Well, did the valve check today. Everything else is done. I've installed progressive springs and changed the fork oil. I've installed stainless brake lines and changed the brake fluid. I've changed the oil. I've cleaned the air filter. Bike should be pretty much good to go.

Then I came to the valve clearances...

The two valves on the right side of the bike (I have no idea which are exhaust and which are intake) measured .04 mm. Well, one the .04 slid right in easily (but the .05 didn't) and the other the .04 fit in easily enough with a small bit of wiggling. These should be ok right?

The valves on the left hand side are both tighter than .04mm which is as small as I've got unless I go buy a US one that goes down to .038 which seems a waste... They could be .03mm I don't know. The bucket underneath spins freely on all of them. The bike has 3600 miles on it.

My many questions, sorry, new at this...

1) should I bother changing out shims or just let it go for now?

2) if I change the ones that are clearly .04 should I do the ones that are only .04 as well just to get it out of the way?

3) would I be safe just going one size smaller? I can't actually measure the clearance other than less than .04 so I'm not sure how to figure out what size I would need...

4) Do dealers usually stock shims? If they'd have to order it, I might as well just order online...

5) If I should change the shims, can I get them out without paying $20 for the stupid tool? Is just removing the cams to get at them a bad idea?

The #1 cyl is to the left and #2 to the right sitting on the bike, the exhaust valves are to the front where the pipes are and the intakes to the rear where the carbs are.  See diagram at bottom of my Valve Check Log.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/valveclearances.jpg

The two .04 mm valves are OK, spec is .03-.08 mm.  The other two which are no-go with the .04 mm feeler could be anywhere from near zero to .03 mm clearance since the buckets spin freely.  Could be differences of opinion on this, but when I couldn't get my .015" (.038mm) smallest feeler in I would just record it .001" and let it go till next time.

If you choose to change the 2 tighter ones to a one size smaller shim you should be to spec on the high side or close enough.  Would be OK either way.

I use a couple screwdrivers to change shims, pry the bucket down a bit using one between the cam and shim and use the other to hold it open by placing it with the blade vertical between the edge of the bucket outside the shim and the camshaft neck.  Make sure the notch is outwards towards you before depressing the bucket so you can get the shim out.

Some dealers stock shims and some don't, give them a call and be sure to tell them the large ones are what you want.  The newer shim under bucket shims are much smaller.

Quote from: gsJack on May 05, 2007, 05:22:19 PM
Some dealers stock shims and some don't, give them a call and be sure to tell them the large ones are what you want.  The newer shim under bucket shims are much smaller.

Just to clarify and give you something definite to ask for, our shims are 29.5mm in diameter.  There are some bikes that use a slightly smaller (29mm) shim, and many newer ones that use a much smaller one.

I can tell you that the Yamaha shim the shop gave me was slightly smaller in diameter than the Suzuki shims.  I didn't chance using it.

I'm not having any luck with screwdrivers... I can get one in there and push the bucket down, but it's pushing down on the shim too so can't get it out. Once I get it there I can stick a small screwdriver in the slot and pry the shim up over the edge of the bucket, but there's too much pressure on the shim to be able to get it out.

What would happen if I loosen the cams? My only other option is to wait 3-4 days for the $20 tool to arrive, then wait 3-4 days for the shims to arrive and I'd really like to have this done by next weekend... Either that or I'll have to see if any dealers carry the stupid shim tool. I can't figure out what size shims I need until I get the ones in there out so I can't order everything in one go. Grrr...

Quote from: debtman7 on May 06, 2007, 08:33:55 AM

I'm not having any luck with screwdrivers... I can get one in there and push the bucket down, but it's pushing down on the shim too so can't get it out. Once I get it there I can stick a small screwdriver in the slot and pry the shim up over the edge of the bucket, but there's too much pressure on the shim to be able to get it out.

What would happen if I loosen the cams? My only other option is to wait 3-4 days for the $20 tool to arrive, then wait 3-4 days for the shims to arrive and I'd really like to have this done by next weekend... Either that or I'll have to see if any dealers carry the stupid shim tool. I can't figure out what size shims I need until I get the ones in there out so I can't order everything in one go. Grrr...

Some do it by loosening the cams, no problem, but I'd rather not so I use the 2 screwdrivers.  OK, you pry the bucket down like you said and then you take the second screwdriver with the blade turned vertical and place it on the edge of the bucket outside the shim between the bucket and camshaft neck and release the first screwdriver and 2nd one holds bucket down and shim is free.

Gotta go fix brakes, back later in the day.   

Well I'm impatient. I just loosened the cam bolts and pulled the shims out with a magnet in less than a minute. Having done that, assuming it doesn't cause potential damage or anything, I'd have to say it's a pretty easy way to do it... Had a 260 on the left intake and a 270 on the left exhaust. I was hoping the 260 would work on the left exhaust, big drop at .1 mm but it was also really hard to turn the bucket on that one. But the gap after that was .10 mm so too big. I ordered a 255 and 265.

My saga may be near it's end

One thing I found odd is that my haynes manual lists the torque for the camshaft cap bolts at around 7 ft-lbs (8-12 Nm). Seems awefully low but I guess they would know...

It's never easy is it?

My new shims arrived, and I swapped them in. The left exhaust was a 270, I put a 265 in there and it them measured at .05 mm. Excellent. The left intake was a 260, and after putting in a 255 shim it's still less than 5 mm. I could spin it with the 260 in there but it was tough. With the 255 it spins much easier. Obviously still tight. Grrrr. I don't have the patience to order another shim, I think if I can't find one in stock at a dealer tomorrow I'll just ride with the one in there until fall.