Anyone That Has Stripped Their Cam Chain Tensioner

I went to adjust my cam chain tensioner yesterday and realized as soon as I started tightening it back down that I had either stripped all the threads or their was only a few threads left when I got started. Before I went online to order a new tensioner, I wanted to give something else a try. The original threads are m6 x 1.0 so I went ahead and just rethreaded it to 1/4 - 20. Bought a 1/4 inch nut and 1/4 - 20 bolt the same length as the original. Worked like a charm!!!! and saved my self a decent amount of money. Just wanted to throw this solution out there for anyone that has or will strip these threads

Either that or fitting a Helicoil is the common fix.
You can also drill and thread in to the end to effectively convert it to a manual locked type so it can never back off under load.

zed1015 wrote: Either that or fitting a Helicoil is the common fix.
You can also drill and thread in to the end to effectively convert it to a manual locked type so it can never back off under load.

I considered this but from what I understand it entirely to easy to put too much pressure on this way

If you're talking about the set bolt and lock nut, a heli coil or time cert would have been a better fix. The bolt sees a lot of use. Going to 1/4 is temporary at best. Not enough meat for the threads.
Steve

swest wrote: If you're talking about the set bolt and lock nut, a heli coil or time cert would have been a better fix. The bolt sees a lot of use. Going to 1/4 is temporary at best. Not enough meat for the threads.
Steve

Yeah I realize it's only temporary. I might just machine my own manual tensioner but I'm skeptical about them. If this fails I considered moving up to m6 but I just don't think there is enough material there

I'm tempted to put my aftermarket manual back on. Trouble is the O ring on the threads gets stuck so you can't tell when it hits the guide. That's how I got into trouble in the first place. The little foot on the stock one is crooked and hard so it doesn't have the throw it should. New ones are N/A or too expensive. I've got my eye on a used unit but it will be old and I could be in the same boat again.
I think you meant a m8. It might work. All it has to do is keep the ramp from moving.
Steve

kzharpe wrote:

zed1015 wrote: Either that or fitting a Helicoil is the common fix.
You can also drill and thread in to the end to effectively convert it to a manual locked type so it can never back off under load.

I considered this but from what I understand it entirely to easy to put too much pressure on this way

No. You let the tensioners spring take up the slack as normal and then screw the bolt up by hand until it lightly touches the end of the plunger and then lock it.
You can watch the plunger movement down the original locking bolt hole to ensure it doesn't move any further than you want.

That's a good idea. I think I'll try that. From the end right?
Steve