Valve Gap adjustments

[mortation]

Another new area for me. I am really not sure how many more tools I can buy for this project.... Do I need a tappet depressor or will some other method work? If I MUST get one are they in the OEM tool kit? And will regular feeler gauges from an auto store suffice for this process? Book recommends Suzuki ones... Whats a good source for shims if I need them? Thanks again all!

[t3rmin]

Get the tappet depressor tool! Using the wrong tool or trying to make one is a pain and you're just asking for mangled camshafts. I think I got mine for under $20 on eBay and it makes the whole thing *SO* much easier.

Second thing is: get a digital caliper! The shims are not always accurately labeled. You'll have a much easier time just measuring their thicknesses. Also, shims labeled with an x after the number are slightly thicker (or was it thinner???), for when you need in-between sizes.

Use any feeler gauges that have the thicknesses (thinnesses?) you need (metric).

I found a local bike shop that'll let me swap/buy shims. In my mind, buying online would be SUCH a pain since you may end up with some false starts, especially if it's your first time. I made several trips back and forth to the bike shop. Multiply each trip by a week for shipping time if you were doing it online, and you've got one heckuva long/annoying project.

Also dragging my wife out to the garage to write down values for me as I called them out made things much easier/quicker.

[JMHJ]

If you're really hard core, I believe you can still get a complete factory set of shims (part number 479991-001 from Bike Bandit), for around $250. There are 5 or 6 of every size in the set if I remember right.

[t3rmin]

I think z1enterprises.com has a bit kit, too.

[wolfie]

This is the one I bought. It works great and only costs $15.

http://www.ronayers.com/catalogs/pu/parts.cfm?topsecid=3&subsecid=28&secid=105&type=597

Yes you do want to buy the valve depressor. It'll make you cuss a lot if you try to do it without. Then you'll just go ahead and buy it anyway.

[SqDancerLynn1]

That's the best price I have seen for the tool !!! Before you go spending a lot of money on shims. Since it is a work in progress Take the cam cover off and check the clearance Unless it has a lot of miles IT may not even need any shims.

[mortation]

That's the best price I have seen for the tool !!! Before you go spending a lot of money on shims. Since it is a work in progress Take the cam cover off and check the clearance Unless it has a lot of miles IT may not even need any shims.

I need to get feeler gauges and calipers too. The bike has 22k or so miles and the carbs looked like they went through a meat grinder. So I dont have much faith in the shims being any good

[mortation]

This is the one I bought. It works great and only costs $15.

http://www.ronayers.com/catalogs/pu/parts.cfm?topsecid=3&subsecid=28&secid=105&type=597

Yes you do want to buy the valve depressor. It'll make you cuss a lot if you try to do it without. Then you'll just go ahead and buy it anyway.

Thats not a bad price but the OEM tool kit is only a little more and I think (someone please confirm) it comes with that tool.

[bwringer]

No, the OEM tool kit does NOT come with a valve shim tool. Just the usual assortment of worthless pseudo-wrenches made from cheddar cheese.

I would add that you can get metric feeler gauges at any Pep Boys or Advance auto parts. They only go down to .04mm (.03mm is the minimum clearance), but this is not a problem -- if the .04mm gauge won't go in, I put in the next size smaller shim, then re-check.

Do NOT try and do this using feeler gauges or a micrometer marked in inches. That's a sure way to drive yourself nuts and make expensive mistakes. Chinese-made digital calipers that work quite well and read directly in mm are widely available for $15-$20.

Here's an expample:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47257

I wouldn't order from Harbor Freight's web site because their shipping and handling charges are exorbitant, but if you can find a Harbor Freight or some other purveyor of Chinese tools nearby, this is what you're looking for.

I'm lucky enough to live 20 minutes from CRC2, but when I was building up my shim collection, I would figure out which ones I thought I needed, then buy those plus the next size smaller (valve clearances tend to decrease over time). After a while, I had painlessly built up a pretty complete collection. I haven't needed to buy a shim for a while.

Suzuki dealers generally no longer stock the shims (none in Indiana do, anyway), but sometimes the local independent shops have a kit. Most will want you to purchase, at $5 - $10 each, but a few will trade if you're a good customer.

