CBRWorld.net

Ok here is my 1st post on CBRWorld.net.... hope this helps you guys out. Any other questions about F4i's or CBR's just ask.

I did another CCT this weekend and thought id give my how-to with some pics to help describe it.
NOTE: Im not responsible if any mistakes are made, always consult with your dealership if you are not sure about something.

Tools:
I use a 1/4 inch extension with a 45 degree attachment. On the end of that I have a socket that will hold the 5mm alan key. I also wrap the alan key with tape onto the socket so it wont come out of it and drop somewhere in the bike.


Step 1:
Important: Have your bike on some stands where the wheel will not move. Have the bike in Neutral when performing this and do not move the chain or wheel.

Remove the right fairing and air intake cover. Lift the tank and just rest it on the air box so it is out of the way.
The big yellow circle is where you will need to do most of the work at. Its between the airbox and the frame. The little yellow circle is where you put the tool through the frame at an angle to get to the bottom bolt holding the CCT on.


Step 2:
Unplug this part of the harness so you can get to the CCT, dont forget to plug this back in when youre all done or your bike will sound and feel like its running on 2 cylinders.
Here is another shot of where the hole in the frame is to get to the bottom bolt.


Step 3:
Here is the automatic Cam Chain Tensioner. You can see where the top bolt was and right below that is the bottom bolt.


Step 4:
Here is the angle that you will use to get the top bolt off. Be patient and use your finger to guide the alan key into the bolt, once on and snug you can attach the ratchet to the extension and start turning. NOTE: Make sure you are using a 5mm metric alan key, if not the standard one WILL strip the bolt and then youre in major trouble.


Step 5:
Here is the angle that you will use to get the bottom bolt off. Same thing here, use your finger to guide the alan key into the bolt, once on and snug you can attach the ratchet to the extension and start turning.


Step 6:
Once the bolts are out go ahead and pull the CCT out. This is what it should look like. NOTE: Notice that the stock gasket came off with this one. If it didnt come off with it, or has part of it still stuck to the engine, you will need to scrape that off so the new gasket will seal correctly.


Step 7:
Here is the hole where the CCT was.


Step 8:
Back the Tension bolt all the way out and have the middle bolt about halfway. Make sure the rubber ring is about halfway too because if its sealed in the CCT already its hard to tighten the tensioner bolt.
I use some gasket seal to hold the gasket on to the CCT.
This is the APE Manual CCT from APE:
http://www.cbrzone.com/sprockets.html
You can order this from them by going to the website. Make sure you get the gasket.


Step 9:
Here is the manual CCT connected to the bike. Use the same techniques to put this on as you used to take the automatic CCT off.


Step 10:
Tighten the "yellow" tensioner bolt with your hand or a tool until you feel it start to get a little snug. I then back it out a 1/4 of a turn and start the bike. Hold the bolt so it wont back out from vibration. You should notice that the noise is gone when revving the engine. If you hear a "pinging" sound it could be too tight, back it out some more. If you hear the normal CCT "cling cling" sound tighten some. This step could take a few tries getting to the correct tension, but once you have it in the right spot it should sound smooth all the way.
Once you have found the right tension, tighten the locking nut. This part could frustrate you but just take your time with an open end wrench. I also use some type of lock-tite to help.
Once this has been done youre good to go, put your bike back together and take it for a test run.


GOOD LUCK
~JDUB~

UPDATE:
Very important!

A very technical and intellegent source stated if the bike is older or the cam chain is really lose: Before you start, you have to get the crank positioned to TDC on #1.
JDUB

Edited by IowaCBR600F4Guy to make link clickable

Edit by abadfish - added JDub's updated

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People who drink light "beer" don't really like beer, they just like to pee a lot!

Great post!

Was always curious on how to do this, I plan on doing it myself but never really knew how so was probally going to take it to the shop. Now I don't need to.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hardest) how hard was this process.

Also, how long did it take you and you u recommend doing it yourself?

"Big Gulps Huh!, See you Later!"

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'01 Silver/Black F4i
Pirelli Diablos
Motrax Short Stalks
Vortex Frame Sliders

Thanks Jdub, it gives me a better idea....Great tutorial..needed here with so many questions and how to replace it..

