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A HOW TO : 610 Cam Chain Replacement

192K views 232 replies 61 participants last post by  salty_monk 
#1 ·
Ok guys i just got a nice little package delivery from Dan at Motoxotica. :bowdown:Last week he told me cam chains were out a month on B/O, the UPS man just dropped one off at my house ten minutes ago...

So heres the start of it,
Paid 166 bucks for the following items listed by part number

800058541 --> Husky Cam Chain $95.95
38010019 --> Motion Pro Flywheel Puller (labeled YFM, 35mm X 1.5mm) R.H.$38.99 unless ya want the one from husky which is around $100
800063644 --> Waterpump Gasket$4.99
161503601 --> Valve cover Gasket x2 $2.99 ea

Ill be doing the work on the bike after i finish this damn summer school. Ill be posting necessary tools, procedure, any little tricks i find along the way and small details i would want my feller 610 riders to know... as well as my typical barrage of pictures for those who just dont want to read my babel.

DELIVERY!!!!!!!!!!!!


To be continued...
 
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#70 ·
Removing the exhaust is the easiest way to reach it. Or if you have the tank and carb off, then you can access it that way (such as when adjusting the valves).

When removing the exhaust, you only need to remove the midsection and muffler... not the head pipe. First, remove your left side panel. Remove the 2 bolts holding the muffler. Remove any heat shields. Then remove the 2 spring holding the midsection to the header. You can remove the midsection pipe and muffler as a complete assembly. It is very quick when you do it once. This is my preferred method when checking the CCT.
:thumbup:
 
#76 ·
I'm about to replace mine. What kind of oil were you using, and what are you going to use now? I don't see how using Mobil 1 could cause these chains to wear prematurely, but I sure don't want to have to do this again. I'll use expensive racing oil if it will help. I ride on the street in the mountains using mainly the midrange. This bike has had an easy life.
 
#77 ·
I'm busy doing mine at present. The bike has done 11500km and the chain has started chowing the side of the reed valve cover. The cam chain took five weeks to arrive from Italy (to South Africa) and the price was much reduced. My local dealer says BMW has speeded up the spares ordering process & that they've re-evaluated pricing too, with spares becoming quite a bit cheaper on certain items.

They recommended I change the tensioner too, as the factory recommends it, and the price of chain and tensioner was pretty much what I originally got quoted for the chain only. The flywheel puller is an issue, it seems I'll have to order one via the internet.

As far as oil goes, I ran Castrol Edge 10W60 Full Synthetic (for motor cars) for the past 2000 odd km's, and it became much more difficult to find neutral. I'm now going to try Castrol Power 1 Racing 10W50 Full Synthetic, and will post on the results.
 
#85 ·
I've decided to go a step further now. Since I'll be into the motor and since no one makes an upgraded piston or cams, I'm gonna send the head off for porting, polishing and new valves seated properly. I might have 'em cut down the head for higher compression too. This won't be an overnight job, I'm gonna take my time all winter and do all kinds of stuff to the bike.
 
#92 · (Edited)
If you use an RTV sealer, make sure it goes on paper thin and smooth it out. There is oil passage at the bottom of the left flywheel side, if the sealer bleeds over the edge in a bead it will eventually end up around the oil passage. That narrow passage goes to the left side oil screen. Loctite anaerobic sealer is the right stuff to use. An anaerobic sealer is what comes stock on the bike, and was prone to leaking from the factory. The benefit is it will dissolve in heat and never plug an oil passage.

The new base gasket for some reason has a thin piece that I think needs to be cut out? It doesn't let the chain thread without uncoupling a link, and I don't think we have the option? You'll notice the offending piece by laying the base gasket on the mating surface, the spot in question has no matching mating surface. Let me know if that isn't right, someone?

Most of the other stuff is in the manual.
 
#99 ·
Back from my holiday travels and started in on the bike again last night. Good Lord that flywheel was a bitch to remove and when it did, it snapped so loud I thought I broke something. Seems it was glued on at the factory! Anyone else have that hardened green glue just above the key on the crank shaft? :headscrat

Also I laid my old cam chain next to the new one on the bench and they are exactly the same length, guess I was one of the lucky ones with a good chain to start with.
 
#101 ·
I had the ball peen hammer sound when putting on the flywheel. Thought for sure I broke something, like a gear tooth, but all was well. Anyways, those kinds of noises really make my heart sink.

I don't think you're gonna see much difference in the chain length or any difference at 7 clicks out. I think it starts around 3 clicks out with a new chain.

Got any pics with the vavles out of the head? That really has me curious. I kind of wish I had done mine while it was apart. I have no motivation to go back in the bike.
 
#103 ·
#110 ·
Great write up..:thumbup: I gotta ask, why wouldn't you install a manual cam chain tensioner after all this? I've been considering adding a manual tensioner on mine while it's still new to see if it makes a difference in the life of the chain. I think it will and others I've talked to agree. Has anyone even tried this??
 
#113 ·
I installed the MCCT about a month ago and it fixed up the noise coming from the cam chain, but it's happening again after about a thousand kms. I think it's just a false positive since you don't know how many clicks out you are. You could go through the hassle of installing the auto tensioner to see, but that's just a pain in the ass.

I went ahead and ordered all the parts from Halls, came to $94 before shipping. They were $15 more expensive on the chain, but getting things shipped from two different places to Canada would cost more than that.
 
#116 ·
I emailed George at Uptite several months ago. I asked him if he had a solution to the 610 cam chain issue. He said that the auto tensioner is the same design as Huskys, Ktm, Aprillia, Ducati, Husaberg and others since the mid 80's, and it's a good design. He said he had several customers with 35,000 miles on the same cam chain. He said that rider style can be a factor (jerky throttle, downshifting getting wheel hop). He also said oil type could have an effect and he recommended Spectro 4 Offroad 20/50 Petro for break-in, then the Blend after 800 miles.
 
#117 ·
That's similar to what I've been told as well.. So why is it common around here for chains at 10k and do we really know what years are affected if there is truely a problem??

I just want to be able to get at least 20,000 miles out of my motor if possible. I pick up my replacement bike this week and I want to do anything I can to ensure it's reliable and will last.

My dealer said the manual tensioner wasn't needed and the chain isn't an issue.. Another mechanic said definately do the manual tensioner.. Forum says just replace it every 10k.. WTF??:rant: Maybe there is no answer other than it depends on the bike and the rider..
 
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