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what size shims do i need??

  • Thread starter Thread starter zacheriaj
  • Start date Start date
Z

zacheriaj

Guest
Just checked the clearance on my bike, (1982 gs550mz katana), and there are no clearances whatsoever. I am going to get new shims but idk what size to get. I have the spreadsheet but i cant figure out how to use it with NO clearance.. here are my shim sizes

1 2 3 4
E 2.7 2.65 2.8 2.8
I 2.7 2.75 2.75 2.7x


If you can tell me what sizes i need, it would be greatly appreciated.. Or if anyone has shims that will fit, let me know and i can trade you!;)
 
zacheriaj said:
Just checked the clearance on my bike, (1982 gs550mz katana), and there are no clearances whatsoever. I am going to get new shims but idk what size to get. I have the spreadsheet but i cant figure out how to use it with NO clearance.. here are my shim sizes

1 2 3 4
E 2.7 2.65 2.8 2.8
I 2.7 2.75 2.75 2.7x


If you can tell me what sizes i need, it would be greatly appreciated.. Or if anyone has shims that will fit, let me know and i can trade you!;)
Click to expand...

shims for what? I'm lost.......:-k
 
shims for what? I'm lost.......:-k[/QUOTE]

Shims for the Valves! hehe.
 
What's the size of your smallest feeler gauge? Can you turn the buckets, even if you can't measure a clearance? If you can turn the buckets there's a gap - even if you can't measure it. So you can probably just go up one size as a guess. But there's no substitution for measurement.

Since 2.65 is your thinnest shim, and you only have one of those, you can swap that into other places to see if you get measurable clearances. Just make sure you don't let the cam lobes contact buckets without shims in them, else you may score the lobes! You can also buy a very thin shim (e.g., 2.40 or less), or see if anybody on the board is willing to loan you one so you can measure with it. Really, you'll still need to do that so you can measure your 2e gap, anyway - so you might as well wait until you can get one. Then you'll be able to measure and know what sizes to buy for the correct clearance.

Seen BikeCliff's site for the measurement procedure and zip-tie method of removal?
 
mike_of_bbg said:
What's the size of your smallest feeler gauge? Can you turn the buckets, even if you can't measure a clearance? If you can turn the buckets there's a gap - even if you can't measure it. So you can probably just go up one size as a guess. But there's no substitution for measurement.QUOTE]

The clearances on all are about neutral. you cant fit the smallest .002" feeler guage in there but there is a tiny tiny hair gap enough to spin the bucket. So with this, what sizes do i need? or can you still not tell me without having me measure with a reference shim?
Click to expand...
 
00.3-00.8 valve clearance, put the lobe to the TOP, and try see if a 00.3 gauge will go between the shim and camshaft lobe, if not, it's way too tight.
Use the special tool to compress the valve down and pull out the shim, if the number on the underside of the shim are gone, your gonna have to use a micrometer to check what size it is.
If number is present (ie, 2.75, 2.80, 2.95) go down a size, (Only increments of 0.05) Once you have determined the size, put the new shim in and turn the engine over (by hand twice) then recheck with feelergauge, if still too tight, go down again 0.05 until you get a good 00.3 to 00.8.
You do know that with age and usage, the shim clearance gets tighter not loose.
 
feelergaugephil said:
00.3-00.8 valve clearance, put the lobe to the TOP, and try see if a 00.3 gauge will go between the shim and camshaft lobe, if not, it's way too tight.
Use the special tool to compress the valve down and pull out the shim, if the number on the underside of the shim are gone, your gonna have to use a micrometer to check what size it is.
If number is present (ie, 2.75, 2.80, 2.95) go down a size, (Only increments of 0.05) Once you have determined the size, put the new shim in and turn the engine over (by hand twice) then recheck with feelergauge, if still too tight, go down again 0.05 until you get a good 00.3 to 00.8.
You do know that with age and usage, the shim clearance gets tighter not loose.
Click to expand...

i did have the shims out and i have the sizes on my first post.. there is neutral clearance.. meaning a clearance of 0.00 on each cylinder. with the sizes i posted, what size do i need to reach my .003-.008?
 
Well, they might still be in spec! .002" is still double the smaller end of the spec.

Right way = buy 1 or 2 reference shims and a metric feeler gauge set that goes down to .02mm. Measure, know, make Ed happy.

That having been said, it's better to run loose than tight, as the gaps wear tight. Some on this board admit to running up to .1mm. I could see you getting away with buying a 2.60 and a 2.65, and swap as follows:

2.65 -> 1e -> 4i -> 3i -> 4e -> out
2.60 -> 2e -> 1i -> 2i -> e3 -> out

OK, buy 2 x 2.40s as ref, a 2.60, a 2.65, and a feeler gauge set. Do it right and measure - and probably have what you need ready.
 
Last edited:
We can not tell you what size shims because you can not tell us what the clearance is.

You are going to have to go down a minimum of one size each, and some will need to go down two sizes. You can move shims around from one valve to another but in the end you will need a few small shims such as a 2.60, and 2.65. I suggest you order a few of these smaller sizes to have on hand. Z1 Enterprises has good prices on shims.
 
Colorado85gs550 said:
shims for what? I'm lost.......:-k
Click to expand...
8 valve GSs use shim over bucket design for the valve operation...the shims are what you replace to gain the specified clearances. Your bike obviously has tappet adjusters, which IMO are WAY faster to adjust, but a lil more finicky as they can be either tight or loose..whereas the shims generally just get tighter with wear...
 
I was asking Nessism (Ed). "To measure is to know" sounds like something a few of my engineering profs would have said :clap:
 
Inches or MM's?

Inches or MM's?

It may be a dumb question, but I noticed you said that .002 feeler gauge would not fit.:confused: If you were using metric feeler gauges it should read .02 correct? I just want to make sure because that could be disaterous I would imagine if you were measuring in inches instead of mm's.
I am currently changing the shims on my bike and the local suzuki shop had a kit on hand that they let me just swap for what I needed. It's worth a try!
 
Hi Mr. zacheriaj,

I hope this will help answer some of your questions. Please click below for the PDF file.

Valve Adjustments (8 Valve)

As has been stated, do not confuse inch measurements with metric measurements.

In inches the spec range is .001" to .003", that's one to three thousandths of an inch.

In "metric" the spec range is .03mm to .08mm, that's three to eight hundredths of a millimeter.

If everything is too tight, you'll have to put a smaller shim in each bucket and take more measurements to see how close you are, then adjust accordingly. Please do not spin the motor without all shims in place. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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