What is this called and where can I get a replacement

[shaggy]

This is screwed into the barrell where the cam chain go,s through what is it called and where can I get a replacement as seems rather worn

[Philippe]

Hi shaggy

it's called a cam chain front guide and it is available from Z-Power.
The one you have needs replacement because it's clearly damaged on the underside.
This is how it looks:
https://www.z-power.co.uk/z900-z1-z1a-z ... ront-guide

GrtZ
Philippe

[warren3200gt]

They don't look anything like the same parts to me.
That original picture looks totally shot and if it is a cam chain guide its definately not anymore!

[Gray17]

Part no.22 on dwg Yep its definately a cam chain guide, in the process of replacing mine now, mines only left with the top bit which is secured by the screw, def nowhere in engine, i can only summise last time it was stripped it was removed and not replaced? 2 rollers were shot, cant understand how it still ran quitely and didnt jump teeth. That said it wasnt uk registered so maybe done before import.
Shows how important it is to check as it could be a catastrophe waiting to happen in many 40+ year engines!!!!

Ammendment, just found out why it wasnt replaced, the screw heads knackered! Tried WD40, Impact Driver, T Handle and heating it up nope its just not having it. Guess its drilling and re tapping argh! Hate old bikes
Well got lucky drilled screw out with 3mm cobalt drill, like knife thro butter, then enlarged on head until head cam off, then inserted easy out out came remainder of screw, best of all thread fully intact.
Just awaiting ordered replacement parts to arrive now

[DeadZedDave]

Hello Gray17, if you can get M6 bolts out as easily as that, I'd go and put the lottery on.....

[Gray17]

Ha! Yes it felt that way, was fully expecting to have to drill the complete bolt out then re tap to m6 or worst Helicoil it, so it was a bonus, however im sure not all will come out that easy, perhaps the combination of vapour blasting, WD40 and heat helped in that respect?
Im more concerned with what happened to the rest of the guide, def not in engine thats for sure, cant believe someone had engine apart fitted all new gaskets and put back together without fitting a new one???? Now im all for saving money in the right places but really!
In some ways im pleased i had to strip engine for vapour blasting as may have inadvertantly ran it like it was causing all sorts of damage.
Guess luck really was on my side

[DeadZedDave]

Luck must be on your side..... last time I tried to remove an M6 by drilling and using an easyout it split the "shell" of the M6 and cracked the aluminium boss .... This was a long time ago so the pain has subsided a bit !
We all have to remember that 30 years ago, our 40 odd year old "vintage" Zed's were just "old bikes" and nobody really cared..... its quite possible that somebody just left it in the condition you found it (after discovering the broken bit and removing it). Too much trouble to fix / can't get the spare part anyway !! Imagine, before we had the internet and computers - you couldn't just post on a forum and find out what you were looking for / where to get it !!
I hope the rebuild makes a nice running engine.

[Gray17]

Oh dear that must have been a nightmare, that said i had a,similar problem on a Hodna exhaust stud, even a cobalt drill wouldnt touch it and didnt want to remove engine, again with luck managed to mig weld a nut onto brocken stud and using blow lamp out it came but it did damage a cable which i then had to replace
Think i deserve a bit of luck with this bike as,what started as a quick cosmetic makeover, has turned into a full resto with all the hassle and expense that goes with it.
Hoping i can get it all back together by April as now UK registered and looking forward to riding it.

[gray]

I had a snapped off rocker cover bolt 2 months ago that i sorted out by using a mate's pillar drill ( so it was 100% perpendicular) , drilled the centre of the bolt out to 3mm then used a left hand 4mm drill as the next stage and it spun out easy as pie. The only difficulty was finding a mate with a pillar drill that would run in reverse for the left hand drill
Just mentioning it as an option for the future
Almost every time I've lifted the zeds barrels I've found the cam guide to be broken - it's like it's a service part that needs replaced as a matter of course , like using a new gasket or circlip

[kawasaki_man]

Luck must be on your side..... last time I tried to remove an M6 by drilling and using an easyout it split the "shell" of the M6 and cracked the aluminium boss .... This was a long time ago so the pain has subsided a bit !
We all have to remember that 30 years ago, our 40 odd year old "vintage" Zed's were just "old bikes" and nobody really cared..... its quite possible that somebody just left it in the condition you found it (after discovering the broken bit and removing it). Too much trouble to fix / can't get the spare part anyway !! Imagine, before we had the internet and computers - you couldn't just post on a forum and find out what you were looking for / where to get it !!
I hope the rebuild makes a nice running engine.

Yes I had this problem and it took quite some effort to get it repaired, Dave Ennis (Buzzard) did an excellent repair in the end.

[Gray17]

Wow! I have to say that does look terrible, im wondering how it got in that state as it looks like someones tried to weld it previously unless thats just the photo or is that snapped cam chain damage? End result is very good though.
When i see that, makes me glad my screw came out so easily, it could have gone the other way and ended up a real issue. It seems a weak link that the guide breaks as several have encountered it
Makes you wonder how many of the 40+ years bikes still running that havn't had full engine strips are on borrowed time?
Worrying thought!

[DeadZedDave]

Its good to see there are people around who can fix these things !
It's probably wise however, when doing a rebuild to put a new one in, as a matter of routine, especially if the history of the motor is unknown (quite likely the case with a 45 year old bike).
My own experience (and I ready / prepared to be shot down in flames now...) is that these broken front cam chain guides are usually caused when the cam chain has run slack and has not been properly tensioned i.e. poor maintenance. The chain thrashes back and forward against the guide instead of running smoothly and the guide gets broken. These bikes were just old in the 80's and 90's and not always maintained in the way we would hope for.
Now a word of caution, the M6 panhead crosshead screw holding the guide in place often looks a bit vulnerable to coming loose inside the engine and I don't recall if the workshop manual recommends thread locking agent, HOWEVER some of these screws will have had threadlock applied during an earlier rebuild and especially if somebody used the wrong type i.e.. 'permanent locking' then removal of the screw might prove tricky ! So don't just puck up the nearest random crosshead screwdriver and expect success - use the correct JIS screwdriver and use caution !!!
I'd be interested to hear from anybody here regarding any options of different screw head type when replacing this item ???

[Gray17]

Id had the same thought! Well a M6 Torqs screw is an option more surface area being multipoint therefore easier to tighten and loosen, same if you use a Allen set screw, another option is using stainless steel items.
Depends how acurate you want the rebuild to be, however who sees it inside an engine?