YouTube R1200 WetHead DIY Cam Timing Tool

I finally finished a YouTube video that explains an alternate method to complete the Cam Timing Check on the WetHead series of motorcycles.

This was an effort to find a replacement for the OEM tool #83300444292 that for the last several months has not been shipping from several sources.

If you have received the other tools required for doing the 12k (miles) / 20k (KM) service of checking Cam Timing, but are missing the tool above, this will allow you to complete the job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vyMyntSWZ0

Here is the link to the original series for the 12k/20Km Service plus some extra checks and service not called for on the BMW service sheet.
https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?93749-YouTube-12000Mile-20000Km-RTW-Service-Video-Series

Thanks Brad.

Ingenious. Thanks for this info. Will be making one today!

I'm going to be checking this exact length on 3 other WetHeads that I help service and establish that this is a good length for engines other than just my one example.

Thanks for another great "How To" video on maintaining the WetHeads

It will be added to our "list"- https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?70623-Wetheads-Accessories-Mods-and-DIY-s



Gary

Uhoh Brad, you're on "the list". Well, I guess that happens when you don't fly under the radar. ;-)

Grazie mille!

Boxflyer/Brad:

Many thanks for the info! May the roads before you be smooth, winding, and lacking traffic.

Boxflyer said:

I'm going to be checking this exact length on 3 other WetHeads that I help service and establish that this is a good length for engines other than just my one example.

Click to expand...

Brad, my thinking (could easily be wrong - has been before), is that the tension required, and therefore the length of the spacer tube in the DIY tool, will be dependent on the amount of stretch/wear in the chain which will likely change with time. Would you agree, or am I missing something? If we're lucky the degree of stretch will be minimal but I don't know that.

When you check the other bikes, noting the mileage on all involved would be beneficial, but I'm sure you were already planning on doing that. Most accurate would be measuring the actual cam chain lengths under proper tension, but that involves a ton of work far beyond reasonable. ;-)

I think what's really required is to measure the force that the actual tool applies (point where the knurled knob slips three times) and to somehow replicate that force via another method. It's probably reasonable to determine the force easily enough ... the hard part is how to replicate that via some simpler means. What Boxflyer has done is indeed simple in nature but as has been pointed out, may not be applicable to every bike out there. It may well prove to be good enough though for many of us (especially those with only 12,000 miles on their bikes). As someone who had an order in for the original part only to find out it's not available, count me in as highly interested in finding a reasonable way to replicate its functionality.

I've been trying to work in my cold garage to get answers to the concerns about the previous error of my first technique.

Thanks for all the brain power going into this, and after getting over to the LH cylinder to check it with the DIY tool, have found that it needs 2mm more extension on the OEM tool to make the "3 clicks" establish correct tension.

I tried the first "stick pen" insert of 48mm and, sure enough, it's just not quite able to slip on the ends of the cams. I then cut another pen section to 50mm, and it's perfect for the LH cylinder.

Now the dimensions on my bike are: RH OEM tool=44mm and pen insert=48mm. LH OEM tool=46mm and pen insert=50mm.

Maybe this has something to do with the slightly different length cam chains, as the RH chain only has 102 elements and LH chain has 106 elements.

Anyway, I'm still trying to find something that will create measured force instead of just duplicating the length of the tool on MY 2 cylinders of MY bike.

Thanks again for everyone that has contributed, and if you are waiting for a tensioning tool, I hope to find a solution soon.

Sorry if I've confused anyone with my first attempt to make something that works, but think there is interest for others to find a replacement.

Very nice! This is worthy of high praise as an "airhead-type" of solution to a problem.

lirider said:

I think what's really required is to measure the force that the actual tool applies (point where the knurled knob slips three times) and to somehow replicate that force via another method. It's probably reasonable to determine the force easily enough ... the hard part is how to replicate that via some simpler means...

Click to expand...

I think you're correct in your thinking there. I was kicking the same idea around but got tired (gotta bad cold at the moment) and forgetful.

I definitely think it is the pressure on the timing chain that needs to be replicated, but as you and Brad say, how to replicate that will take some thinking. Thanks to Brad's work, some of those things are better understood now.

I took down the video to add info about the LH cylinder measurements/dimensions.

I'm doing another Cam Timing check on a 2017 GSA in the morning and if the DIY tool works on that one as it did on mine, I'll repost it in the afternoon with the few added segments about why there are differences between the RH and LH sides.

Sorry for the inconveniences, but I needed to clear up a few things and this is the only way I could edit an already posted YouTube video.

Brad

Boxflyer said:

I took down the video to add info about the LH cylinder measurements/dimensions.

I'm doing another Cam Timing check on a 2017 GSA in the morning and if the DIY tool works on that one as it did on mine, I'll repost it in the afternoon with the few added segments about why there are differences between the RH and LH sides.

Sorry for the inconveniences, but I needed to clear up a few things and this is the only way I could edit an already posted YouTube video.

Brad

Click to expand...

It will be very interesting to see if the left and right measurement when the factory tool is set/removed/measured is the same as it was on your scooter.

GD

Boxflyer said:

I took down the video to add info about the LH cylinder measurements/dimensions.

I'm doing another Cam Timing check on a 2017 GSA in the morning and if the DIY tool works on that one as it did on mine, I'll repost it in the afternoon with the few added segments about why there are differences between the RH and LH sides.

Sorry for the inconveniences, but I needed to clear up a few things and this is the only way I could edit an already posted YouTube video.

