Hydraulic Cam Chain Tensioner Installation Success (with a few anxious moments)

Ceesie76

Ceesie76

Active member
Last edited:
motomanjim

motomanjim

Member
husafreak said:
How big of a deal was this? My (new to me) 2016 C650 Sport does not have the hydraulic cam chain tensioner. Pics of the hydraulic fitting were posted in another thread. But it does have 9300 miles on it and runs well. Was this a factory recall or just a desirable upgrade? I have the "don't fix what isn't broken" mentality but if this is a long overdue required fix that is different. I bought the vehicle a few days ago from a local BMW dealership.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on the purchase of your Sport and welcome to the forum. With your bike having really low mileage, my opinion is to just ride it. You can always take steps early on to correct the matter if you detect a problem related to the cam chain tensioner. My 2013 C650GT had 17,000 miles and was running fine but I decided to do the upgrade as a proactive measure. Furthermore, I had the time and space to do the work on my terms, plus I enjoy that sort of thing. And while my mechanical skills align with the “Enthusiast Category,” if there is such a thing, I found the job challenging with some unexpected hurdles. When replaced, my bike was equipped with the second generation mechanical tensioner installed by the previous owner as a BMW recall. And upon removal, the tensioner appeared to my untrained eye to show little if any wear, but someone with more expertise would have to decide that.
 
T

Terranova

New member
husafreak said:
Are mechanical replacements still available? I gather you have one in hand but is it an old stock model?
Click to expand...
Mechanicals are not available for the C650 Sport. According to the instructions you should replace with a hydraulic one.
They don't write it in the service manual, but you can use the replacement BMW Part 11318544896
----
You start the engine (it will be quiet), accelerate and a rattle starts from around the engine, that's tensioner
I replaced the tensioner with a hydraulic one after about 16,000 km
 
T

Terranova

New member
@Ceesie76
if I have understood you correctly, you believe that a mechanical tensioner is still available for the c650 Sport? Can you give me the number of this part?
I have given a replacement number which is identical and used on the BMW I3 electric car [11318544896]
For the C650 they now only sell hydraulic tensioners No. 11317710991
 
Ceesie76

Ceesie76

Active member
The part you referenced is the correct mechanical tensioner for my 2016 Sport, best I know. It is sitting on my workbench in Santa Monica waiting to be installed, however I am in France for the Summer and can't check the part no. now.

Edit: part available here and many other parts suppliers:

11318544896 - 2014-2021 BMW Engine Timing Chain Tensioner (11-31-8-544-896) | BMW of South Atlanta Parts

Engine Timing Chain Tensioner for 2014-2021 BMW, Part Number 11-31-8-544-896.
parts.bmwofsouthatlanta.com parts.bmwofsouthatlanta.com
 
Last edited:
R

rescue701

New member
Wheres the best place to order the hydraulic tensioner from? And is the BMW11317710991 the right number for a 2015 650GT?
 
motomanjim

motomanjim

Member
rescue701 said:
Wheres the best place to order the hydraulic tensioner from? And is the BMW11317710991 the right number for a 2015 650GT?
Click to expand...
An hydraulic chain tensioner has an oil feed line (supply line) running to and attached to it. The part number you are referencing appears correct for the hydraulic tensioner only but you will need the supply line and other parts. Since the valve cover will require removal, I would recommend replacing that gasket as well as gaskets for the “collar screws.” The cost of parts for this upgrade are hefty. I would recommend that you check out a parts fiche for your model which will specify the necessary parts for this upgrade. I purchased my parts from Max BMW but other dealers such as Bob’s BMW have a parts fiche and the associated listing. And most of all, access to a repair manual is crucial.
 
Z

zx10guy

Member
I've attached the BMW TSB for the hydraulic tensioner conversion. The parts listed in the TSB is exactly what my dealer used to do the conversion with one extra part that motomanjim mentioned which is the gasket set (11128523449).
 

Attachments

  • RCRIT-14V264-9377.pdf
    396.5 KB · Views: 5
H

husafreak

Member
For the last couple of posters how did you know it was time to replace the tensioner? Engine failure or some other indication? Just curious…
 
Z

zx10guy

Member
Noise. The engine will make a pretty loud and distinct rattle. I have a thread in the 650 general discussion subforum where I linked to a Youtube video that captured the exact same noise mine made. Mine got progressively worse in loudness and duration. It would go away after a few minutes of running the engine. But when you hear the noise, you don't want to wait. As it's a ticking time bomb at that point. You might get lucky where the timing doesn't get thrown off too far. But you run the risk of the timing chain jumping timing significantly and then your looking at major engine repairs with bent valves as this engine is an interference engine. And that would be the best case. If the damage is severe enough with the pistons slamming against the valves, you're looking at a new engine at that point.
 
