free website stats program changing cam tensioners out to the hydraulic set up | Harley Davidson Forums

changing cam tensioners out to the hydraulic set up

C

catapultdude

Member
i have a 05 RKC with 83,800 miles on it and have been extreamly lucky as my cam tensioners have not gone out, but after reading all these stories about them going out, ive decided to get mine changed out and decided to go with the Hydrulic set up. Im also thinking about putting in some new cams but not sure which ones to go to. is it worth changing out the cams and not doing any thing else to the motor. what cams would you recomend? If any one in the Houston area know of a good reliable shop to get this done, would be much appreciated. As of now im going with Stubbs H.D.. As for the oil, ive always used Syn. oil Started out using H.D. oil but changed to Amisol and then mobil V1 Oil all the way thru. thanks for your input
 
When I did the roller chain conversion, I put in a set of Andrews 26N cams. I don't have the specs handy and frankly don't know enough about HD screaming eagle products to know which cam it resembles, but I can tell you that it has added a whole lot of performance to my '99 Ultra. The cams come on at about 1800 and are done by 4000. Great for touring and two up riding. IMO, if you are going to go to the trouble (and expense) of doing the conversion, add the cams.
 
catapultdude said:
i have a 05 RKC with 83,800 miles on it and have been extreamly lucky as my cam tensioners have not gone out, but after reading all these stories about them going out, ive decided to get mine changed out and decided to go with the Hydrulic set up. Im also thinking about putting in some new cams but not sure which ones to go to. is it worth changing out the cams and not doing any thing else to the motor. what cams would you recomend? If any one in the Houston area know of a good reliable shop to get this done, would be much appreciated. As of now im going with Stubbs H.D.. As for the oil, ive always used Syn. oil Started out using H.D. oil but changed to Amisol and then mobil V1 Oil all the way thru. thanks for your input
Click to expand...

Aside from what "4opps" said above, Kemo and I have also done the roller chain conversion. Kemo also went with the 26N, and I went with the 21N. Mine is just a bit milder, and is for low end torque and better touring. I use my bike commuting daily into Houston from Sugar Land.

The up-grade is not all that hard to do. I did a little doc of mine here:

TQ's Engine Build - Harley Davidson Community

Check that out and see if you might want to do the deed yourself.

You can get info from Andrews here:

http://www.andrewsproducts.com/PDF_files/2008-catalog.pdf

Here is some info on cam specs:

Cam Specifications - Harley Davidson Community
Cams and More Cams - Harley Davidson Community

TQ
 
Caper that kit doesn't change the rear tensioner, they still use the spring for tensioning. Buy the kit from John Wadsworth or from Andrews. It is easier to cut the push rods and replace them with adjustable push rods. Check TQ's doc out. He did an excellent job of pictures etc, it will give you a good idea of what is involved. It is a day job When doing the conversion CHANGE the inner cam bearings over to the Torrington bearings.
 
Thanks...I think the Herko kit may be the way to go, I was doing some research while you posted and the HD kit does seems like it's only half a fix.
 
As Kemo pointed out, changing those inner cam bearings to the Torrington units is a must. The old INA bearings are prone to failure. As was mentioned, TQ did a phenominal write up on the whole process. Well worth looking into....
 
Caper said:
Thanks...I think the Herko kit may be the way to go, I was doing some research while you posted and the HD kit does seems like it's only half a fix.
Click to expand...

Yep. I do not like the HD kit. They may give you a hydraulic tensioner for the back chain, but you are using the silent chain and sprockets. That does allow for a bit of cost reduction, because you do not need to replace the cams. But as you say, seems like half a job!!

If you go with the Herko kit, you get everything. He will get you the options you want too, like the cams you want, adjustable pushrod kit, George's Garage Tools, etc. All at a price you can't hardly touch if you piecemeal it. And as Kemo said above, definitely change out the inner bearings (yep! they're in the kit!!). So it is a good deal. I looked around a bit before Kemo turned me on to Herko's stuff, and the BEST I could do was about $50 more than the Herko kit, and did NOT include everything that John does.

TQ
 
Just joined today and have been reading the post and have not heard of the Herko kit. It sounds great and complete. I for one chose to do away with the whole chain cam tensioner set up and went with the S&S gear plate and andrews 26G cams with SE pushrods. I have 40,000+ miles on this set up with no problems. My 05 FLTRI pulls strong from 2000rpm and if I stay within the speed limits I get 45 to 49 MPG. The one thing in this post that is so true, Change the Bearings!!
 
I went with the kit from Herko as well. It seemed like a good oppurtunity to add cams. I also liked the idea of the higher volume oil pump and went with the Harley "B" lifters (and adjustable Screaming Eagle pushrods). $1200. US total- seemed like a good investment for longevity of the engine. Herko's service was excellent and he suggested the 21N Andrews cams for a 99 RKC. Herko also said a fuel injection tuner might be helpful after changing cams. The Doebeck TFI worked for me. You can find more info on those in the self-help section. I could recommend a great mechanic but Kemo is a long ride from where you live :s.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top