Retracting the Chain Tensioner Plunger

[Koinz]

I was looking around and thought that retracting the plunger on the Chain Tensioner deserves it's own thread. I searched around and found the AC posted a youtube vid of a Dutchman showing an easy technique, so I'm reposting here so it's easier to find.
XT1200z Nokkenas ketting spanner resetten ( cam chain tensioner, steuerketten spanner)

A slight variation of this is to use a drill press (if you have one) to apply pressure on the plunger while turning the arbor by hand to retract the plunger. Once the plunger is bottomed, it's much easier to hold it, while setting the clip in it's grove. I have a small drill press vise that the tensioner sat in while performing the operation.
In the attached pictured, I substituted a socket to depict the tensioner, since I had already completed my valve adjustment.

 

[RED CAT]

That looks easier than it really is. But that's the best way to do it. Sometimes its hard to get the driver tool to bite enough to turn the tensioner. One person pushing down and another person turning helps. Once you get the plunger down far enough the circlip will pop in by itself. No need to poke it with a screw driver. Same for releasing the plunger once you have it mounted back on the motor. Simply push the top of the plunger with a screw driver. Again no need to pry at the circlip. Its still a bitch.

 

[Koinz]

That looks easier than it really is. But that's the best way to do it. Sometimes its hard to get the driver tool to bite enough to turn the tensioner. One person pushing down and another person turning helps. Once you get the plunger down far enough the circlip will pop in by itself. No need to poke it with a screw driver. Same for releasing the plunger once you have it mounted back on the motor. Simply push the top of the plunger with a screw driver. Again no need to pry at the circlip. Its still a bitch.

The drill press method is as easy as it looks and it's a one person job. I agree that the video makes it look easy, but it kept slipping for me.

 

[Checkswrecks]

OK, I feel like an idiot.
I can't tell you how many times I've used the bench vise, fought gravity, and gone searching for clips. I just never thought of the drill press.
::010::

Thanks!
::003::

 

[greg the pole]

I still hate that tensioner design ::009::

 

[MGB]

Just noticed this, I found a method that works well using a bench vise. I reset mine twice and it only took a few minutes each time with no fussing, swearing, cursing, extra hands.

I put a piece of tin between the CCT body and one side of the vise. I put a piece of thick rubber between the piston and the other end of the vise. As you slowing tighten the vice with one hand, turn the CCT body with the other. The rubber prevents the piston from spinning (and protects it from damage). If it gets a little hard to turn the vise, back off and restart a little. Your vise closing has to synch up a little with the piston movement.

Seriously, I was amazed how simple and effective this system worked. I have to figure out how to get a photo up (haven't done one in a while).

 

[F16Viper68]

Holy crap these things are a PITA reset. I ended up using the drill press method. I actually got it slightly compressed (below the last c-clip), held it and stuff it under the chuck. I used a piece of electrical tape over the chuck opening to give it some grip. One other piece of advice, don't use too much pressure. If you see it spinning but it's not compressing, try using less pressure. Don't let up too much but I notice I had to use a light touch or it would just spin and never compress.

GD that was a hard won lesson. ::010:: ::010:: ::010:: ::010:: ::010::

Dave....

 

[jaeger22]

I put a piece of tin between the CCT body and one side of the vise. I put a piece of thick rubber between the piston and the other end of the vise. As you slowing tighten the vice with one hand, turn the CCT body with the other. The rubber prevents the piston from spinning (and protects it from damage). If it gets a little hard to turn the vise, back off and restart a little. Your vise closing has to synch up a little with the piston movement.

That is a great description of how I do it. Except I used plastic on the slipping base side with a few drops of oil.
The Socket trick in the video did not work for me at all. It kept slipping.
Here is a photo of my set up.

 

[Buelligan]

why do we have to "reset" the CCT?

 

[Koinz]

why do we have to "reset" the CCT?