Thanks again

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yeah im doin one on my f4 this week so this tutorial will help me out, thanks man

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CBR 600F4

Live a little today before you die forever tomorrow

great post heloed me out alot. resting the gas tank off to the side saves mucho time. i used safety wire around the bars and frame to support the tank for the love of my tank paint.  another way to get in to the bottom bolt of the cct is to dissconnect and un bolt the clutch cable and bracket. yes and i jsut didi frame sliders loved ripping through my farings it was a ting of beauty
i love my f4i
just need to gear up (-1F  +2R) for some easier wheelies

Great write up.  I replaced my stock CCT to the APE Manual CCT and that write up probably saved me hours of working or even changing it at all.  It took me about 2 hours and thanks for letting me know about TDC, it was pretty easy to find and my motorcycle runs like a champ.  I'm so glad that annoying rattle is gone.  Many Thanks!!!

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'03 CBR 600F4i & '04 Mazda3

how do you find TDC?

u dont need to...

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1997 cbr F3
-carbon fiber rear hugger
-carbon fiber chain guard
-full yoshimura RS-3
-jet kit
-K&N
-Custom rear integrated turn signals
-LP front flush mounts
-Galfer SS brake lines
-Ape cam chain tensioner
-520 RK XSO conversion
- Afam -1/+2 conversion
- Undertail with LED plate lights



FORSALE-
Lp leather tank bra- $5 plus shipping.
Rear Integrator- best offer takes it.

I know it's probably some old threads that i'm digging up, but I just swapped out the old cct with the manual APE tensioner.  This guide helped me out a lot.  I'm pretty sure I got it on my first shot, no rattles its so clean sounding now.  I don't know what the "pinging" sounds like but I don't hear anything that remotely sounds like pinging.  Start to finish (getting all the tools ready first) it was about 90 minutes or so.  I must be gifted being lanky, because my long fingers made the job a lot easier than it looks. 

I don't know if anyone mentioned it before or not, but to make life easy and save you from frustration, run a little bit of lube like WD or something on the new APE tensioner and run it in and out a few times, then wipe off the excess...  Otherwise it's a lot harder to turn the tensioner bolt and lock nut once you get it mounted.

I lined up the tick marks to get #1 at TDC first, didn't bother with taking the airbox off to look at the valve positions or anything, and who ever told me I had to pull the fuel lines from the tank to do this swap is full of it.

Super easy!!  Thanks for the guide JDUB you the man.

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Hello all,

Can someone please try to describe the best you can in words what the sound of a cam tensioner that is in need of replacement sounds like?  Is it a rattling/buzzing type sound in that becomes noticable when the engine is at 3000 plus rpm's?  I have a 2002 CBR 600 F4i with 7000 miles on it and often hear the noise that I described above and am not sure if it is a loose plastic panel fastener or something else chassis related that may need to be "snugged" up. I have checked all of the obvious items(plastic farings/cowlings, radiator mounting bolts, reflectors, & the front fender fasteners and none of these items seemed to have helped..... Does it sound likely that my bike is in need of a replacement tensioner at only 7000 miles?

 

Thanks,

-John 

basically, sounds like bb's rattling in a can coming from your knee area, under the tank on the brake side of the bike.

to test, in first gear, take the bike up to aroundn 9K...you should be hearing it already, and then back off on the throttle and let the engine brake the bike. you'll hear this rattling sound that will get louder and then start to decrease below 5K or so. it's very distinctive.

do you have to replace it? you should..will it damage the bike? there are different views to this. some say that the stock cctl is failiing, as in not providing enough tension on the cam chain. others claim that it's just the pin holding the tip of the cctl becoming loose...

i just got another cctl to replace the stocker which is semi-rattling...not bad at all...not as bad as others i've heard...anyway, from the factory, the tip already has some play in it...so i'm assuming that with wear, there's even more sound...so i just modded the new stocker to be placed into the bike sometime soon.

do a search in the troubleshooting section of the board.

t

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Mawfaki # 0.5
"Let the ignorance die with the ignorant" - Tahoe SC

Tahoe SC:

basically, sounds like bb's rattling in a can coming from your knee area, under the tank on the brake side of the bike.