Brad

Click to expand...

I took the deleted video out of the list. I will add it back when you are ready.

OM

Omega Man said:

Thanks for another great "How To" video on maintaining the WetHeads

It will be added to our "list"- https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?70623-Wetheads-Accessories-Mods-and-DIY-s



Gary

Click to expand...

AlanColes said:

I think you're correct in your thinking there. I was kicking the same idea around but got tired (gotta bad cold at the moment) and forgetful.

I definitely think it is the pressure on the timing chain that needs to be replicated, but as you and Brad say, how to replicate that will take some thinking. Thanks to Brad's work, some of those things are better understood now.

Click to expand...

Clearly the factory tool takes a torque and converts that to a force applied to the timing chain. Perhaps that can be replicated in some way with a torque wrench and lock nut to secure the setting, using something similar to what Boxflyer did with a longer section of pen and the stock tensioner. The trick will be determining the proper torque setting and verifying that it's repeatable.

I was able to do a complete valve timing and clearance check on a 2017 GSA yesterday to verify results on another bike trying to get more data vs just my one example.

The short answer is that it's exactly the same as mine, but there's still a problem.

During the many attempts to get the initial pen body section the right length to match the push on the chain equal to the OEM tool, I would occasionally get the edge of the plastic pen in a bind and it would get deformed. It happened again yesterday when we went thru the process to make a set of stick pen spacers for the GSA.

So...I came home and made another set of spacers that would not be prone to misalignment and any inconsistent seating in the OEM tension body.
I started with a section of 1/4-20 "all-thread", but any 1/4in bolt or rod piece would be the same.

Here is a pic of the set. The RH side is 52mm and the LH side is 54mm. The taper to the "almost point" end is at fairly sharp angle to keep from touching any part of the OEM tensioner except the bottom of the machined tensioner bodies. Too much of a point and it will yield under the load, and also it might damage the oil orifice in the sliding part of the OEM tensioner. I kept the tip of the steel insert that will go into the sliding body at a 1.0mm flat and the end that sets in the threaded end of the OEM tensioner is at 2.3mm. The process is SO critical that the difference between a used crush washer thickness of 1.30mm and a new crush washer of 1.48mm does make a difference.
The OEM tensioner has a thread pitch of 1.5mm, so if you use a used crush washer of 1.30mm, you need to back it off from initial contact with the cylinder casting by almost 1 flat of the 17mm hex head (1.5mm pitch divided by 6 = .25mm) so without knowing what your actual crush washer is, this get's it close.

I have a set of springs ordered that should arrive by the weekend to work with to have another version of a DIY tool that's not so critical with the dimensions as explained above.

It's a work in progress, so I don't think this is the best answer yet.

lirider said:

Clearly the factory tool takes a torque and converts that to a force applied to the timing chain. Perhaps that can be replicated in some way with a torque wrench and lock nut to secure the setting, using something similar to what Boxflyer did with a longer section of pen and the stock tensioner. The trick will be determining the proper torque setting and verifying that it's repeatable.

Click to expand...

lirider, I agree that the primary need feature seems to be replicating the force that the OE Tool applies to the timing chain. As you say, this needs to be measured.

My thinking is that it should be measured as pressure but that one would want the opposite of a torque wrench, along the lines of a timing-belt tension gauge. Something that will measure the force being exerted on it or resisted by it, rather and measuring the force it exerts. My concern with a torque wrench is that a) it would seem difficult to use in that space and b) when used, unless one used the very expensive models that will retain and display maximum values used, the capture of the actual value would be more difficult than with something designed to capture data.

Brad, not sure if my thinking is correct on this or not, but it would seem to me that any tool that can be used without the OE Tool present to verify exact length, will need to rely on replicating the pressure (force) being applied to the timing chain by the OE Tool in it's fully engaged mode (hand tightened and 3-clicks).

If that force can be identified, by measuring the force excerted by the OE Tool on various engines, and that force is reasonably constant than would a single rate spring (not progressive) inserted in the disassembled OE Tensioner under your "all-thread" perhaps recreate what the OE Tool is doing?

I've only looked at your OE Tensioner Tool when we were using it on my bike and didn't take it apart and identify exactly how it works. It appears to be applying a specific force as well as compensating for a degree/range of chain stretch. If that is the case, then I would think no fixed-length tool can address both issues, therefore the need for a spring with a specific spring rating.

Hi Alan,
I had a table full of BMW critics from my local club of riders this morning for our weekly breakfast, and most agreed that spring force is preferable to the critical dimensions of the fixed length of the one shown in the post above this.

One of the things I mentioned above was the variable of "new" vs "once used" crush washer to determine the fixed length method. I have been able to verify that the threaded portion of the OEM pressure driven cam chain tensioner will seat fully and with no interference once the crush washer is removed. This will take out yet another variable from bike to bike, and user to user when I hope to have the coil spring insert DIY tool parts listed for anyone to duplicate.

I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible, and make it affordable/obtainable too...but the most important thing is that it is accurate and able to be used dependably by, "US", the enthusiast doing our own work!

Sorry to drag this out past the weekend, but I'm awaiting delivery and then it will have to go into R&D...(my garage!!!).
I'm not going to sell anything, but just make the source and process to make this available to everyone. If the OEM tool becomes available, and is not really expensive, I would recommend getting one, but until then, I hope this helps.

I am watching this thread with interest. But i seem to have missed as to why the BMW tensioning tool isn't available anymore .Anyone know?