You can't install it with the plunger in its fully extended position. it has to be retracted and locked, then you bolt it to the engine. The Clutch cover is then removed and the plunger is unlocked by pushing on the tensioner guide (more like popping on the guide to release it) . This releases the clip on the plunger and then it fully extends holding the chain tensioner against the chain.

 

[greg the pole]

You can't install it with the plunger in its fully extended position. it has to be retracted and locked, then you bolt it to the engine. The Clutch cover is then removed and the plunger is unlocked by pushing on the tensioner guide (more like popping on the guide to release it) . This releases the clip on the plunger and then it fully extends holding the chain tensioner against the chain.

I think in the fully extended position it will put too much pressure on the guide....but I know nothing.

 

[gunner]

I was looking around and thought that retracting the plunger on the Chain Tensioner deserves it's own thread. I searched around and found the AC posted a youtube vid of a Dutchman showing an easy technique, so I'm reposting here so it's easier to find.
XT1200z Nokkenas ketting spanner resetten ( cam chain tensioner, steuerketten spanner)

A slight variation of this is to use a drill press (if you have one) to apply pressure on the plunger while turning the arbor by hand to retract the plunger. Once the plunger is bottomed, it's much easier to hold it, while setting the clip in it's grove. I have a small drill press vise that the tensioner sat in while performing the operation.
In the attached pictured, I substituted a socket to depict the tensioner, since I had already completed my valve adjustment.

Jaxon and I were struggling with the CCT from my bike and tried the vise, the drill press and the method in the video. What we found that works very easily is to use a cordless drill with a 12 mm socket. Secure the body of the tensioner in a clap or vice, push down on the plunger with the socket while the drill slowly rotates the piston clockwise.

 

[~TABASCO~]

Jaxon and I were struggling with the CCT from my bike and tried the vise, the drill press and the method in the video. What we found that works very easily is to use a cordless drill with a 12 mm socket. Secure the body of the tensioner in a clap or vice, push down on the plunger with the socket while the drill slowly rotates the piston clockwise.

Super easy and quick. NO hansel, five second job ! Easy-peasy !

 

[itlives]

A little tongue in cheek here but why on earth would you put it back in?

I couldn't wait to get mine out and put in a manual cct! So much did I want it changed, I did it with a cheap one and then had Jaxon put a Graves MCCT in when he worked on my 2012.

BTW Jaxon - still running great! Thanks!

 

[SilverBullet]

A little tongue in cheek here but why on earth would you put it back in?...

Most obvious reason would be to keep your factory warranty valid. I'm covered until Dec 2019 and as much as I would like to install a manual CCT I'm not going to risk it. Today I'm going to the dealer to start process of updating to a 2014 CCT. Mine's getting louder now and at 42K miles I figure I'm pushing my luck.

_

 

[tomatocity]

Most obvious reason would be to keep your factory warranty valid. I'm covered until Dec 2019 and as much as I would like to install a manual CCT I'm not going to risk it. Today I'm going to the dealer to start process of updating to a 2014 CCT. Mine's getting louder now and at 42K miles I figure I'm pushing my luck.
_

Mine died at 52,200 miles

 

[itlives]

Most obvious reason would be to keep your factory warranty valid. I'm covered until Dec 2019 and as much as I would like to install a manual CCT I'm not going to risk it. Today I'm going to the dealer to start process of updating to a 2014 CCT. Mine's getting louder now and at 42K miles I figure I'm pushing my luck.

_

As an "always buy used" or " let someone else take the depreciation" person, I never think about warranties. That is a good reason!

 

[ediehl]

Being the dolt that I am, before reading this thread I removed my new auto tensioner from its box and pressed on the plunger, which of course immediately extended fully. I've studied these posts, and the cordless drill option seems like the easiest for resetting the post. I have no problem clamping the body between wood blocks in my vice and using my drill to turn the post slowly clockwise while pressing inward, and I see the post turning, but I can't get it to begin depressing. It seems that the lower circlip is catching on the fully-extended-groove on the post, and it will not go in any further. I use a tiny screwdriver to open that circlip to the max, while I'm pressing and turning clockwise, but nothing happens. Am I missing something here?

