Hi Guys,
 
I am trying to assist a fellow UK BMW club member with his K1100 who lives in Scotland, at least a 4 hour ride from me.
 
He recently bought the bike which has a low recorded mileage of 30k miles. He considers this is genuine as various bolts, while having surface corrosion, do not appear to have been rounded off.
 
While he is not new to the K series, he already has a K1, this is the first time he has had an 1100, so is checking it through, and fettling where necessary.
 
So why the posting?
 
He checked the valve clearances, and the bike requires two inlet buckets to be replaced, the exhausts are within spec. So a straight forward job to do, given that I have sent him the special tools to do the job. 11-3-700 camshaft lock tool, 11-2-640 Cam chain tensioner tool, 00-2-580 DTI holder/extension, and a DTI. He also has 12-3-650 the BMW static ignition tester, and 12-3-651 adapter cable for the K series.
 
The problem is that with the engine at TDC on #1 cylinder, the camshaft lock tool cannot be inserted in to the slots on the camshafts because one of them is about 1 degree out of alignment.
 
We discussed the possibility of a stretched cam chain, would this produce such an error? Or maybe a sticking/worn cam chain tensioner? Bearing in mind the low mileage I would have thought neither of these.
 
I have asked him to hold off stripping the chain and adjuster just at the moment, but he is quite happy to do that and measure it against a new chain if required.
 
I did a forum search and only found one set of photos showing a problem where the triangular cut outs in the sprockets where misaligned. I think that was an extremely worn chain.
 
Any suggestions. 
 
Thanks in anticipation.
 

Mike 

Don't always assume low miles means unworn chain. I have come across engines that sat for a long time, internal condensation and a non running engine can produce serious rust and corrosion due to lack of lubrication. When you eventually get running again there is a lot of wear. My K was low miles and am going at chain and tensioner over winter and am likely to replace both.

When you set no 1 to TDC do you need to rotate in one direction to ensure the slack in the chain does not cause a misalignment? My thought though is worn chain..

Hi Olaf,

He phoned today and we did discuss the history of the machine, and it may have been standing for some time. I did mention that the chains normally have a long life, but the unknown history regarding lubrication could be a problem.
When he started the task, I suggested that only to rotate the engine in the normal direction and not to rock the engine to and fro to settle on TDC.

Mike

I have to rock my engine back and forth to get the tool to engage in the slots. Worn chain, new chain doesn't matter still need to fart around to get the tool to work.

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the reply.

When you have rocked the engine to enable the camshaft slots to line up, have you then checked the actual piston position with a DTI to see where it is relative to TDC?

I thought you weren't suppose to rotate the engine backwards, or is that a misnomer?

Mike

Never checked the piston position and as for turning the engine backwards, I don't do it on a continuous basis but a small amount has never caused me any problems. There is a hex (17mm I think it is) on each shaft that I have used to turn a shaft without the chain on it, if the head is on the bench. When I think about it I think I have used those hex sections to get the tool to fit as well as jogging the crank.

Hi Rick,

Thanks again. Yes I was aware of the hex sections on the camshafts, and even the manual says to use them. 

I will pass on all the comments and post an update as and when I get them.

Mike

Mike, when setting the valve clearances, surely the main criteria is that the valves are fully closed. 

That occurs for a long duration about TDC, so I can't see why a few degrees off TDC would make any difference.

Just my thoughts.

Paul.

It isn't measuring that is the problem Paul but getting the cams to the correct position for the tool for holding them to be placed. This is a 16v where the cams need to be removed for new shim buckets to be installed.

Ah, so much complication comes with new models. 

Paul.

 these new fangled machines ...eh ! paul ?

I spoke with a UK independent BMW guy today. He suggested to just use the hex face on the cam to rotate it slightly until the cam locking tool  slides into place.

Mike

Hi Guys,

Just by way of Update......................

The job is now complete. two inlet buckets were changed. There was no excess slack in the chain, nor wear on the adjuster or tensioner. All very clean in fact.

On re-assembly the cams were once again slightly out of alignment. The timing was checked and finally the bike was started up. Running has been reported as very good, so he is a happy owner again. 

What he did notice was a drip from the oil/water pump weep hole. On reflection he advised that it has been doing that since the day he bought the bike. The bike hasn't been ridden much as he started work on it soon after purchase. He will be sorting that out in due course, but first he is removing the rear drive for a spline lube and cosmetic paint up.

So thanks for all the help and opinions

I will be back with a new topic featuring another club member with rough running K1100.................

Mike