!

 

[pokster]

milesmcever
do you have step by step instructions on changing out the cam chain tensioner or do you know any one that does I would like to do it myself if its not that hard Thanks in advance!!!

 

[milesmcever]

Man the hardest thing about changing out a cam tensioner is removing the fuel tank to get to it. It is just held in by the two 8mm bolts on either side of it, and the one that we had gotten had the specs to torque the new tensioner to and then tighten the locking nut down. It has an oring on it that is the oil seal.

 

[pokster]

I ordered the new tensioner today from a.p.e for fourty six bucks. You've been a great help hopefully I can do it without any problems thanks again for all your help your the best!!!

P.S.
could you tell me if I need any special tools to do the job I'm hearing that I might need a swivel socket to remove the old one Thanks again

 

[milesmcever]

there is nothing specific that i can think of right off just a torque wrench is the most needed thing.

 

[Citabria]

Pokester: After having what seemed like 100 people look, listen, poke, ride and even wheelie my '95 6R (that bastard!), and after about 100 people telling me "I don't know what that could be" I looked through this board for help with a nasty and very embarrassing rattle. I decided to try the cam chain tensioner fix - it was very easy to do, even though I'm not very mechanically inclined (the hardest part, besides converting my dining room into a workshop/garage, was moving the right-side ignition coil and sparkplug wires out of the way). UNFORTUNATELY, the fix did did NOT make the rattle go away. Another week or so of poking and prodding and systematically eliminating parts that COULD rattle lead me to the swing-arm pivot assembly, buried underneath the frame and front-sprocket cover! There was a loose washer that was vibrating between the swing-arm and the frame, and reverberating so loudly that at slower speeds, you could hear my bike from 100 yards away! Well, I didn't really fix the problem yet (note: no garage) but I slapped about 10 lbs of heavy grease on that thing to almost completely silence the rattle. Needless to say, I learned a lot about my bike through this whole ordeal. The previous owner, who also went through pains to locate the rattle, almost shat himself when I told him I found it.... Anyway, good luck, man. Ask for help if you need it. I hope your problem goes away after your fix!

Keep the g's on!

 

[bigslow]

I would like to know if the cam tensioner fix the rattling problem you had. Thank you.

 

[pokster]

I'm pulling the old one out this weekend I'll let everyone know how I make out

 

[pokster]

I changed the tensioner tonight. Put in the a.p.e. manual tensioner and no more rattle and it was a snap to install if anyone needs help or has questions feel free to post or email me at [email protected] I'd be glad to help. Big thanks to Milesmcever for the info it was a big help. I recommend this change even if your factory tensioner is fine. If you visit the A.P.E web site they explain why its important to change out the tensioner. I think its a definite mod if you ride hard. And for a 46.75 investment why not I know it's going to bring me piece of mind when the needles at 14K.

 

[bigslow]

hey pokster, I am glad to hear it fixed your problem. Could you please let me know what the address is for the A.P.E. website. Thanks for the help, it is very apreciated.

 

[pokster]

The website is www.aperaceparts.com any more questions let me know