A Broken Valve Shim and It's Aftermath

[jrobert94]

I decided i really don't want to mess with welding a plug in there and then have to deal with grinding and sanding until the cover fits, potential leakage, etc. so i'm just going to order up this bad boy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281562637775

I looked in the service manual and pulling and replacing the head doesn't look nearly as daunting as i thought it was

[Ghostgs1]

I just read through this thread and think you've made a good choice with the replacement head. You may be interested in our shim club, the thread is in my signature. Ray

[JTGS850GL]

While you're at it, you may want to consider doing some additional work on that head for the long haul. I'd suggest replacing the valve stem seals along with cleaning and lapping the valves. Will add years to the life of your bike.

Keep in mind that once the head is removed you'll need to go ahead and replace the base gasket and the head gasket as a minimum. In most cases the base gasket will begin to leak if the head is unloaded and removed. Only get OEM base gasket and use either OEM or Cometic head gasket.

While you're at it you can replace the rings and hone the cylinders. While there....

You get the idea?

[gustovh]

I will ship you one for the selling price on Ebay. Head compete, cams, cover and all.

V

[JTGS850GL]

Looks like he already purchased it since the auction has ended. Just a side note. Many members here have a stock pile of parts and can often meet or beat any ebay sale prices on components. Always good to post something in the wanted section as it could save you some $$$ in the end.

[Sandy]

If you got the one off ebay it's from a very reputable member here. Just a hint, but if he's got the time and you don't want to refresh the head youself he'll be able to do it for you for probably a decent price. Same user name here as his ebay name.

[JTGS850GL]

Wow, didn't notice that it was chef's sale. Ya, Bill is a great guy with a lot of knowledge. Trust him to do what is needed to make your transaction a smooth one.

[Chris G]

The cam cap/bearing does not appear to be seated against the head. Could have been the cause or could have been the result.

Yes I spotted that on the Photobucket pics, that's bad news hope your able to fix it.

[jrobert94]

If you got the one off ebay it's from a very reputable member here. Just a hint, but if he's got the time and you don't want to refresh the head youself he'll be able to do it for you for probably a decent price. Same user name here as his ebay name.

Thanks for pointing that out. I just PM'd him.

While you're at it, you may want to consider doing some additional work on that head for the long haul. I'd suggest replacing the valve stem seals along with cleaning and lapping the valves. Will add years to the life of your bike.

Keep in mind that once the head is removed you'll need to go ahead and replace the base gasket and the head gasket as a minimum. In most cases the base gasket will begin to leak if the head is unloaded and removed. Only get OEM base gasket and use either OEM or Cometic head gasket.

While you're at it you can replace the rings and hone the cylinders. While there....

You get the idea?

Yeah i get what you're saying. I had ordered the gaskets from Z1 at the same time as the head, and like i said i'm hoping Chef can refresh the head before he ships it. Rings and hone, though, is something i had not thought of. I guess i'll get it all apart and check on that.

I see in the service manual that you're supposed to use a special molybdenum disulfide lubricant on the cam journals. Where would i get this? I didn't see it on Z1.

[JTGS850GL]

Make sure the head and base gasket you ordered are NOT aftermarket. The only aftermarket head gasket I'd consider is from Cometic. Base gasket must be OEM Suzuki only.

[TeamDar]

Now, I would like to address the cause, if I may.

Were you using the "official" bucket-depressing tool to change your shims?

If so, did it ever slip off the side, allowing the shim to slam up to the cam?

Any chance the shim was not fully seated when it slamed up?

Even simply slamming against the cam can crack the shim. Running the engine just spit out the pieces.

I was a bit luckier with mine. The shim was not fully seated when the tool slipped off the bucket.




That is why I use the "zip-tie method" for holding the valve open.

.

That is not a OEM Suzuki shim. Has anyone shattered a genuine Suzuki shim from the tappet depressing tool causing the shim to "slam" into the cam lobe? Just curious.

[jrobert94]

Make sure the head and base gasket you ordered are NOT aftermarket. The only aftermarket head gasket I'd consider is from Cometic. Base gasket must be OEM Suzuki only.

I ordered the only options from z1. It doesn't show a brand so can i assume it's OEM?

[JTGS850GL]

Nope, not OEM. Not for the price they're charging. Z1 is a great company and a strong supporter of this site, but I would not buy their head and base gaskets. $4.90 for a base gasket????? I believe that you can call them and they can get the OEM gaskets for you but be prepared to pay close to $20 for the base gasket and another $80 for the head gasket. There are also some rubber pieces that need to purchased as well.

[Sandy]

That is not a OEM Suzuki shim. Has anyone shattered a genuine Suzuki shim from the tappet depressing tool causing the shim to "slam" into the cam lobe? Just curious.

Not that I know of. Never heard it being problem. The guy I bought my GS from 22 years ago is a Suzuki mechanic, still is too. He's never heard of it either. Neither have the guys at Modern in Vancouver and they've been fixing GSs since they came out. Volkwagen, Yamaha and Kawasaki use the same system too. Not saying it can't happen but broken shims have to be a weird anomoly of some sort.

[jrobert94]

Nope, not OEM. Not for the price they're charging. Z1 is a great company and a strong supporter of this site, but I would not buy their head and base gaskets. $4.90 for a base gasket????? I believe that you can call them and they can get the OEM gaskets for you but be prepared to pay close to $20 for the base gasket and another $80 for the head gasket. There are also some rubber pieces that need to purchased as well.

Wow, that's news to me. I've never really worried about the brand of a gasket. If it seals up, it's good and if it doesn't, it's not. What's the difference? Not to sound like a smartass, that's just been the way it is since i started wrenching. What other rubber bits would i need? just the O rings for the oil passages at the base, right? Also are there any good suppliers that stock the proper head/base gaskets regularly?