Valve Adjustments - Why?

[se7enty7]

Well in case anyone wants some of the .03mm feelers, here's the auction I won:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4524229680

You could msg him and see if he has more, or.. looks like they have a website too...

http://www.samstagsales.com/

just an fyi

trey

I just called them and ordered one... $21 and change shipped

[Rema1000]

I just called them and ordered one... $21 and change shipped

Me too.  $20 is worth not doing premature shim swaps.

Actually, 0.03mm is not totally necessary; a set with 0.04mm through 0.08mm would be almost as good.  If the 0.04mm doesn't fit, put in the next smaller shim size, and then test with the 0.08mm.  If clearance is greater than 0.08mm, then you can put the old shim back in (assuming you were using catalog shim sizes).

BTW, some notes on my shim swap:

I think I have stock throttle and choke cables; but I didnt need to disconnect either one.  I did need to pull the choke cable out of its holster to release pressune on the spring:

...but I left the ferrule connected.

It was really annoying how the shims on the exhaust valves fell forward while I was trying to remove or reinsert them.  It seemed to be easier to keep the exhaust shims where I wanted them, if I propped the front end of the bike up higher (In my case, I put a car battery on the pillion seat frame.  The bike was sitting on the centerstand and rear wheel, but I could still rotate the rear wheel by hand if I "leaned" the bike forward a tad.)

It seemed to be easier to put the exhaust shims back in, if I used a magnet to lower them into place: the magnet could hold the shim in the right place, while I loosened the Motion Pro tool.

The Motion Pro tool worked really well.  My flourescent lights don't turn-on much in winter, so I was working with insufficient light, and was using the tool mostly by feel: move it slowly towards the shim bucket, working it up and down, until you feel the shim bucket.  Then push down; doing this, I got just the bucket, and not the shim, about 2 out of 3 tries.  

Also, when pushing down the handle of the Motion Pro tool, I had one hand pushing on the back of the curved "half-moon" of the tool, right up by the camshaft, keeping the tool steady,  while the other hand pushed down on the handle of the tool.  I only experienced the "popping shim bucket" on the 3rd valve; on the first two, I was able to press the tool down all the way, until its handle met the valve cover seat.

The main problem I had, was that once I had the shim tipped up in the bucket, grabbing it and pulling with the tweezers didn't work.  Sometimes the tweezers just slipped off.  My magnet wasn't powerful-enough to pull the shim out, either.  Maybe the $2 rare earth magnets from Radio Shack would have worked better.

I hadn't cleaned the rear wheel before starting the valve check.  Turning the dirty wheel caused lots of extra cleanup before I could work on the shims each time.  Next time, I'll wash the wheel first.

[Kerry]

Actually, 0.03mm is not totally necessary; a set with 0.04mm through 0.08mm would be almost as good.  If the 0.04mm doesn't fit, put in the next smaller shim size, and then test with the 0.08mm.  If clearance is greater than 0.08mm, then you can put the old shim back in (assuming you were using catalog shim sizes).

Good call - creative thinking strikes again!  

I guess the only problem is if you don't have the next-smallest shim, and don't want to make the trip to the dealer and/or shell out the money unless you know that you need to.   :dunno:

Then again, you might get lucky and find the right-sized shim sitting in one of the other buckets....

[Rema1000]

I just called them and ordered one... $21 and change shipped

Me too.  $20 is worth not doing premature shim swaps.

I ordered mine via eBay Buy-it-Now: $17.50 + $2.50 shipping (first class USPS, uninsured).  Ordered and PayPal'd on Thursday afternoon; it was shipped on Friday afternoon, and arrived on Monday.

There is a small bit on tarnish on the 0.04mm blade, but it is in the top half of the gauge (away from the tip), so I do not expect it to interfere with measurements.  I'm going to send them a note anyways; feeler gauges need to be stored soaked in WD40 in a zip-lock, or that can happen.

