HarleyHogs

Disclaimer: this is NOT an official Harley-Davidson site and so, trade marks, names, part numbers, extracts of catalogues (etc) will
only be used for reference only.
Some technical procedures might also be explained but in NO way does it infer that these practices are condoned or advised by
the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

I'm gonna do my Cam Chain Tensioner Shoes and maybe a Cam change soon, came
across this info in hotrodbikes.com and 'Borrowed' it as I don't know how long they'll have it on-line.
Hope ya don't mind guys...

By John Sullivan
Photography: John Sullivan

These are the parts that we used to hop-up our injected Softail: Harley's Screamin' Eagle
203 camshaft kit; Quick-Install adjustable pushrods; the H-D cam installation kit, which includes
all of the gaskets and bearings needed to install the cams; and the computer-programming cartridge.
(Or you could go DFO or PCIIIr)





The stock pushrods are cut out with a pair of bolt cutters. When cutting the pushrods,
make sure their cylinder is on the compression stroke: both valves closed and the piston about half way up the bore.




The 10 Allen screws that secure the cam cover to the crankcase have been removed, and the cam
cover was pulled off. There are no ignition parts in the cam cover of '01-and-later bikes, so
there is no need to remove the points cover from the cam cover. We put a piece of plastic over
the clutch cable and frame tube, under the cam cover to protect them from the oil dripping out of
the cam cavity




The lifter-cover retaining bolts and lifter covers are removed. The anti-rotation pin is
removed and then the lifters can be pulled up and out of the crankcase. Mark the lifters and
their respective bores so that they are reinstalled in the same position.




The cam chain tensioner must be pulled away from the drive chain. We used the cam-install tool
set from JIM's Machining for this cam change. The tensioner tool (A) is used to pull the tensioner
away from the chain while the locking pin (B) is fit through it and into the boss on the cam plate.




The pinion and cam sprocket bolts are removed and the chain and sprockets are lifted off as a unit.
The 10 Allen screws that hold the cam plate to the crankcase and oil pump can now be unscrewed and
the cam plate can be removed.




The cam plate comes off with the cams installed into it; it must be gently pried off with a screwdriver.
There is a drive chain that runs between the two cams. It has a tensioner that must be locked out
of the way, just like the main drive chain was.




Before the cams can be pressed out of the cam plate, the bearing retainer must be removed.
It fits under the chain and is secured by four Torx screws.




The cam plate is set in a press and the cam-bridge press tool is placed over the ends of the two
cams, and they are pressed out together.

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