to test, in first gear, take the bike up to aroundn 9K...you should be hearing it already, and then back off on the throttle and let the engine brake the bike. you'll hear this rattling sound that will get louder and then start to decrease below 5K or so. it's very distinctive.

do you have to replace it? you should..will it damage the bike? there are different views to this. some say that the stock cctl is failiing, as in not providing enough tension on the cam chain. others claim that it's just the pin holding the tip of the cctl becoming loose...

i just got another cctl to replace the stocker which is semi-rattling...not bad at all...not as bad as others i've heard...anyway, from the factory, the tip already has some play in it...so i'm assuming that with wear, there's even more sound...so i just modded the new stocker to be placed into the bike sometime soon.

do a search in the troubleshooting section of the board.

t

 

Tahoe SC,

Thank you very much for the reply!  I would have to say that your explanation of the sound & when it seems to be making noise is about as accurate as it could be.  The only thing that I am questioning is that when the noise is apparent. Some people at work(avid Honda bike riders) and the local Honda bike dealership said that a bad cctl is something that you should hear at idle up thru the rpm's and mine is quiet as can be until the engine hits 3000-5000 rpm's..... By the sound of your description is it safe to assume that a person would not hear this noise at idle-2500/3000 rpm's and my information sources may be wrong? 

 

Thanks again,

-John

What I hear on my '02 f4i (6500ish miles) is the rattle you describe (bb's in a can) at like 2500-3000, and from 5kish to 6kish....smooth as can be between those rpms and at anything above 6500rpms. My question is that how do I know if it is CCT or if it could be the valves?...the bike has not been run hard from miles 3200 to present as I am fairly new as a rider overall. The rattle is gettin a bit worse, but not a huge change. The rattle doesnt seem to relate to anything as far as power or delivery though. I dont get 'misses' or anything like that at the 'rattle' rpms, and the power delievery is still plenty smooth, not spotty at all. This leads me back to the CCT, I hope. Oh, did I mention I am new to working on these as well as new to riding em? From the "how to" advice in this post, I am confident I can do it. I am just not familiar with working on bikes, so a big thank you to the poster :) 

Chobyn:

What I hear on my '02 f4i (6500ish miles) is the rattle you describe (bb's in a can) at like 2500-3000, and from 5kish to 6kish....smooth as can be between those rpms and at anything above 6500rpms. My question is that how do I know if it is CCT or if it could be the valves?...the bike has not been run hard from miles 3200 to present as I am fairly new as a rider overall. The rattle is gettin a bit worse, but not a huge change. The rattle doesnt seem to relate to anything as far as power or delivery though. I dont get 'misses' or anything like that at the 'rattle' rpms, and the power delievery is still plenty smooth, not spotty at all. This leads me back to the CCT, I hope. Oh, did I mention I am new to working on these as well as new to riding em? From the "how to" advice in this post, I am confident I can do it. I am just not familiar with working on bikes, so a big thank you to the poster :) 

 

Chobyn,

Our bikes are the same year and about the same amount of miles(7000 on mine) and your description of when it makes noise is exactly like mine....2500-3000rpm & again at 5000-6000rpm. In addition,  the sound is coming from the exact area(brake-side/under the tank/knee area) that Tahoe SC described so I have to believe it would be worth my time and money to give it a shot and seE if it remedies this VERY annoying sound I am experiencing.  Now I will just have to decide if I want to go the with the aftermarket manual adjustable unit or with a stock OEM hydraulic unit.

 

Thanks,

-John   

valve chatter you can hear at idle and all the way through. the cctl seems more prevalent when the engine is on load...so revving with clutch in and in neutral doesn't always make the sound.

valve chatter can be heard from the same area as the cctl but you'll hear it on the otherside of the bike.

i've ridden an f4i with a very loud cctl...while it never skipped a tooth or anything...ever...he got it changed out anyway...it was so bad that it felt as if the whole tank was vibrating.

just remember that before you go and bust out with the manual tensioner...read up on the causes of it and then determine for yourself what step you want to take next. as far as jdub's tutorial...it's awesome...but mang...it's so crowded down there. just take your time and lots of breaks.

 

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Mawfaki # 0.5
"Let the ignorance die with the ignorant" - Tahoe SC