Engine Noise

[Bob_Roller]

One tool that you will need to accomplish this job, is an alternator rotor removal tool .

I don't know if it can be done without it .

It's about a $6 tool, its a hardened steel bolt around 4 inches long, with about 1 inch of threads removed at the end .

[MrRiden]

How do you guys keep from getting oil all over those cameras?  My problem is it's not MY camera....

Stuff it in a baggie. Photo quality suffers a bit but it does keep the camera clean.
rich

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

How do you guys keep from getting oil all over those cameras?  My problem is it's not MY camera....

It can slow the work pace a lot.  Lucky for me, I work slow, so it is no big deal.

I always wipe my hands before picking up the camera.

Get your own $50 camera.  I don't know if that is a realistic price - I paid $140 recond. on eBay, but they have a lot of cameras in the stores.  I don't know if cameras are getting cheaper or not.  How about Buy.com?

[Barry]

4 or 5 Mega Pixel cameras are more than good enough for the job and there are plenty going cheap on ebay as everyone upgrades to newer models.  I bought a 5 MP Pentax for £12.

My only regret is it has only auto focus with no manual focus override which can be a pain on the close up shots. Maybe I'm not using it right but it seems to me that nothing automatic is always going to give perfect results.  Taking several shots usually means one of them is ok.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Barry,

For closeups, just make sure it is on Macro mode.

The only thing I want manual focus for is doing arty stuff.

My camera is 4 mega pixel.  You all have seen what it can do.  If not, click on WWW in my sig line.

[tsal]

Rob, Thank you very much for the offer. Hoping I won't need it.

Monte, What great pics! That really helps me out a lot.

  

[azcycle]

I took "my" r65 out for a spin yesterday and believe I might be getting the same sound from the front. Will confirm tomorrow.  What is the average miles one would think these parts would wear out?  I believe my r65 is around 55k.  The gauges were removed around 45k so I'm only estimating mileage since then.

[montmil]

...What is the average miles one would think these parts would wear out?  I believe my r65 is around 55k.

That dovetails with my '81's cam chain swap out. Of course, I don't have much of the bike's prior history, so...     Monte

[Bob_Roller]

I've got 82,000 miles on my '81, I'm the original owner, so I do have a complete history on the bike .

I replaced the timing chain at around 45,000 miles, for a noise, that turned out to be the transmission bearings being damaged by water getting into the transmission .

All of the other parts to tension the cam chain are original .

After hearing about other bikes with cam chain noise, I am tempted to order a cam chain replacement kit from Motobins, with my next order .

[montmil]

On my 1981 R65, the noise culprit was not so much the chain wearing out and slapping stuff around but both the tensioner and guide shoes going south on me.

These plastic and metal components have 'shoes" of a plastic material which are in constant contact with the chain. My tensioner-side shoe had worn through to bare metal, hence the horrible noise that occurred at different rpms and engine load. I point my finger at the guilty party being the tensioner spring that had collapsed way past the OEM length specification.

The Motobins cam chain replacement kit saves ordering errors and is priced less than the total of individual bits.

My biggest effort was removing the exhaust system as one complete unit due to the rusted and possibly fragile cross-tube joints. A Rubic's Cube that was!

Monte

[Bob_Roller]

Monte,

The spring you mentioned, was it the one that goes under the piston that pushes the tensioner shoe to contact the cam chain ?

I don't think I saw one in the Motobins cam chain replacement, kit that I got for the LS .

[montmil]

Monte,

The spring you mentioned, was it the one that goes under the piston that pushes the tensioner shoe to contact the cam chain ?

I don't think I saw one in the Motobins cam chain replacement, kit that I got for the LS .

That's the one, Bob. My new one was half-inch+ longer and met the BMW spec length. Not rubber covered -old one or new- as someone hereabouts mentioned.

[tsal]

I checked the timing with a strobe and sure enough, the mark was bouncing around. Ordered the Motobins chain kit. Also new exhaust nuts as the ones on the bike look like they never been off. Going to cut the old ones off rather than take a chance messing up the  threads on the head. Also ordered a service manual, and rotor removal tool.

[montmil]

I checked the timing with a strobe and sure enough, the mark was bouncing around. Ordered the Motobins chain kit. Also new exhaust nuts as the ones on the bike look like they never been off. Going to cut the old ones off rather than take a chance messing up the  threads on the head. Also ordered a service manual, and rotor removal tool.

You should be golden.  [smiley=thumbup.gif] Monte