I've heard from many riders that my bike is prone to issues as the first year of the twin cam. I've been ignoring them. Today I road without a helmet and noticed a little clatter from the cam side...only between 1500 to 2000 RPM. Above and below it is silent (except for the obvious exhaust note). Might be time to pay attention. I searched for information in the tech section, but I think most bikes have been modified long before...so it's old news and I can't go back far enough to learn any details.

Can some old head fill me in on exactly what the issues with the first year TC's were...and what to look for/modify?

 

How many miles do you have on your bike??? Pull your cam cover and check your cam chain tensioner shoes ,, inside and outside,, that is a noted problem on the early TC's.. Some will wear out pretty early , 20,000 miles or so. also heard of many people having them last 50,000 plus... you dont want them falling apart in there, they can cause much more damage then.. You can upgrade to hydraulic ones

 

To the best of my knowledge, the early 88s were the strongest of the bunch but had a problem with cam chain tensioner shoes wearing prematurely. My 99 twin cam has about 55k on it. I just checked the tensioner shoes (second set) and they are about 50% worn. No leaks. No noise/rattles. I'd say it's a champ. Also...no EFI bullshit.

 

Only 3k miles. The sound would be about what I would expect a loose chain to make. Sort of a "clickity rattle" sound. I'll study the manual about the tensioners and pop it open first thing next week (got family stuff the next few days).

Thanks to both of you for pointing me in the right direction.

I did find in the archives some talk about camshaft bearing upgrades. Was that also a weak area in the early TC's?

 

http://www.baggersmag.com/twin-cam-e...twisting-crank

 

In '99 initially Twin Cam engines were manufactured using two ball bearings to support the twin camshafts on the right side. The rear ball bearing often failed. The factory supposedly fixed the problem in late 2000 by upgrading the cam support plate and replacing the ball bearing for the rear camshaft with a roller bearing. Check your bearings and cam chain tensioners.

 

http://www.harleydavidsontensioner.com/

This link helps explain the problem & the remedy for early T/C tensioner issues. If you use the Cyco chain tensioner pads you'll be good to go. Check your lifters when you have the cam chest apart.

 

Excellent info...thanks, especially for the articles. I think I have a handle on what to look for now.

Has anyone converted their INA inner cam bearings to the Torringtons recommended in the article? I wondered if the INA's can be pulled out from the cam side without removing the crank?

 

Yes and yes.

 

Excellent! Thanks again for getting me up to speed.