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Valve adjustment questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter WilliamGLX81
  • Start date Start date
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WilliamGLX81

Guest
Yo everybody. I'm apparently (wasn't planning on it) going through my bike quite a bit. I rebuilt the carbs, but now need to set the valves to the correct length.

1) Where can I find feeler gauges this small? The set I have is in inches and the smallest gauge is .051mm and the next one up is .076mm. I have 3 valves that are between the two (.05 fits, .076 does not) and the others are all too tight to get the .05mm feeler through.

I figure that if the .05mm feeler won't fit, then maybe the .03 wouldn't either and they probably need new shims. But I won't really know until I get some proper feelers.

2) Assuming I need to actually change shims, is there a loaner tool I can rent, or do I need to buy one? If so, where can I get one? My car's engine could probably stand having its valves checked too - all the better if I could use the same bucket tool for both.

Happy rides!

PS My handlebars shipped today. Yay!
 
Hi,

I bought a metric feeler gauge set at my local auto parts store. The smallest blade is .04mm. If that doesn't fit, I swap the shim.

You should measure all your clearances and inventory your shims. Remove them one at a time. Do not turn the engine with any shim missing.

If you don't want to order your own shims, see the Services section and look into the Shim Club. You can trade from the community shim bucket for postage.

Have you seen the valve adjustment procedures on this website?

Does you car have shim-over-bucket valve adjusters? The tappet tool can be ordered from any Motion Pro dealer or online vendor. Or you can check out the "Zip Tie Method" on the website referenced above.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Yes, my car has shim/bucket valve setup, as far as I know. I haven't read over the valve adjustment procedure for a long time, but it sounds a lot like this.

And I've been using your site a lot the last week or so. I'm very grateful you created it and maintain it.

I'll look into the shim swap club. Do you happen to know if the different engines use different sized (diameter) shims?
 
Should be able to find the feelers for as little as $4 shipped. Be sure to read the description so you get the one that goes in 0.01mm increments from 0.02mm to 0.1mm. (So, it has 0.02mm, 0.03mm, 0.04mm, etc, up to 0.1mm.) Buy two or three because the metal on the smaller sizes is so thin, it's very easy to rip. I have a set of these and they are accurate and work great. The only downside is that they take around 2 weeks to ship from China. If you can't wait the two weeks, you may be able to find similar gauges from BikeMaster for $15.

To answer your #2 question, this is what I used: http://www.z1enterprises.com/ItemDe...alve+Shim+Changing+Tool+Suzuki&item=MP08-0017 Some people have used what is called the "zip tie method" with success. It's a matter of some debate but personally, I found it much easier to remove the shims with the tool.
 
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I'm behind the "redwood curtain" up here in Humboldt County. No autozone, and none of the nearby auto parts stores (just realized I forgot to check the 2nd napa) has them in stock. $12 overnight from the Napa across town. I might do that.


How do you get calipers with good enough accuracy to measure the shims? I was looking at some on harbor freight's website, and the few that seemed like likely candidates has ratings of "accurate to +/- .03mm. That seems like quite a big amount of variance, since the range is only .05mm. Maybe the answer is just that HFT calipers suck.
 
The local napa across town DID actually have a set with .o4, .05, .06, .08 and .10 for $5.85 including tax.
 
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All right, that's good to hear. I only have three valves that anything bigger than the .04mm feeler would even fit through. Tomorrow, I'll try to measure the shims with the ziptie method.
 
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I did not notice the price when I linked! I just linked to the set I bought and I certainly did not pay $54.00! It was more like $5.00 when I got mine. Sorry for the bogus auction coming up.

Steve said:
The feeler set at the bottom of that page is virtually the same and only 10% of the cost.

Feeler set.

Sorry, but I can not justify $54 (fortunately, it's free shipping) for a set of blades that will wrinkle after a few uses.


.
Click to expand...
 
Glad you were able to find a good deal on some locally. I'm not sure what the clearance specifications are for the 650, but on my 850, they are 0.03mm to 0.08mm. So if your largest feeler is 0.04mm, you may be replacing perfectly good shims on valves that are still within spec at 0.03mm. Not by any means the end of the world as it's better to err on the side of a larger clearance, but worth pointing out.

For calipers, I recommend these: http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Dig...=1375297768&sr=8-12&keywords=digital+calipers They cost about twice as much as your average "el cheapo" ones, but they are seriously as good as you can get before stepping up to the $100+ Mitutoyo(?) brand. I tested mine against various feeler gauges and it seems to be accurate to at least 0.01mm. (I don't own anything with more precision than that.)
 
Hokay, I measured my shims with my caliper, and noted most of them were different from the value written on the back. Should I trust the value? The manual says so, but I expect them to wear a little. I noticed that an added x means add .02 to the measurement.
Several that I measured came up as 2.63, and I don't see that as a valid shim size.

What tappet sizes exist? I'm seeing only accuracy to tenths of millimeters on the Boulevard page.

EDIT: Nevermind, z1 has them for $4 cheaper apiece and has the hundredths listed too.
 
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Yes, a 2.63 is a valid size. You have the "X" sizes when you have a shim that is between the two standard sizes. It is also common to have 2.61, 2.62 etc., in other words all thicknesses are possible. There are sizes up to 3.20 though I have never been asked to supply one. Ray
 
Cool beans. Looks like I'll need 3 shims. I'll send you the details in a PM, or I can post my measurements here.
 
Trust your calipers reading of the shim thickness..they do wear and many will not be whats written on them. Install shims with the writing toward the valve so the numbers don't get worn off by the cam lobes.

Trust the feeler gauges and what they are telling you. Like someone else has said..little looser is getter than a little under the middle .05MM clearance.

I personally shoot for as close to the .05MM as I can get them.
 
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