Could you possibly post pictures that are more out of focus?

 

Guess I'll take a look see . . .

 

when is it time to replace, any gouges and or marks, some ok? Any signs its starting to wear?

 

Once you're in this far and can see them how big of a job is it to actually change them? I have the FSM but it's not clear to me.

Are there special tools required or do you just need to be able to hold everything in place when removing the gears then plate to get to the back tensioner?

 

You need to pull the cam plate and cams out to change out the rear tensioner. HERE is a pictorial on one way it can be done.

 

The cams need to be either pressed in and out or by using the oven/freezer method. I would suggest you have the pins to hold the tensioners as well as the tool to relieve the pressure off of the chain to put the pins in.

 

You can get around most of the fancy tools and use common tools. You can use a nail or a small allen wrench instead of the pins and you can use an open end wrench to pull the tension off. You can use the oven/freezer method to disassemble/reassemble the cam bearings, etc.

 

i pulled my timing cover to have a look today. if it wasn't for this site i would not have known they could be a problem. i have a little over 36 k on the bike and the front one didn't look too bad. i need to get a mirror to get a better look at the back one.manual says any more than 1/2 the thickness of the shoe is reason for replacement. is this the portion they mean by the shoe?from what i can see, the rear one looks about the same as the front. if that is the case, any advice on what i should do? i was thinking about putting it back togther as is & re-inspecting in about 10,000 miles.i wasn't sure how to pull the tensioner back to get a better look at it. any tips?

 

I think you need to pull them back and look at the part that is wearing on the chain.

 

I'm pretty sure the biggest part of the cost is the labour. If you're already in there, it's probably worth it to change them and get it over with.