 

[ediehl]

Well, after a good 2 hours of trying everything I could, I'm going to try to return the part to partzilla. When I first released the plunger it came out past both circlips, which I imagine it's not supposed to do, and I could never get it back in. At first I thought it was the inner circlip binding it, but eventually I removed both circlips, and still no go. In fact, the only time I could get the piston back into the housing was with the inner rod removed. That threaded rod seemed to work OK when I had it out and turned it by hand, but when I'd insert it with the plunger into the housing, the plunger would effectively bottom out, and that was that. I had no trouble turning the plunger with my 12mm driver, and I tried very slow, and then a little faster; I tried light pressure, then I leaned on it harder and harder; I tried jiggling it as I turned and pressed, and I tried standing on one foot and rubbing my belly, and then the other foot. I'm convinced its defective, and since my '12 has less than 9K miles, I'll probably just leave the stock tensioner in place, and maybe think about a manually adjustable tensioner somewhere down the road. Do you need to remove the clutch side case cover to properly adjust a manually adjustable tensioner?

I've messed with cam chain tensioners in the past, but never anything like this one! I'll probably have a nightmare about that *&^&^%!!@ tensioner tonight!

 

[steve68steve]

Well, after a good 2 hours of trying everything I could, I'm going to try to return the part to partzilla. When I first released the plunger it came out past both circlips, which I imagine it's not supposed to do, and I could never get it back in. At first I thought it was the inner circlip binding it, but eventually I removed both circlips, and still no go. In fact, the only time I could get the piston back into the housing was with the inner rod removed. That threaded rod seemed to work OK when I had it out and turned it by hand, but when I'd insert it with the plunger into the housing, the plunger would effectively bottom out, and that was that. I had no trouble turning the plunger with my 12mm driver, and I tried very slow, and then a little faster; I tried light pressure, then I leaned on it harder and harder; I tried jiggling it as I turned and pressed, and I tried standing on one foot and rubbing my belly, and then the other foot. I'm convinced its defective, and since my '12 has less than 9K miles, I'll probably just leave the stock tensioner in place, and maybe think about a manually adjustable tensioner somewhere down the road. Do you need to remove the clutch side case cover to properly adjust a manually adjustable tensioner?

I've messed with cam chain tensioners in the past, but never anything like this one! I'll probably have a nightmare about that *&^&^%!!@ tensioner tonight!

Sorry for zombie thread, but I'm having this same problem right now.


The tensioner seems to be:
A housing, with a spring in it and 2 circlips,
A hollow threaded sleeve with a ridiculous thread lead on the OD;
A pin and spring that sits inside that hollow threaded rod which pushes on
A hollow piston which fits in the housing and has the ridiculous lead on the ID.


The piston is meant to be extended by those springs; and retracted (to reset) by screwing the piston ID threads to climb up the sleeve OD threads.


AFAICT, the shittiness of this design is that there is NOTHING to keep that sleeve from spinning in the housing. So the down pressure (I guess) is meant to force the bottom of the sleeve against the inside of the housing, and generate enough friction to keep it from spinning, so that when you turn the piston, it walks down the thread of the sleeve back into the housing.


The pain with this thing isn't that you have to keep pressure on the piston AS you turn (as soon as you release the down force, the springs will spit the piston back out unless the piston is pushed in far enough to catch a circlip in a groove near its top), the pain is that as you spin the piston and force it in, the bottom of the sleeve just spins around in the bottom of the housing because there's nothing there to stop it doing so.


All it would take is a notch, or a tab, or a pin, or something to keep that sleeve from spinning when you turn the piston and this would be easy peezy.


Thanks, Yamaha.