I would say its a good idea to do as preventative. The Billman unit is warrantied for life, so there is no economy of fully using up the stock part first (other than spending the money now, not later).

Plus, swapping as preventative could prolong life of the guide, perhaps chain and sprockets as well. So it seems like a good idea to me.

That you are also supporting such a tremendous asset to the community is icing on the pie...

Sent from my SM-G920P using IB AutoGroup

I would do mine if he would ship to new Zealand !

It would add on about $50-100USD (FedEx) and Billman would need to super clean it so it would not be considered a "dangerous good". (Absolutely no oil or oil film) Might be able to do it cheaper with the postal service but it will take longer.

PM him.

I used a T-handle screwdriver to get the screw out, it's even easier than using a socket with a screw bit.

https://i.imgur.com/jGktao9.jpg

You get enough torque to take the access plug out with the t-handle? Mine was sealed with loctite.

I have strong wrists, done it to like 6 other s2k's. I'm sure you have more force with a socket wrench but it's cramped in there, and this fits so nicely.

This post has the most misleading title EVER!

I was expecting / hoping to finally see this TCT.
You know, on a workbench, some details.
But no.

The BIG secret remains intact.

As always.

There's not really much you can do to it. You know how it works, you know it's weaknesses, you also know it's intended purpose. I'm sure you also understand what causes the symptoms. It's not really the unit's fault it's a manufacturing faux pas. The hole that feeds the unit oil is tiny, and repeated heat cycles can cause the channel that feeds it in the head to warp enough so that it affects oil flow entering the unit. You've figured out as much, and took steps to fix it on your end. Everyone goes about it their own way, this way seems to work well enough and people are willing to pay for it. A service is provided the world keeps spinning, there's no secrets here.

The only real mystery if there is one is why his uses longer bolts, but it's probably not hard to figure out why.

There isn't much to see, the parts look very similar side by side (oem vs. Billman's). It's not like a brand new billet piece cut out of a hunk of metal. Bill takes the OEM part and machines the body to provide slightly different fitment, and he provides upgraded internals, though the parts still look very similar at the end of the day. If you had it in your hands and analyzed it you might see some differences. I think there are some pics floating around in other threads but there isn't much to decipher.

No conspiracy, here. :LOL:

The unit comes assembled, with spring compressed. You install it this way. Then, pull pin to activate the tensioner. If you pull the pin prior to installation, you'd need to recompress the unit & reinstall the pin. Compressing and resetting the pin is not as easy as pushing the piston and spring back into the housing. Think it requires removal of top cover. I didn't want to go there.

I thought there was a thread on the enlarging of the oil ports and treatment of the knurled surface? Will need to SEARCH it.

Well, I guess for my next TCT exchange, I'll take photos of the guts. :)