Whine in the Engine

Earlier this summer I began to hear a whine in my engine. I guessed that it was coming from the top cam idler so I ordered a replacement and installed it a couple of weeks before the end of the season. The whine persisted so I figured I would have to go deeper to find it. Now that the season is over I've started to tear the engine down. I pulled the head and I think I discovered the source of the whine. In the photo below are the two cam chain idlers located between the cylinders and the head. The front one is OK but the back one fell apart when I pulled it out. The inner portion had separated from the outer portion and was free wheeling. I think I saved the engine from self destruction.

hardrockminer wrote: Earlier this summer I began to hear a whine in my engine. I guessed that it was coming from the top cam idler so I ordered a replacement and installed it a couple of weeks before the end of the season. The whine persisted so I figured I would have to go deeper to find it. Now that the season is over I've started to tear the engine down. I pulled the head and I think I discovered the source of the whine. In the photo below are the two cam chain idlers located between the cylinders and the head. The front one is OK but the back one fell apart when I pulled it out. The inner portion had separated from the outer portion and was free wheeling. I think I saved the engine from self destruction.

NO Pictures attached Buddy

That's common for the stock idlers. I suggest Liska's all the way around.
Steve

+1 on the Liskas, Pricey but will last the life of the engine.

1/2 the price of OEM

A-1 on the Liska's. They are a bit noisier but I've never had any problems with them. WATCH-OUT for copycats though! I've seen some unlabeled versions on ebay. They might be just as good but....why take a chance. This thread brings to mind a long standing question I've always had. Since the early KZ650 also used the peanut chain the idlers are Exactly the same BUT have a different part number. 12053-1012 for the 650 and 12057-002 for the Z/KZ 900-1000. From research years ago I think I counted the number of needle rollers, some had 14 some 15 but that was the only difference.

Not sure what happened to the photo. Here it is.

Everyone seems to like Liska. This is a stone stock bike so I ordered OEM through Partzilla. I figure the originals lasted 44 years so the new ones should be good until 2063! By that time I'll be 113 yrs old and may not be riding any longer!

Now I need to go and count needles!