[Barnapkin]

I have a rod that I use for knowing when the piston is near TDC; not precise. I'll check a few rotations to see if your theory is correct. The engine does rotate, so we are not talking about being off 3 teeth. PIA because the rear cylinder cam gears are on the opposite side of engine than where you rotate the engine.

 

[Barnapkin]

Thanks Paul. I used it for the retention bolt, It did not occur that the tiny hole was also a sighting hole. My 450XCW sighting hole is about an inch diameter. Kinda expected similar.

 

[Barnapkin]

Also when you verify final timing when rotating the crank make sure the tensioner is installed so it takes up the slack of the timing chain.
Good luck!

Pablo, I anticipated the tensioner taking some play out when I reattached the tensioner cap. Maybe it went the other direction I expected.

Thanks.

 

[Barnapkin]

Thank you Pablo and Cors. My cams have 2 dots. They are marked FR and RE. Rear cylinder uses the 2 RE dots. I have them lined up just like Paulo's pic. Then i tighten the tensioner cap down. When I start rotating the crank slowly, after about 30 Deg of rotation it becomes hard to turn and the chain jumps a tooth. I'm assuming the valve is touching the piston? I think I need to back off one tooth on the exhaust, so when the tensioner applies pressure they will probably line up. I'll get back to the garage later today. My Ducks are easier.

 

[Barnapkin]

Made my own crank holding tool by grinding the tip of an 8mm threaded bolt. Used file to make it smooth. I set the rear cylinder by taking all the tension out of the exhaust cam first. Then the intake, which is the tensioner side. I manually pushed the adjuster in a few times with a screwdriver handle. I heard it click a few times. Then put the cap over the adjuster. I assume that is what you were implying. I will do the front now. I assume the crank always rotates counter clockwise (CCW). CW seems easier to perform, but I think that loads the cams incorrectly. I've never encountered "Cam hopping".

 

[Barnapkin]

Odd that my reply last night did not go through. Here's a second try. The root cause of my issue was the cam chain adjuster. After the 15th time resetting the cam, I just broke the problem down. DUH! my brain said. Cam chain should not be loose enough to skip teeth. I ended up taking a 2.5mm hex wrench and pressed it onto the ball release with alot more force. I could see the adjuster protruding farther. I hope this doesn't accelerate chain guide wear?? I was always getting a click from the adjuster previously, but I had to push into the adjuster farther to get 2-3 clicks. It seems to do the trick. Sorry for venting my frustration guys. Should have taken a couple hours vs evenings.

Make sure your adjuster will expand as well as lock in a compressed position before reinsertion. Put the cap on the adjuster, and remove the 5mm hex plug. Depress the adjuster by pushing into the adjuster vs stopping after you hear one click. If you can rotate the crank in the opposite direction and the cam chain begins to buckle, add a "click" to the adjuster that signifies that the adjuster expanded one more position. Repeat as necessary.

 

[Barnapkin]

But if you spin the crank without the tensioner then the cams can easy jump a tooth by the over run from the valve spring pressure.

CORS - I agree it is easy, and I followed what you provided. MY issue was after I got everything put back together, the cam chain would jump. I got a click from the adjuster when I pressed the "ball valve" at the back of the adjuster. I assumed things were OK. My KTM 450XCW and Honda CRFX cam adjusters just need one press and they expand to limit. The RC8R adjuster needs to be pushed to expand. Maybe my adjuster is needing to be replaced??