Gl 1100 timing belt tensioner

[Paulfitz]

Hi all , i have a 82 gl 1100
And am in the process of changing the timing belts
Should i change the tensioner too , it seems fine to me runs round nice with no apparent wear ? Your thought would be appreciated , thanks all

[DenverWinger]

If the tensioners spin smoothly and freely I'd just re-use them.

[Prlwng]

There is a utube on putting kia wheels on idler pully. Just did that on my 81 and 83. 83 had received new belts just before I bought last year. Was hearing squeak from front sometimes. Left belt was badly worn and pulley had lots of rubber on it.

1/2 inch drill bit is easiest way to get pulley off. After putting bolts thru tack welded the bolts. Nice and quiet now.

Did need to cut the flat thing behind pulley on case. Angle air cutter made it easy.

[DenverWinger]

My '85 Toyota Camry has 354,000 miles on it now. Water Pump (still original, driven by the timing belt) has developed a significant leak (again!!) .

The weird part about this is it started leaking while I was out of state in 2006, this was at least 125,000 miles ago, and I was 1200 miles from home and tools when it happened. I bought a new water pump, and started looking for where I could go (friends) that had tools so I could replace it. But before I got the chance to replace it, it suddenly stopped leaking..

Rather than impose on friends, I finished my trip with the new water pump still in the box, stashed in the trunk, figuring I at least could keep pouring water in the radiator to get me home if that's what it took, and at worst still had the new pump in the trunk if needed. But until now it hasn't leaked noticeably since

That new water pump rode in the trunk for the following 10 years, and is now sitting on a shelf in the garage for 8 more years.

So what does this have to do with timing belt tensioners? The Toyota Camry timing belt has an adjustable tensioner, set the tension and lock it down, just like the GoldWing. It also has an idler pulley, same as the tensioner, but this one not adjustable... The timing belt in this engine runs over cogs on crankshaft pulley, drives the oil pump and water pump, the camshaft, and then the idler pulley and tensioner to make sure the four cog pulleys get good grip.

In 350K+ miles I've changed the timing belt many times, last time was 5 years ago. Not all that many miles in last 5 years per COVID. But when replacing the belt I always gave the tensioner and idler pulleys a good spin to be sure they spun freely and smoothly, and even last time called them "good".

Now along with the "again" OEM water pump leak, I also note some noise from the timing belt covers when the engine is cold. Probably will find either the tensioner pulley or idler pulley bearings are not quite as good as they used to be. Will see what we find when the timing belt covers are off.....

These bearings are very robust, but I don't expect them to last forever. I don't feel the least bit bad about replacing original water pump and maybe a timing belt idler after 354,000 miles..... The car is almost 40 years old now, and parts getting harder to find. Might be a challenge to get new pulleys if needed.....

If your bike has less than a third of a million miles, the tensioners are probably OK. Give them a good spin by hand to be sure they spin freely and smoothly, and if they keep spinning smoothly and slow down gradually you can call them "good".