Valve clearances tend to decrease, and the exhaust valve clearances decrease faster than the intakes. You're supposed to check every 4,000 miles. I whip my GS850 like a rented mule (lots of high-rpm running on interstate highways and back roads twisties), and most of the time I only need to replace one or two shims every second or third valve check.

Lastly, replace your valve cover and breather cover gaskets with silicone Real Gasket:

http://realgaskets.com/files/motorcycle.htm

These are reusable for a lifetime as long as you're very careful never to overtorque them and you don't wash them using solvents. Simply wash with hot water and dish soap, pat dry with paper towels, clean off the cylinder head and valve cover surfaces, and reinstall.

Realgaskets seal much better than OEM, and they make valve checks much easier and less expensive.

[robertbarr]

If you can find 0.001" shimstock, you've found your 0.03mm feeler gauge. Some people feel better about keeping a wider clearance than spec. I don't. Spec is spec. If you're within spec, you're done (with that valve).

Don't just measure your clearances. Measure them twice, and then pop the shim & measure it at the same time, and put it back in. Keep your results in a chart & stay organized. You'll find it's likely that some of your 'discards' will be the shims you need on other valves. Many valve clearance jobs involve more swapping of shims than buying of shims.

This approach will come in handy when you hit the inevitable situation where there's no measurable clearance. (in other words, there is always cam lobe pressure on the valve -- your clearance is actually a negative number). WTH do you do then?! Well, now that you know all your shim thicknesses, you know which one might be an appropriate temporary 'donor'. Swap in a thinner shim, measure your clearance & calc what permanent shim you need, and swap back. This is where an organized approach is essential, and it saves money & time.

Make sure all 8 valves have shims before you rotate the engine! This means you might need a 'placeholder' shim to manage the procedure I just described, for handling situations of zero clearance.

Then, when you're done, do yourself a favor and store your notes carefully somewhere. Subsequent valve shimming jobs will take about a quarter of the time as your first.

[Tarbash 27]

I bought the motion pro valve shim tool from dennis kirk. It does not work at all. I cant get one of my tappets to stay down. I put in the tool and the tappet keeps popping right off. I ended making my own out of an old thin wrench. It works 100 times better. The motion pro tool is just too wide and makes it a hassle.

Someone said if its marked with an "X" its slightly thinner or thicker? I didnt know about this. Some of mine are marked with an "X" but not all. Any info would be appreciated.

[wolfie]

I bought the motion pro valve shim tool from dennis kirk. It does not work at all. I cant get one of my tappets to stay down. I put in the tool and the tappet keeps popping right off. I ended making my own out of an old thin wrench. It works 100 times better. The motion pro tool is just too wide and makes it a hassle.

Someone said if its marked with an "X" its slightly thinner or thicker? I didnt know about this. Some of mine are marked with an "X" but not all. Any info would be appreciated.

Mine is a Motion Pro, and I'm quite happy with it. There were a couple of spots on the camshafts that didn't hold the tool perfectly, but I found that pushing on the side of the shim tool with a screwdriver helped on that. Most of the valves were accompanied by a ridge on the camshaft that holds the shim tool in place. It was only on one or two of them that I had to use the screwdriver trick.

[wolfie]

Thats not a bad price but the OEM tool kit is only a little more and I think (someone please confirm) it comes with that tool.

I still have my OEM tool kit. It doesn't have the shim tool. I think Suzuki expected us to go to Suzuki for the valve adjust, because they charge an arm and a leg for the official Suzuki tool.

[Nessism]

I have the same problem with the Motion Pro depressor tool. You must very carefully position it or it squirts off the side of the bucket. It works if you mess around with it but it's a pain.

[mortation]

Here's an expample:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47257

I wouldn't order from Harbor Freight's web site because their shipping and handling charges are exorbitant, but if you can find a Harbor Freight or some other purveyor of Chinese tools nearby, this is what you're looking for.

How bout this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-6-ELECTRONIC-DIGITAL-CALIPER-MICROMETER-LCD_W0QQitemZ280086251150QQihZ018QQcategoryZ43991QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem