Track Tac

Chain

C

Collin

Member
I set my chain and it seems to have a tight spot. I read that it is normal that you will have a tight spot . Is that correct?
 
It's kind of maddening to figure it out. First, take the chain off and manually wiggle every link in the chain to detect a place that seems tight. If you are convinced it is ok then hang the chain on the rear gear and see if it tracks smoothly. then hang it on the driver and spin it. Boring, yes, but do it. If you are convinced the chain passes grade then you have a driver problem or a rear gear problem. #11 drivers are the worst and sometimes with them it is actually a problem with using the wrong snap ring with them.
 
Loosen the bolts holding the sprocket, spin the axle a few times, squeeze the chain together and retighten. That will usually take care of it assuming nothing is damaged in some way.
 
mike97760 said:
It's kind of maddening to figure it out. First, take the chain off and manually wiggle every link in the chain to detect a place that seems tight. If you are convinced it is ok then hang the chain on the rear gear and see if it tracks smoothly. then hang it on the driver and spin it. Boring, yes, but do it. If you are convinced the chain passes grade then you have a driver problem or a rear gear problem. #11 drivers are the worst and sometimes with them it is actually a problem with using the wrong snap ring with them.
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New chain, new rear gear. Everything roll smooth when I spin the rear wheels. Just when I check chain tension with my finger theres a little tighter spot every so many revolutions
 
your axle or drive shaft or sprocket carrier is bent if the chain tightens and loosens while rotating. something is not round or aligned
 
Gab507 said:
Loosen the bolts holding the sprocket, spin the axle a few times, squeeze the chain together and retighten. That will usually take care of it assuming nothing is damaged in some way.
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I pretty much do the same thing, except I leave the engine mount loose and push it forward to tighten the chain that way. Tightening the middle bolts of the sprocket halves first seems to help too, then tighten the other four. Last step is set the chain tension and tighten the mount down. Getting rid of that tight spot can drive you nuts sometimes!
 
The chain should never pull tight hard. If your chain is pulsating a quick fix is to loosen the chain but the root cause should be determined and fixed. Sometimes a new gear will have flashing on the inside diameter, the sprocket mount can be bent, axle can be bent, could have a kink in the chain. I spend allot of time getting the drive system right and cleaning and lubing it at the track. It's a real sore spot that needs high maintenance.
 
Collin said:
New chain, new rear gear.
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Did you cut the new chain? If yes, that would be the most suspect area for a link binding. When using the new chain, do you have the same concern with the chain tightening when using other used rear gears? If no, you need to investigate the new rear gear. I just had a similar issue with a new sprocket a few weeks back. It turned out the mounting holes were not completely round, little nub was left from the laser cut, causing the issue. I hit the raised area with a file and the problem went away. Depending on the brand, some odd tooth sprockets have a split tooth between sprocket halves. That may be an issue if they're produced in bulk and don't quite match up. To check for a bend you can place the sprocket halves against each other and see if they lay flat.
 
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