Did The Valve Check Tonight = in spec ?

[Ed_in_Az]

I had two sets of feeler guages:
#1 with .038, .051, and .076
#2 with .051, and .076

Cylinder 1
Exhaust=.051-.076
Intake= .051-.076

Cylinder 2
Exhaust= .051-.076
Intake=guage #1=.076, #2=.051-.076(I trust #2 more since guage #1s .051 is way off(too thick)). However, #1s .076 only passed through this gap and no others.

So, GS gurus, am I OK for at least another 4,000 miles, or should I re-shim the cylinder 2 intake valve? :dunno:

[Gisser]

Personally, I tend to set my valves on the loose side since I'm more worried about losing clearance, plus less valve overlap is said to be good for midrange torque.  If you are at .076mm on cyl 2 intake and your shims are in standard increments, then the next thicker shim size puts you at .026mm, which is below minimum clearance.  I think you're probably good, just be sure to keep a record of your shims and current clearances so you'll know which way the valves are trending.

[Kerry]

Hmmm.  What makes this a tough question is not only the differences in the gauges, but the range of available shim sizes.

If you suspect that the clearance is at the top of the service range (~.08mm), then you also suspect that buying the next thickest shim will drop the clearance to the bottom of the service range (~.03mm).

The only way this will not be true if is the stock shim is an "odd" size - not an even multiple of .05mm.  Let's say you pulled the shim and it was labeled (or you measured it to be) 2.68 mm thick.  No brainer!  Buy a 2.70 shim and you're close to the middle of the service range.  But if it's a"standard" thickness then you're probably better off leaving it in until the clearance decides which way it's going to go.

To sum up, your choices seem to be:

1) Pop the shim and measure it, or

2) Leave things alone for the next 4,000 miles (too loose is better than too tight) and pay special attention to this valve next time around.[/list:u]Edit: Gisser beat me to it!  Good post, Giss.

[Ed_in_Az]

Thanks guys. It was only after I put the valve cover on that I thought of pulling the shim. Oh, well. next time. I did check for anything loose to explain the occasional clunk/clank/tick and all seems tight, so I guess I'll just ride it.

Also, a note to anyone who hasn't done the valve check yet: I didn't pull the carbs,  airbox, or even throttle cable as I believe other directions have said. I did disconnect the choke cable and push the throttle cable out of the way to remove the valve cover. I was particularly carefull with the O-rings and valve cover gasket. I separated the gasket with a screwdriver(carefully) and removed the cover. I'm sure it had never been off(4,500 miles on the bike). I wouldn't recommend any gasket adhesive since it will only make it more messy and difficult to remove next time and might allow pieces of the material into the engine. If the gasket or O-rings are bad put in new ones. All looked good and I re-assembled with no leaks. It took two cautious hours and no loss of skin or blood.

[Kerry]

Sounds like you did it just right.  

I would still recommend a thin bead of gasket sealant in between the valve cover and the gasket (but not near the semicircular tabs), and a thin film of oil between the gasket and the flat mating surface below.

The last time I pulled the valve cover, the gasket came right off with it as though it were all one unit.  No mess at all - it was beautiful.  It all went back ON as a single unit too; no struggling with alignment, kinks, pinching, etc.

Thanks to whoever gave me the original tip.  (JamesG, I think.)

=======================================

So Ed, you tried to push the camshafts back and forth and couldn't detect any "play"?  Hmmmm.

[Ed_in_Az]

Sounds like you did it just right.  

I would still recommend a thin bead of gasket sealant in between the valve cover and the gasket (but not near the semicircular tabs), and a thin film of oil between the gasket and the flat mating surface below.

The last time I pulled the valve cover, the gasket came right off with it as though it were all one unit.  No mess at all - it was beautiful.  It all went back ON as a single unit too; no struggling with alignment, kinks, pinching, etc.

Thanks to whoever gave me the original tip.  (JamesG, I think.)

=======================================

So Ed, you tried to push the camshafts back and forth and couldn't detect any "play"?  Hmmmm.

OK, Kerry, I'll give you that one.  That may have been the recommendation and I didn't remember it right. I thought it was sealer on both sides. What you're recommending is indeed a good idea, since I did have to insure the gasket seated properly when I reassembled everything. With the gasket stuck to the cover that would be a non-issue.

The only odd thing I saw was a couple of small surface scuffs on, I believe it was cylinder 1s cam lobes. Maybe a dry moment turning over once. :dunno: