Cam chain rattling...

How many miles are on it? If it has really high miles it might be time to replace the cam chain guides as well.

Your best option would be to replace the stock CCT with a manual tensioner. But first start by pulling the one in there out... cleaning and resetting it and puttin' it back it. See what happens.

can anyone tell me how to do this for a total newb?

it has 22k on it, 2003, good condiion otherwise, just i take it has not been serviced recently

PM me and I'll give ya some pointers.

I want to sort this rattling out but i dont know if its a job that i can do or do i need a mechanic to do it (and rip me off in the process!)

Assuming you have PM'd PG by now?

This is a job you can do yourself, and as stated above, I would recommend you make the switch to a manual CCT.

There is also a way to reset the OEM mechanical tensioner but I dont know the process offhand. I am sure some searching on here will quickly turn it up.

Ive heard of people pushing the bike backwards and then dropping the clutch. Supposedly it resets the CCT.

Does it get quieter once the bike is warm? If so leave it alone. Seriously. Cold engine parts will be loose until thermal conduction expands everything and tightens up. Your chain rattling is normal till warm up. Cars & trucks are same way. They make lots of noise first starting up. 90%+ of vehicles on the road with timing chains have automatic adjusters. Its extremely rare for a chain to break or stretch to the point of damage. You CAN buy a manual tensioner, however you are essentialy guessing at it's tightness. To me that's no bueno. Auto adjuster was put there by an engineer who knows a lot more than we do. Just my .02

Scorpi0 said:

Ive heard of people pushing the bike backwards and then dropping the clutch. Supposedly it resets the CCT.

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I'd be inclined to find out where you got that information. I may have some tick myself and plan on looking into it when I get home this summer, but I'm curious as to how that could work

Scorpi0 said:

Ive heard of people pushing the bike backwards and then dropping the clutch. Supposedly it resets the CCT.

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Brandon35 said:

I'd be inclined to find out where you got that information. I may have some tick myself and plan on looking into it when I get home this summer, but I'm curious as to how that could work

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It doesn't work that way. The only way to reset the automatic tensioner is to remove it and manually reset it as per the service manual, then reinstall it.

Strider said:

It doesn't work that way. The only way to reset the automatic tensioner is to remove it and manually reset it as per the service manual, then reinstall it.

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I'm scouring the threads so I can do it for my 96 since im not sure where to begin. If I can't find anything I'll just look up the manual and go from there I guess

Why would you do this? The chain tensioner will just go back to the same setting it's on now in a very short time. This is perfectly normal on these bikes. The "tick" or rattle is nothing to be concerned about. These Kawasaki's are just noisier than most other bikes. But the stock chain and tensioner will work find for the life of the engine if you don't mess with it.

If the noise is really bothering you, switch to a manual CCT and you can adjust it out. You might be adjusting it frequently though. It's just the way these engines are. Cam chain noise is more pronounced than most other engines.

NatBrown said:

Why would you do this? The chain tensioner will just go back to the same setting it's on now in a very short time. This is perfectly normal on these bikes. The "tick" or rattle is nothing to be concerned about. These Kawasaki's are just noisier than most other bikes. But the stock chain and tensioner will work find for the life of the engine if you don't mess with it.



If the noise is really bothering you, switch to a manual CCT and you can adjust it out. You might be adjusting it frequently though. It's just the way these engines are. Cam chain noise is more pronounced than most other engines.

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It got loud as fuck after a low side. Not noticeable cruising but idle just sounds like something is hitting in there

NatBrown said:

Why would you do this? The chain tensioner will just go back to the same setting it's on now in a very short time. This is perfectly normal on these bikes. The "tick" or rattle is nothing to be concerned about. These Kawasaki's are just noisier than most other bikes. But the stock chain and tensioner will work find for the life of the engine if you don't mess with it.

If the noise is really bothering you, switch to a manual CCT and you can adjust it out. You might be adjusting it frequently though. It's just the way these engines are. Cam chain noise is more pronounced than most other engines.

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That's not completely true. My original OEM cam chain tensioner was completely locked up when I removed it for a valve adjustment. I completely cleaned and lubed it, and reinstalled it after the valve adjustment. I checked it again a while later, and it was completely locked up again. So I replaced it with a brand new OEM cam chain tensioner.

^ That's uncommon.

^ I agree, but I just wanted to note that it can happen.

There is a video on YouTube that shows how to adjust the oem cam chain tensioner. Just search zx6r cam chain adjustment . My bike had the same problem with 13k on it, one click on the tensioner and it's as quiet as a mouse. There's no need for a manual tensioner

WTFOdesigns1 said:

There is a video on YouTube that shows how to adjust the oem cam chain tensioner. Just search zx6r cam chain adjustment . My bike had the same problem with 13k on it, one click on the tensioner and it's as quiet as a mouse. There's no need for a manual tensioner

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That's not good for your cam chain. You have essentially overtightened it.