mustering the confidence to do my valve adjustment

[GSXR7ED]

No Need

Naw, you don't have to sync the carbs after a valve adjustment, though one thing to think of is when was the last time the carbs were sync if ever? IMO wouldn't hurt.

I agree. No need to sync the carbs...I didn't when I did my adjustment/gasket replacement. Now, if you decide to change your dual exhaust to a 4-1 that's a whole other story.


Ed

[mrbill5491]

I agree. No need to sync the carbs...I didn't when I did my adjustment/gasket replacement. Now, if you decide to change your dual exhaust to a 4-1 that's a whole other story.


Ed

Aaah it wasn't that bad was it?? Just don't loose that little choke nut thingy lol. Oh and have the right boot clamps! What else. aaah don't leave your oil filter spring on the table 80 miles way...what a nite that was huh lol.

[GSXR7ED]

Leaving NM

Aaah it wasn't that bad was it?? Just don't loose that little choke nut thingy lol. Oh and have the right boot clamps! What else. aaah don't leave your oil filter spring on the table 80 miles way...what a nite that was huh lol.

This is the most we've chatted since I left Alamogordo in July. I miss hangin' out with you my GS buddy. We'll ride again someday!!!!!


Ed

EDIT: OP, sorry for replying on your thread...please let us know how your project turns out.

[Steve]

I think you can do the adjustments ; however you should also do a new carb synch when finished as well.
That would require a warm running bike...
I am waiting for Spring to do mine - because I like to be warm .

Actually, you only need it warm enough to be running well with the "choke" turned OFF.
Yeah, fully-warmed up would be best, but off-"choke" will suffice.

Naw, you don't have to sync the carbs after a valve adjustment, though one thing to think of is when was the last time the carbs were sync if ever? IMO wouldn't hurt.

No, you don't need to, but you would be silly to skip that step.

I agree. No need to sync the carbs...I didn't when I did my adjustment/gasket replacement. Now, if you decide to change your dual exhaust to a 4-1 that's a whole other story.

I am trying to figure out why an exhaust system change would require a carb sync, but a valve adjustment doesn't.

If you change the clearance of any valve(s), the amount of air that that cylinder can ingest will change. The opening through which it is trying to draw that air (the carb slide or butterfly) has not changed, so the vacuum level will change. If the carbs were perfectly synchronized before the valve adjustment, they will be off afterward. If they were off just a little bit, they might have gotten better or they might have gotten even worse. The only way to tell is to ... do a carb synch.

.

[GSXR7ED]

To sync or not

^^Hey steve,
I hear ya...on the sync thing...I took the easy way out and fortunately for me, had no issues with the carbs.

Heck, all we did was change the Main Jets when the 4-1 pipes were R2'd. Thank goodness, I had no issues.

Feedback is important and all I was saying was, the bike operated without doing the sync. It's not a habit to get into but thanks for reminding me it's important.


Ed

[Steve]

No problem, Ed. These engines are forgiving enough to tolerate a moderate amount of mis-tuning,
but they run SO much better when tuned.

.

[trippivot]

!! be sure to clean off the top of engine before !!!

ahhh . I remember the fear and apprehension before my very first valve adjustment .. Not wanting to wreck/ hurt/damage anything. The mystery inside of the internal combustion engine . A thousand little pieces parts moving -- and my mind already reeling from just removing the fuel tank and seat.. I have never been this far before....better draw a diagram so I won't forget... Forbid anyone to get near it while it is apart because I put every bolt and bracket in exact order...

ok just like my first date way back when- -

and now we get down to business.. dig in, seat off, tank off, windjammer or front body off, coils tied up, clean it all out BEFORE you remove the cover or sparkplugs, expose the cams, check out how the sprockets line up revolution after revolution. learn to use feeler gauges ,, which means get the feel of go and -no go -

I'd rather have a loose valve lash than a tight one - if I had to choose and my only choice was a valve out of spec.

I'm in Kenosha , if you get in a pinch I'll help.

[growler]

thanks all!

gonna build a motorcycle table/stand and then get going with this maintenance.

