camshaft chain tensioner tighten

Hello,

I'm looking for the good procedure for the automatic oem kz1000 ltd B1 cam chain tensioner :

How much do i must tighten the left screw please ?
Just by hand like here ? at 30.30 mn

Thank you
Fox

Yes! it's only a 6mm bolt so nip it up by hand and the same with the lock nut.
around 8 ft/lb max.

What do you think of what i find on an other forum :

"Just loosen the bolt, and re-tighten it. Torque on the bolt is 35 -50 in-lbs. Then tighten the locknut."

Ok let's go for a stupid question :

Is this automatic tensioner

-"automatic when we ride" (so the spring will move himself over time to remove the slack )
-"automatic when we adjust it" ( (so the spring won't move anymore ones in place by me )

...

It's not automatic so only moves when the bolt is loosened.
50 in/lbs is around 4 ft/lb.
8 ft/lb is the typical max torque for an M6 bolt.
I never torque them and just nip them by hand .

You really need to find the instructions that are specific to your year and model bike.
Here's why I say this:
On my 1977 KZ650-C1 the cam chain tensioner automatically adjusts itself when the nut and bolt are loosened - BUT the cams MUST be in a certain position when this is done (which is described in the Kawasaki Service Manual), otherwise the tensioner will not be correctly adjusted and that can result in problems. The manual describes how to do this in a very simple fashion (it's very easy), but it is even easier to do it wrong if one doesn't follow the procedure. Later year bikes use different tensioners and procedures, so it is important that the procedure used is the correct one for the year and model being worked on. Ed

I never find the kz1000 ltd one...
I use the Kawasaki KZ 1000 (A2A-A3A_MKII-A4-D3_Z1R) '76 thru'79 - Service Manual
They have a same tensioner . The same one that we can see on the video posted before.

Ok i think i have it :

i will set the engine at TDC, then loosen the tensioner bolt.
I will then tighten it by hand.

Fell free to post any more informations before i go back to work on it

Thank you

The tensioner plunger has a tapered flat that the tip of the lock bolt contacts. The plunger's taper is thicker at the jug end & becomes thinner toward the spring end.

Once the bolt is snugged onto that tapered flat, the plunger can't 'back off', 'cause the taper won't move past the tip end of the lock bolt. It can't move from a thinner part of the taper where it was initially tightened onto onto a thicker part of the taper.
It doesn't take much torque at all on the lock bolt to secure the plunger very securely. Like some have mentioned above, just snug it. & then snug the locknut. It's not a torque-critical fastener like head nuts, for instance.

An article written by Tech guru Kevin Cameron many years ago postulated that it's better to make some adjustments with the motor at operating temperature. One very specific example he mentioned is camchain tension. His position is that if the cam chain is adjusted cold, that due to thermal expansion of the entire case/jug/head assembly after startup the crank center and cam center(s) move away from each other during heating, resulting in the camchain being slightly over-tight. By how much? That's open to discussion but, it presents an opportunity for maintenance on a more subtle level. Even in the early days of the air-cooled Z motors, it was apparent that the camchain slider shoe at the front of the jugs was somewhat delicate & didn't tolerate overtightened camachains well at all. We've always made camchain adjustments hot.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Awesome. Thank you very much for your time an explanation.

Have a good day

slmjim+Z1BEBE wrote: The tensioner plunger has a tapered flat that the tip of the lock bolt contacts. The plunger's taper is thicker at the jug end & becomes thinner toward the spring end.

Once the bolt is snugged onto that tapered flat, the plunger can't 'back off', 'cause the taper won't move past the tip end of the lock bolt. It can't move from a thinner part of the taper where it was initially tightened onto onto a thicker part of the taper.
It doesn't take much torque at all on the lock bolt to secure the plunger very securely. Like some have mentioned above, just snug it. & then snug the locknut. It's not a torque-critical fastener like head nuts, for instance.

An article written by Tech guru Kevin Cameron many years ago postulated that it's better to make some adjustments with the motor at operating temperature. One very specific example he mentioned is camchain tension. His position is that if the cam chain is adjusted cold, that due to thermal expansion of the entire case/jug/head assembly after startup the crank center and cam center(s) move away from each other during heating, resulting in the camchain being slightly over-tight. By how much? That's open to discussion but, it presents an opportunity for maintenance on a more subtle level. Even in the early days of the air-cooled Z motors, it was apparent that the camchain slider shoe at the front of the jugs was somewhat delicate & didn't tolerate overtightened camachains well at all. We've always made camchain adjustments hot.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Thank you for the info, certainly makes sense if you think about it doesn't it? Better a tad loose than a tad tight IMHO.
Rick H.