74 Ironhead Timing Breather Valve? NOW ABOUT CAM GEARS.

4915 Views 17 Replies 7 Participants Last post by terd ferguson, Aug 23, 2012

terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · Aug 22, 2012 (Edited)

2

Figure 3-30 in the factory service manual shows how it should be. The pic above shows mine when the vertical timing mark is in the center of the sight window on the left side. Slight lash allows it to move a little and it is REEALLY close but not directly on top of one another.

Is this close enough so I can re-install the cam gears correctly and finally get this fucking thing started? I sure don't want to blow it up after trying to get it started for the last three weeks, lol.

And for funny, "running bikes", lol.

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Haynuzband

· #2 · Aug 22, 2012

Re: 74 Ironhead Timing Breather Valve?

1 tooth off.

terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 22, 2012

Re: 74 Ironhead Timing Breather Valve?

Smart dude on xlforum says close is all you get with breather valve.

G

· #4 · Aug 22, 2012

Re: 74 Ironhead Timing Breather Valve?

terd ferguson said:
Smart dude on xlforum says close is all you get with breather valve.

He's on the money......

The Mo-Co got close with the timing of the valve.....
There is not much need to put the numbers right on.....BUT....

If you was going to be taching high rev's most of the time and seen oil out breather vent, you can go though the trouble to set the timing up at XLR specks....

On a near stock motor doing this is a bit overkill.....Works well on a Built motor....

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95018&highlight=ironhead+shed+build&page=5

Those specks can be found on Matt's thread....Post 98

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terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 22, 2012

Re: 74 Ironhead Timing Breather Valve?

Now my mind is set at ease. Thanks Dragstews!

While I'm at it, another guy mentioned on xlforum that the pinion gear notch ist stamped wrong. What's the deal with that?

I'm ready to get the cam gears back in and finally start this thing. But I want it to be right so I don't have to do it again.

chevelle

· #6 · Aug 22, 2012

Re: 74 Ironhead Timing Breather Valve?

Check the XLforum again.
I posted a problem w/ your #2 cam.
The (shaft) points keyway is rotated in the cam: NFG!

terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 22, 2012

Re: 74 Ironhead Timing Breather Valve?

chevelle said:
Check the XLforum again.
I posted a problem w/ your #2 cam.
The (shaft) points keyway is rotated in the cam: NFG!

Yeah, I just saw that. This is fucked. There's also a tooth broken off on the small gear on #2.

What would cause this and/or what else should I look out for? I can get another #2 gear from a local wizard. All other cam gears look good. I looked CLOSE after you noticed the problem with #2, lol.

G

· #8 · Aug 22, 2012

Holy Moely.....

You got a tooth broke....!!!!

To much backlash would mostly be the blame for that...
If you have mega slop in the cover bushings, will be in the same boat in the near future...

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terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 22, 2012

Dragstews said:
Holy Moely.....

You got a tooth broke....!!!!

To much backlash would mostly be the blame for that...
If you have mega slop in the cover bushings, will be in the same boat in the near future...

Well thanks for that warning. I'll bring the cover and all the cam gears to the local wizard to get checked out. He's got another #2 cam for me so at least I've got that going for me.

[JP]

· #10 · Aug 22, 2012

where is the broken tooth?? i must get my eyes checked because i've looking at that picture for 5 min and cant spot it! lol

terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #11 · Aug 22, 2012

[JP] said:
where is the broken tooth?? i must get my eyes checked because i've looking at that picture for 5 min and cant spot it! lol

You can't see it in the pic. It's on the #2 cam gear, on the smaller gear behind the large one.

terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 22, 2012

I went to see a wizard. Bushings in the cover are mostly fucked. One bushing slid out by hand. In addition to the broken tooth and mis-clocked timing slot on #2, #3 cam lobe is marred from rubbing on loose bushing. I had the wizard look into his crystal ball and get me a kit with new bushings, shims, and bearings. He has plenty of take off cams next to his magic potions to replace the two bad on mine. I also need to take a good look at the rollers to make sure they're not damaged. And use this downtime to clean out the case and the sump with some parts cleaner to make sure I get all the metal out I can.

Running bike my ass, lol.

badassbrutus

· #13 · Aug 22, 2012

Man at least you found out now instead of down the road ,and its gettin fixed,How bout that electric start what is the starter junk??

slim55g

· #14 · Aug 23, 2012

Ok, i think theres a bigger problem , look closly at the front intake cam , its installed 180 degres out. the timing marks should be both pionting downward to get them to line up. But i still dont see a chipped gear

terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #15 · Aug 23, 2012 (Edited)

badassbrutus said:
Man at least you found out now instead of down the road ,and its gettin fixed,How bout that electric start what is the starter junk??

That was a previous owner deal. It is electric only, no kicker, no kicker style sprocket cover. I broke it, but starter is now good to go. The insulator was bad allowing the stud to spin breaking the Field wire inside. Mostly previous owner's doing, It had been twisted a bunch before I got it and the field wire was hanging by a thread where me jiggling it caused it to break. Local gen/starter guy rigged it up to work but I had to be careful tightening the nut on the stud. But, then when I put the bolts back through, I scrubbed the insulation on the field wire causing the bolt to short out.

Local wizard had a spare case with a good insulator and the gen/starter guy swapped that out for me.

***EDITED because I just realized you meant electric starters are gay, lol. I'd love to get kicker parts for it. But that will be later. I gotta pay for stuff to actually make it ride first, haha!

terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #16 · Aug 23, 2012

slim55g said:
Ok, i think theres a bigger problem , look closly at the front intake cam , its installed 180 degres out. the timing marks should be both pionting downward to get them to line up. But i still dont see a chipped gear

The pic of the gears was how I found it when taking the case off. You can't see the broken tooth in the pic. It's on the #2 cam gear, but on the smaller gear behind the larger one you see in the pic (two gears on that shaft).

This is how the bike came to me:
My buddy (good buddy I trust, in my car club, known him for years) bought the engine and frame that was a "running bike" recently rebuilt before previous owner got a big twin and used the front end and some other stuff of the ironhead. I told him I wanted it if he decided to let go cause I had some money saved and was looking for something just like that. Well, he's building a triumph for next year at Bonneville and has another bike to do after that. So he decided I'd do it right and let me get it.

Here's what I think happened:
Engine was recently rebuilt. Cam bushings were sloppy in the cover causing the broken tooth. Bike stopped working or owner heard calamity noises and took it apart to check. He saw the broken tooth and just slapped the cam gears back in willy nilly and sending it down the line. I guess he thought he could get away with the "running bike" since it looked good otherwise and there was no way to start it since it was just engine in frame (no carb, no oil tank or lines, no gas tank, etc.)

And now I'm fixing it right.

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G

· #17 · Aug 23, 2012

When new bushings are installed, Best to line ream them from the case that the cover will be seeing duty on...

This would require the right side case being pulled to do....
Can used a doner from about the same year as what you have, But ..Still would be best to use yours....

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk140/dragstews/Camel/IMG_0033-5.jpg

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terd ferguson

Discussion Starter · #18 · Aug 23, 2012

Dragstews said:
When new bushings are installed, Best to line ream them from the case that the cover will be seeing duty on...

This would require the right side case being pulled to do....
Can used a doner from about the same year as what you have, But ..Still would be best to use yours....

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk140/dragstews/Camel/IMG_0033-5.jpg

The wizard mentioned that. Said he would use a '75 he has at the shop.

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