[mrbill5491]

ahhh . I remember the fear and apprehension before my very first valve adjustment .. Not wanting to wreck/ hurt/damage anything. The mystery inside of the internal combustion engine . A thousand little pieces parts moving -- and my mind already reeling from just removing the fuel tank and seat.. I have never been this far before....better draw a diagram so I won't forget... Forbid anyone to get near it while it is apart because I put every bolt and bracket in exact order...

ok just like my first date way back when- -

and now we get down to business.. dig in, seat off, tank off, windjammer or front body off, coils tied up, clean it all out BEFORE you remove the cover or sparkplugs, expose the cams, check out how the sprockets line up revolution after revolution. learn to use feeler gauges ,, which means get the feel of go and -no go -

I'd rather have a loose valve lash than a tight one - if I had to choose and my only choice was a valve out of spec.

I'm in Kenosha , if you get in a pinch I'll help.

Same here when I did my first valve adjustment on 16 valves!! When I took the valve cover off and said damn, look at all those valves!. Two hours later and no blood spilled. Now I can do it in about 45 minutes.

[metalfab]

Adjusting the valves was the first time I used my cheap Harbor Freight hydraulic bike lift table. It took me twice as long to scrape the petrified gasket off than it did to adj the valves. It really isnt to bad once you get the tank off. Be carefull and dont strip out the bolts. They dont need much torque to tighten them down. Run it a few miles and change the oil in case you get any trash in from the gasket in the engine.

[MikeS]

Growler said, "Can this be done during winter? It's right around freezing here these days....should I wait until spring?"

Uh oh. I didn't think of this. I'm getting ready to do my valves for the first time and I didn't consider just how cold it is here this time of year. Oil could be so congealed that it's hard to separate the shims to get them off, plus other temperature related unforseen problems? It just makes sense now that I think about it that static clearances are going to be different in the lower temperatures of winter than in the summer. (Although I've nowhere seen it mentioned, I'm assuming the clearances are measured with with an engine that hasn't been run in at least 12 hours.)

So . . . maybe I too ought to wait until Spring. Temps here are routinely falling into the 60's during the day and of course it's bitterly cold when the sun goes down - currently in the low 50's at night. Some people think it's warm all the time here in San Diego. Ha. My garage isn't heated. Can this job be done in such frigid conditions or is it foolish to try doing this job outside of a heated shop?

Mike
1982 GS850G
1979 GS850G 72K miles with bad head gasket parts bike

[Steve]

You MUST be kidding.
Many of the guys here would kill to have their workshop heated into the low 50s so they can work comfortably.

I thought you were talking about "bitter" cold. That is still t-shirt weather.

Really, NOW is the perfect time to do your valve adjustment. The oil is not so coid that it congeals. That is, unless you are running straight 80w, like the Harleys do. If you are using the proper 10w-40 that is recommended by Suzuki, the 15w-40 (dino) Rotella or the 5w-40 (synthetic) Rotella that many of us use, there is NO problem at that MILD temperature.

You are correct in assuming that you do not run the engine before checking valve clearances. Some will say 8 hours, others will say 12, but you definitely don't run it before checking clearances.

.

[growler]

Hah, noted! We have a warm day today (around 45 degrees Fahrenheit) and of course I don't have time to do it today.

But we are consistently in the 20s-30s these days. Now that I have my bike up on a stand I realize I have a leak (or two) to deal with. I may just wait until spring to do the adjustment.

You MUST be kidding.
Many of the guys here would kill to have their workshop heated into the low 50s so they can work comfortably.

I thought you were talking about "bitter" cold. That is still t-shirt weather.

[eil]

This time of year, I heat my garage up to the low 50's to work out there.

[mikerophone]

This time of year, I heat my garage up to the low 50's to work out there.

Coveralls, knitted cap and gloves for me in the carport, no garage here. One day I'll have one.

This week last year, over the holiday I swapped the motor in my Acura, this year its been in in the low 30's already. My bike is 4 miles away from turning 10k miles, and I really want it to tick over that mark before I put it in hibernation for the winter. Come on Utah weather!