Ceesie76

Ceesie76

Active member
Just to add from my experiences, the rattling sound can start once the engine has warmed up and keep rattling. Or, it can start rattling, then stop for a while, or it only rattles at some higher RPMs. So it can be intermittent and it can also be louder and less loud. But compared to how the engine is supposed to run, you will hear it. Another experience I had was that the BMW techs don't always recognize it as problematic ("Oh, that's normal") and I believe that it because they sell so few of them that they really don't know how it's supposed to sound.
 
H

husafreak

Member
That is probably very true! I brought mine back 4x for "check oil" alerts (this was right when I bought it) before finally topping it off to the full line while on the center stand myself, which stopped the alerts. I told the service department and they said "oh, they are all different" LOL.
BTW mine is the same, a 2016 Valencia Orange C650 Sport but was over in Livermore, CA.
 
C600sport albania

C600sport albania

New member
motomanjim said:
Recently, I completed the installation of the hydraulic cam chain tensioner on my 2013 C650GT and while the project went fairly well, I did encounter some stubborn, if not seized, fasteners. Little did I imagine that the cylinder head bolts, or as BMW calls them, "collar screws," would be the major culprits since they are installed with only 10 NM torque. And what added to the challenge is their location with two fasteners in a recessed area of the cover and very close to a frame cross member. Looking back on what I did, I probably would have had more success had I used an 8 mm 6-point shallow socket rather than the 12-point socket in my collection of tools. Of the four fasteners, one came out just fine with the others removed using bolt extractors.
View attachment 3582

It was at this stage in the procedure that I was beginning to think I had bitten off more than I could chew for the next test came attempting to remove the cam chain cover which gives access to turn the engine to firing TDC (top dead center.)
View attachment 3583

As you can see, I murdered the face of the cover using and impact wrench which is designed for removal using a flat blade screwdriver. BMW did improve this design as shown in the pic that follows.
View attachment 3584
If I had had the foresight to use a punch and drill to make a dimple at a point in the outer circumference of the cover and strike it from an angle with a chisel, then that may have gone better.
Thankfully, things started to improve once the cover was removed for I was able to use a socket and wrench to turn the nut (and engine) which has a marking on the side. The goal here was to turn the engine clockwise so the mark was directly facing the "I". I must say here I had no idea how to turn the engine for the workshop manual makes no referral that I could find regarding the process. Thanks to forum members Pappy13 and Orlandopalladino for helping me here. When the engine is at firing TDC, the alternator side is at overlap TDC.
View attachment 3589



Difficult to see, but the mark or dimple on the cam is parallel and facing the mark of the opposing cam which is not visible in the pic. If those marks are facing away from each other, then the engine is at overlap TDC.
View attachment 3585
After removing the old chain rail guide which came out easily, the next step was to install the new chain guide with "jump guard." I was able to torque three of the bolts to specifications (10 nm) but could not reach the bolt with my torque wrench located in a recessed area. I had to tighten that one by feel and what I thought was appropriate. Removing the second-generation tensioner was accomplished using a t-30 T-handle wrench and it was installed the same way as getting my torque wrench in the cavity was impossible.
View attachment 3586
If you'll look closely, you can see the tensioner's date of manufacture which is August 6, 2014.
Now it was time to remove the dreaded oil plug next to the oil filter for the hydraulic line. Removing a plastic shroud covering a portion of the case housing the alternator, enabled me to focus my heat gun at the oil plug without damaging the side stand connector wiring and the shroud itself. Surprisingly, the plug came out with about three minutes of heat.
View attachment 3587View attachment 3588
In summary, this project probably stretched the limits of my DIYer abilities, but I really enjoy working on my scooter as I have done on other motorcycles. If you're thinking about doing this upgrade, then you will hopefully benefit from my mistakes and have greater success.
Click to expand...
Hi
Good job you have done.
I did it to on my 2013 c600sport and was good. Right after I upgraded hydraulic tensioner I made a trip 600 km and all go well. I came home and turned of my bike. In the next morning i go to get out but when i try to start the bike only crank but no fire. The tension loose oil overnight and bent my valves. The tensioner was bought at bmw dealership. So for me the best solution is manual one. I have ordered an manual one.
 
M

mjnorris

Active member
Until you get guards in emergency carry some nitrile gloves. I had a pair of lite motocross gloves for wet weather and found if I put the nitrile on underneath then water does not contact the skin to leach out the warmth as quickly.
 
motomanjim

motomanjim

Member
C600sport albania said:
Hi
Good job you have done.
I did it to on my 2013 c600sport and was good. Right after I upgraded hydraulic tensioner I made a trip 600 km and all go well. I came home and turned of my bike. In the next morning i go to get out but when i try to start the bike only crank but no fire. The tension loose oil overnight and bent my valves. The tensioner was bought at bmw dealership. So for me the best solution is manual one. I have ordered a manual one.
Click to expand...
I am really sorry you have had this problem with the upgrade. Do you know or have any idea why the tensioner lost oil/oil pressure? Have you sought advice from your BMW dealer? Please keep us updated regarding your situation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
✖
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks