mustering the confidence to do my valve adjustment

[growler]

The PO said the bottom end was replaced at some point. Maybe he meant the whole engine was replaced. Wasn't the most mechanically inclined fellow, although he did have maintenance records. He took it in for services, ones that could have been easily completed on his own. The black paint bothered me, as it wasn't stock (as you note). I wanted to paint the engine at some point, probably next year. I'll check out the VIN plate on the steering stem, although I can't guarantee it matches the year of the engine.

Is it ok to just yank out the old half moons with a needlenose? Mine are stuck on there pretty good.

[eil]

Is it ok to just yank out the old half moons with a needlenose? Mine are stuck on there pretty good.

Sure. You'll likely have to deal with cleaning the sealant off the head too.

I might catch some flak for this, but if it were my bike and the half moons weren't leaking before, I would be tempted to just leave them. If they do end up leaking, they're pretty easy to change.

[cowboyup3371]

Yes, use a pair of needle nose pliers on the rubber or even your fingers and give them a good yank. Use some hondabond on the bottoms when putting the new ones on to seal them properly; the gasket only needs a spray of Wd-40 to help removal later.

[Allie]

Going to work on this tonight, and will definitely document the process. I think I finally understand.


My old half moons are stuck in there good with some sealer. How should I attack getting them out? I obviously don't want to mar any surfaces. Grab them with a needle nose? Pry them out?

I I'd consider leaving the half moons alone if they are still soft and pliable, with no apparent shrinkage below the gasket surface level since they're all sealed in. When you yank them out though they are much sturdier than you'd think because it's a rubber coating on a metal form. At least, I seem to remember it that way.

And I ended up making my own breather gasket during my first valve adjustment. Speaking of my first valve adjustment, it was quite a debacle, as documented here:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?164509-Backfiring-causes&highlight=valve+shim+adjustment+exhaust+stud

I sincerely hope yours goes better though I am pleased that, like The Princess Bride, it had a happy ending. And it's a testament to the kindness and patience of these folks.

Hahah, I never did get around to removing that broken exhaust stud... guess I'm a slacker.

[growler]

I'm happy to report that the light bulb was hovering above my head last night as I finally completed checking the clearances. Not only that, I actually understand what the heck I was doing. Who knew? Once everything clicked and I mastered the shim tool, life was good. Thanks everyone for your patience and help!

I made a few short videos that I'm going to edit this evening. Will post as soon as it's complete. Nothing special, but it may help someone.

I'm going to plug this information into Steve's spreadsheet, but here are my results in simple text. It's worth noting that my smallest feeler gauge is 0.04mm. Also when I say <0.04mm (maybe 0.03mm) it means that the 0.04mm gauge is pretty close to sliding under the lobe and across the shim, but doesn't. I'm guesstimating the 0.03 possibility because the gauges feel similar to when I was checking and a 0.06mm didn't fit, but the 0.05mm did. Hope that makes sense.




Intake 1: <0.04mm (maybe 0.03mm) Bucket with shim rotates easily by hand.
Current shim size: 2.55
Exhaust 1: <0.04mm (maybe 0.03mm) Bucket with shim rotates easily by hand.
Current shim size: 2.60
---------------------------------------------------
Intake 2: 0.05mm
Current shim size: 2.55
Exhaust 2: 0.05mm
Current shim size: 2.55
----------------------------------------------------
Intake 3: 0.05mm
Current shim size: 2.55
Exhaust 3: 0.05mm
Current shim size: 2.60
---------------------------------------------------
Intake 4: <0.04 (maybe 0.03mm) Bucket with shim rotates easily by hand.
Current shim size: 2.50
Exhaust 4: 0.05mm
Current shim size: 2.55



Also, my half moons were hard and brittle. Yanked them out and have replacements. Where do I get the correct bond to put on the bottom of them when replacing? Regular auto parts place?

[Steve]

Looks like you only need ONE shim.

Get a 2.45, put it in I4.
Move the 2.50 that is in I4 to I1.
Move the 2.55 that is in I1 to E1.

For sealer, I use Permatex Ultra Black RTV, it can be found in most auto parts stores, K Mart, Wal-Mart and the like.

.

[growler]

Good news, that means I filled out the spreadsheet correctly.

Such a sense of relief knowing I can do this now. Can't thank the folks here enough!

[growler]

As promised, a little video.

[Steve]

Great job!



.

[Slycox]

Going to work on this tonight, and will definitely document the process. I think I finally understand.


My old half moons are stuck in there good with some sealer. How should I attack getting them out? I obviously don't want to mar any surfaces. Grab them with a needle nose? Pry them out?

Wow wish mine had been that clean! Bout 7hrs total time cleaning off the old gasket! And congrats on getting it done, I just did mine for the first time a couple weeks ago and was nervous as well. Pretty simple once its done

[Allie]

Nice video! I love saying I told ya so, so, I told ya so. Now that you got it you look like a pro

[Wingsconsin]

Congratualtions
You have now been promoted to Advanced Tinkering Level 1

[JTGS850GL]

Nice job on the video. Would be nice to do a phase II of the video showing the removal and replacement of the shims but what you have is a good start.

On a side note, it looks to me like you have an 83 model and not an 82. Black engine along with what looks like the 4 wire signal generator are clues to me. Cold be a late production 82.

[eil]

Nice! I tried my darnest to do a video of mine as well but my phone (camera) died midway through the procedure.

[growler]

Thanks for checking out the video everyone. I plan to do a phase two when I get my 2.45 shim in the mail and begin moving shims around.

JTGS850GL, I think the engine is a 1983. I think Steve pointed out the black engine too. (Although it looks like crap and needs to be blasted and repainted).