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Valve shim placeholder

  • Thread starter Thread starter raygun
  • Start date Start date
R

raygun

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I've searched this forum high and low and found some posts specifying that coins can be used as placeholders for shims while the engine is off. I need to remove 4 shims and exchange them with a local shop and move the other 4 to other locations. Can I really use a quarter in place of a shim while rotating the motor with a wrench? I'm not feeling great about trying without some reassurance. Thanks.

1982 Suzuki gs1100gl for those who want to know.
 
It just keeps the edge of the cam lobe from scraping on the edge of the bucket. I haven't tried it because I have a huge selection of shims but people say it's fine.
 
Probably easier just to buy the shims from the shop. They shouldn't be much more than $1-$2 per shim. Then you can start your own collection of them. You will need more in the future anyways. Hell the one time I had to get a shim (that I didn't already have in my drawer) from the bike shop, they just gave it to me for free. They had a giant box of em in their shop, and very few bikes that they work on use them anymore.
 
Not sure where Tim Tom is finding shims that cheap, but I want to shop there.

Yes, you can use a quarter. Don't plan on dropping the coin into a machine any time in the future, but it will spend OK over the counter.
Yeah, they get messed up a bit, but it's better to mess up a coin than your cam.

Usually, the best deal on shims is about $6 each at Z1, unless you go for the virtually free shim swap at the GSR Shim Club.
 
The local guy here sold me 4 for 10 bucks after I was there for half an hour with a pair of calipers. Those numbers were rubbed off on most of them. But I'm glad I asked anyway, good to know I can use a quarter just in case.
 
Suzuki dealers used to swap them with you for free. Some still do, although others will try to charge $25 apiece for them.
 
When mine were done a quarter was used during the swap.

A couple minor scratches on the quarter but no issues. (I believe I used it a few days later in the soda machine at work.)

Sean
 
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