[cummuterguy]

isn't .0015" equal to .038?


that's good enough for gov't work imo

So, if your .0015" / .038mm blade won't fit, you'll replace the shim with the next thicker size?  That could change the clearance from an acceptable .037mm to an off-the-loose-end .087mm.

I wish we could buy "half sizes".  :x

Wouldn't you be replacing with the next thinner size? Also, if .038mm doesn't fit, the actual mearurement must be smaller, right? So it could be .030 or even less, thus a .05 decrease in shim size would still keep it in range, just a bit looser.

I'm currently trolling thru these valve adjustment posts cause i've got the bike apart right now, checking. I'm using the .0015" (.038mm) and finding I can still slide that one thru without forcing.  I can't slide the .002" (.051mm) in, so it's still within range, although probably closer to the tight end of the spectrum.

I think I will not change any shims right now, however, I decided to pull out and measure all four, and write the measurements down. That way I can order the next smallest shims ahead of time for the next check. May not work, but I haven't lost any time if it doesn't and saves a few days if it does.  (edit: plus, I get to use my new Davipu shim removal tool!   )

[se7enty7]

I got those feelers....

they're wierd... not the same shape as any feeler gauge I've had... they're kind of pointy at the tip.  hard to explain... I'll take pics later

[Kerry]

Good eye cummuterguy!  Yep, I meant the next thinner size.

I was mostly trying to point out that you may not want to treat a .038mm blade as though it were a .030mm blade.  If you can't fit a .038mm blade in, the clearance could still be between .030mm and .037mm - and therefore be "OK".

In fact, if your thinnest blade won't fit and the bucket still spins, the clearance could be anywhere between .001mm and the blade thickness.  The best thing to do is put in the next thinner shim (and check the clearance again).

If the bucket WON'T spin, you may get to do this multiple times before your thinnest blade will fit.  (The valve could be REAL tight.)  Rather than make successive shim purchases hoping to get the right size you might invest in a very-thin test shim that WILL allow you to get a blade measurement no matter what.  (Well, almost ... ask Flash about that.  But his was a special case.)

[Anonymous]

A perfect example of why the two valve kits circulating around are the way to go.  This way when it arrives you have a whole bunch to try.  Then just buy some replacements for the ones you used and add them back in the kit.  That way everyone wins.

[JCH]

I love this thread...... its really the thread that keeps on giving   :mrgreen:


Thanks for all the info guys!!!!

[Rema1000]

So, if your .0015" / .038mm blade won't fit, you'll replace the shim with the next [sic] thinner size?  That could change the clearance from an acceptable .037mm to an off-the-loose-end .087mm.

Case in point: My right exhaust didn't fit the .038mm gauge.  I dropped a shim size there.  Now, I bought a metric gauge set: the .08 feeler fits, but not the .10 .  So my clearance is somewhere between .08 and .087.  Perhaps I'll just leave it be... being .007 too loose probably isn't going to hurt anything (it may sound a bit tappity-tappity, though).

[rcepluch]

For you guys who already have feeler gauges down to .04mm (like me),     Enco sells .03mm feeler stock. This material is 12 in. long and 1/2 in. wide and sells for $4.00 ea. ("Starrett" brand - the good stuff).  I have not adjusted my valves yet, so I don't know if the 1/2 in. width of the gauge is too wide to work?                            


http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INSRAR2&PMAKA=990-2365&PMPXNO=3011568

[Kerry]

For you guys who already have feeler gauges down to .04mm (like me), Enco sells .03mm feeler stock.

Nice find!  

This material is 12 in. long and 1/2 in. wide

Cool....  Someone (me?) could buy one, cut it into three 4" segments, keep one segment, and send the other two out to throw in the valve adjustment toolkits that are circulating around.

I don't know if the 1/2 in. width of the gauge is too wide to work?

Nope, it'll work fine.  I don't have a feeler blade set in front of me, but looking at a ruler I would say that 1/2" is the standard blade width.