Valve Clearance... Number Oddity

[Dr. Love]

Pulled the valve cover to check my valve clearance last week. The two exhaust valve measured around 0.05~0.06. The right intake is a tight fit for the 0.038mm feeler (with some oil and a bit of wiggle it manages to slide through). However, the left intake is <0.038 (but the bucket and shim rotates just fine), so I took the shim out. It's marked 2.70 and measured so.

I covered things up and when back to school for the next five days.

Today I replaced the left intake valve shim with a 2.65 one.  THE WEIRD THING is that the clearance on the left intake still won't admit a 0.038 feeler , and that the right no longer admits it either (WTF  ).  I followed the steps in Haynes, except that I used an allen key and rotated forward and back the rear wheel in sixth instead of using the special tool.... it's 3*C today...

So, WTF?

[Mandres]

the engine was cold both times right?  Did you remove the pulse generator cover and align the RT mark on the rotor as per the instructions in the Haynes manual?  Did you measure the new shim before putting it in? 

[Dr. Love]

Measured the new shim.
The engine is cold as could be, between (-1 to 5*C) actually (been winterize for the past 3 months) ... It was snowing outside last night 
So tempted to just put it together and ignore it 

[GeeP]

There's probably a speck of dirt under the valve shim.  Remove the shim, clean the shim and bucket, re-oil and try again.  Oil sparingly.

If that doesn't fix it ensure that all your shims are in place and then rotate the crank several complete revolutions.  This will seat the shims and provide more accurate and repeatable measurements.   

[Trwhouse]

Hi there,
My two cents...
I've done the valve adjustment on my GS500 many times, and I recommend that you follow the readings you are getting and change to appropriate shims-- in this case, try the next smaller shim.
I would not leave the valves tight, especially the exhaust side, or you will burn the valves -- which will require replacement.
Are you absolutely sure you are rotating the crank to the proper places as you check the clearances?
I'd say take a deep breath, smile, and check them again, being sure that the crank is in the right spot (the shim buckets will be under no pressure and can be easily turned for the valves you are checking. If the buckets can't be turned, rotate the crank 180 degrees, and try again.)
Also, I really recommend you use a valve shim tool specifically for the engine and that you turn the crank with the spark plugs removed and at the proper large nut on the crank.
Take your time,  recheck everything, and let us know what you find.
You can get funky readings sometimes. After installing the shims, did you rotate the engine at least 360 degrees and then recheck the clearances? You must do that to force out the oil film after replacing the shim with a new size.
Let us know how you are doing.
Best wishes,
Todd