DId I goof with my cam chain tensioner?

'81 KZ1000, I pulled the cap and spring off the chain tensioner yesterday and pulled out the pin, then put it back together and cranked it over with the starter a few times. I *thought* this would amount to a full reset of the tensioner, but now I'm not so sure. Today while riding, when I'm sitting at a stop and idling it sounds like the engine keeps stumbling -- it will be going good and then suddenly sound like it just completely dies for half a turn before it catches itself and starts going again. It's still hitting on all four cylinders and running smoothly on the road so I'm not quite sure what to think of it. Any suggestions?

If it ain't broke...well, you know. :dry:

Well that's the thing... I've got this noise coming from the front of the engine. I think maybe it's an exhaust leak but it seems like it's getting worse, so it made me suspicious that maybe the chain wasn't being tensioned properly. When I pulled the cap off the tension pin appeared to be sticking out around the suggested 5/16" but then I thought I'd rotate the engine (with the cap off) so the pin was sticking out a lot further than that when I put it back together... And I thought having the pin sticking out further meant that the auto-adjust was basically reset to where it could start taking up the slack again. It was just a thought...

Whatever the issue is, it doesn't seem to be grinding anything. I just did a full oil and filter change, saw no signs of metal dust in the oil. And until this idle hiccup it's been feeling like it was running pretty decent. I'm still riding it to work daily and I made a trip of over 200 miles this past weekend -- and of course I have to wonder if that long trip might have also shook something loose.

Shdwdrgn wrote: When I pulled the cap off the tension pin appeared to be sticking out around the suggested 5/16" but then I thought I'd rotate the engine (with the cap off) so the pin was sticking out a lot further than that when I put it back together... And I thought having the pin sticking out further meant that the auto-adjust was basically reset to where it could start taking up the slack again. It was just a thought...
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I would double check the tensioner. The pushrod stop (13116) only moves inward to prevent the tensioner pushrod (13116A) from being able to move back.
The amount the pushrod stop sticks out only gets less as the chain wears never longer, if it sticks out further than it did previously then the cam chain will be set loose, also the sliding surfaces can wear unevenly over time preventing auto tensioner from working correctly to take up the excess slack. when backed out that far.

The factory service manual says to apply light pressure to the stop while turning the engine over slowly to set the tensioner.