I've noticed since i owned my 96 F3 at certain times it sounds like it has a oilpan full of marbles at start up, and at stoplights in the rightside of the bike. I've done my research and conclude it must be the CCT as it looks like it's the stock one.

My question is should I go with a stock one or recommend a Manual one? Which brand as well I've heard some leak a bit?

Is this a problem I should do A.S.A.P or is it ok to wait awhile?

And lastly is it difficult to swap out it doesn't look difficult but usually the easiest jobs turn out to be the hardest..

Thanks guys

 

I have an APE manual cctl on my 96f3...i tried tightening it, loosening it, and it still has that marble kinda sound....it deffinitly subsides once the engine warms but you can still hear it if you listen a little bit close, especially at a stoplight.

Soo...I donno what to tell you.

 

I don't know if there are advantages to using a manual vs. OEM CCT but some people on here will swear that they are far superior to the OEM CCT. A warning about the manual CCT, I have had some friends over tighten the manual CCT and the cam chain failed. The mess it made was your worst nightmare for catastrophic engine failure x10....absolutely FUBARed!!! I just replacedthe CCT on my 97 F3 and I went with OEM. I figured I would go with OEM because I have 45000 miles on my bike and I figured another OEM CCT would out last the bike. I picked up the OEM CCT new for $50 from an online store (http://www.ronayers.com/index.cfm). Oh!!! About changing the CCT... it takes about ten minutes. The hardest part is taking the fairings off. It is on the back side of the cylinder head on the right side. You'll see this part that is about 3" long by about 4' tall.

 

I'm with you on this one, by the looks of the CCT it's the current one the bike is sitting at 55000Km's and runs great. While manual sounds great i think the OEM one puts the guessing work out of it.

 

WHOA!!!

If it's making noise, it has failed! Adjusting it will only subside the problem temporarily, not fix it!!!

Buy ANY manual CCT and ANY gasket sealer.

1. Replace the OEM with the manual.

2. Hand tighten the manual CCT until you feel it make contact with the cam chain (you will feel this resistance in your hand).

3. Now - for the hardest part... with your right hand, start the bike (it's going to sound horrible), immediately after starting the bike tighten the CCT until the sound stops.

4. Put your side fairings back on.

That's it. I swear to you. There are no special; tools needed or any certain tricks to do. That's it. Once the sound is gone - you're done. Tighten down the locking nut and you're good. Just don't forget to put gasket sealer on the base of the CCT before you install it.

Also, the CCT fits only one way so you can't eff it up. If the bolts don't line up with the holes, turn it around. It's that simple.

AGAIN - DO NOT ADJUST AN OEM TENSIONER IT WILL ONLY BACK OUT ONCE YOU OPEN THE THROTTLE AND LET OFF QUICKLY - THEN YOU"RE BACK TO NOISE. THE ONLY REASON YOU SHOULD ADJUST A MANUAL CCT IS BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE THE $$$ TO SPEND ON AN AFTERMARKET MANUAL CCT.

Get it? Got it? Good!

Let us know if you need any help.

 

Davefolds3, seriously, go back through the steps I just wrote. My guess is you have it out waaay too far. If it was too far in, your cam chain would be shot - OR your cam chain could be shot because you tightened it WAAAYYY too much.

You'll have about 3" of the manual tensioner sticking out of the bike after it's done. If you're only got an inch or so - it's absolutely too tight and it's killing you cam chains operation.

Back it all the way out, hand screw it in until you feel it make contact with the cam chain, start the bike, then screw it in until the sound comes out.

You will love your bike after that. I guarantee it (unless you've ruined the cam chain already).

If you do this the way I have outlined - YOU WILL NOT DAMAGE ANYTHING ON YOUR BIKE - I WILL REPLACE IT IF I AM WRONG AT MY OWN EXPENSE. HOWEVER I WILL REQUIRE THAT YOU GET IT ALL ON TAPE SO I CAN SHOW YOU WHAT YOU DID WRONG!

It sounds too good to be true, but in four steps the sound will be gone from your bike forever.

 

Very good post, I'm about to call street and comp to get myself a manual CCT. I got to stop buy the honda dealership and grab a gasket while I'm at it!

 

In contradiction of my post aboveI went and bought the APE Manula tensioner.I have yet to install it so will post whenI do with the results.

Thanks for all the replies

 

no, the hardest part is getting the damn wiring loom out of the way to get a socket wrench in there.... grr... sorry, just got done doing it... other than that, it really is about as easy as changing oil.. pull the old one out... make sure that if your old gasket is stuck on the block that you scrape it all off(dont let any fall into the hole) and then putting hte new part and gasket on... pretty straight fwd.. but like I said... you'll want the flattest/smallest socketwrench you can find or a really long extension... good luck man

 

Well it's on, must say it sounds brand new, took me all of 20-30 minutes to install. I just used an allen wrench to take it off.

Thanks guys for all the help!