lube/oil shim/cam question

[79-GS550-L]

Hi everyone,

I ordered some new shims and they came coated with what I assume is assembly lube (someone said before that assembly lube is tacky and brown just like pancake syrup - that is exactly what this feels like). Being an idiot, the first thing I did was drop one in the dirt . So now I think I should wipe everything off really well and start over. Question is, should I re-coat with assembly lube? I doubt these are completely *new* parts, since they come from cycle-re-cycle2, so is assembly lube even needed? The haynes book says to coat them with engine oil. So, should I:

1. Wipe off the assembly lube, then coat with engine oil
2. clean and re-apply assembly lube
or 3. clean and re-apply assembly lube, then coat that with engine oil?

Also, I had posted the question before about having grit and junk all over the cams/shims/buckets, and decided to lay the bike over and spray it to clean all that junk. I was going to use brake parts cleaner, but then I heard it would strip out all the impregnated oil, and I would have to re-apply assembly lube to all moving parts. Should I do that? Or should I use some other spray like WD-40? I assume that would work just as well since I'm just trying to flush out particles. Is it safe to use?

Alex

[Nessism]

Brake cleaner is fine to use to clean the parts - including the shims. It will strip off the oil but you can take care of that by dousing them afterward. Regular oil is fine, no need for a special lube. Assembly lube is good if you are using a brand new cam but you are not so don't worry. After you get everything cleaned up and dried off, dump oil over the cam thus filling the pockets where the lifters reside. That is all that is needed.

[focus frenzy]

tacky and brown just like pancake syrup is not assembly lube, it's like, or is, cosmoline. you slather that stuff on metal parts for storage to keep it from rusting.

clean it off and dip the shims in clean oil and install.

[bwringer]

CRC2 only sells new shims, BTW.

They are aftermarket shims made by K&L, but they work just fine and are half the cost of new shims from Suzuki. Not that there's anything wrong with used shims -- shims are much harder than the cam lobes, and I've never seen one with any visible wear. If the top end ran out of oil to the point that the shims showed wear, it's junk anyway.

And yes, just clean it off, smear a little motor oil on the shim and install with the markings down. It needs to have motor oil all over -- the surface tension of the oil on the bottom of the shim is what helps keep the shim in place.

Also, some types of assembly lube contain ingredients that can make the clutch slip if they are used in sufficient quantity. When I'm assembling a motorcycle engine, I just use clean motor oil or plain non-moly grease as called for in the manual.

[79-GS550-L]

Interesting, I just figured with the "recycle" in the name they'd be used parts but they definitely looked new, much newer than the shims they're replacing, and they didn't have the beveled edges like the Suzuki ones. I'm all for saving a buck (or 30) here and there

So my plan of action then, is to lay the bike on it's side, clean everything with brake parts cleaner (from my earlier thread I'm the guy with the gritty stuff all over the cams), and dunk the shims in oil before installing, then stand the bike up and pour oil over the cams, filling up the buckets. Then go for a ride! (fingers crossed)

[bwringer]

All the stuff on CRC2's web site is new, but it's only a tiny fraction of the stuff they have or can get.

The place is absolutely crammed with hundreds of thousands of used parts for vintage Japanese bikes, but you have to call -- there's no way they could put all that stuff on a web site.

They also buy up NOS (New Old Stock -- stuff that's no longer in production but still new and in original packaging) goodies, so they have a lot of interesting accessories and parts from "back in the day".

Plus, they're only about 20 minutes away from my home or office! :-D