Valve spacers with no numbers on them

[azr]

I'm doing a valve job on my 79' GS850. I went to do my first inventory of all my spacers and three of them do not have numbers on them. I am using the spreadsheet from this site to determine the spacers I need to order (3 valves are out of spec) but if I do not know the size of the spacer that is already existing how do I figure out what size new spacer to order? appreciate any advise for a newbie.

[chef1366]

Measure the thickness with a caliper. That will be their size.

[psyguy]

or put the "mistery" shim in place of a known shim (and a known gap) and measure the gap, then do the calculation
definitely not as accurate as a good caliper... but good enough if you dont have the caliper

[robertbarr]

Pick up an inexpensive digital caliper from ebay (or elsewhere). I'm not sure how I'd get anything done without one.

I bought mine back when they were halfway pricey, but now you can spend $30 and get all the accuracy you'll likely ever need. Pretty convenient!

[82Shafty]

Pick up an inexpensive digital caliper from ebay (or elsewhere). I'm not sure how I'd get anything done without one.

I bought mine back when they were halfway pricey, but now you can spend $30 and get all the accuracy you'll likely ever need. Pretty convenient!

It's what I did! Best 30 bucks I spent in a long time.

Something like this: I will let you search for the best price though:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-6-INCH-DIGIT...1%7C240%3A1308

[trippivot]

use the RIGHT measuring tools

dial calipers or digital calipers have too much ERROR! for this application (+ or - 0.0025)or (+or-0.05mm)

I call them pert-neer calipers GET A real 0-1" MICROMETER!!! $30.00 harbor freight

the difference between accurate and precision is 2 decimal points and there is a lot of complaining of top end noise around here.

pert-neer= not exact, never will be exact or NASA would just use 'em too

[robertbarr]

dial calipers or digital calipers have too much ERROR! for this application (+ or - 0.0025)or (+or-0.05mm)

I call them pert-neer calipers GET A real 0-1" MICROMETER!!!

I don't know where you're getting these numbers, but my Asian import calipers always agree with available 'standards', those being feeler gauges and marked valve shims from GS engines and Volkswagen shim-over-bucket engines. Since they always agree, we'd have to put the error at less than 0.01mm, making them more than adequate for the application.

I'm all for accuracy, but this ain't NASA. 0.01mm is good enough for these engines.

[hampshirehog]

I've got both and always use my digital ones now as they're easier to read with my eyesight. £11 from Lidl and work fine. Who said I need bifocals?

[rapidray]

I agree, my calipers, in the case of measuring shim thickness, has always been dead nuts on! Ray.

[bwringer]

My $15 cheeeeepo Chinese digital caliper has always worked great for measuring shims.

I do usually start by measuring a shim of a known size, just to make sure it still has a grasp on reality.


I wouldn't mind using a micrometer, but they're all marked in retro low-tech 1950's inches here in the US of A (at least all the affordable ones are). I hate converting back and forth -- it's just another chance to screw up. I used a micrometer before I got my digital caliper, and I had a little chart I kept with it of the shim sizes and their inch measurements. Still a big pain in the butt.

[TheCafeKid]

My $15 cheeeeepo Chinese digital caliper has always worked great for measuring shims.

I do usually start by measuring a shim of a known size, just to make sure it still has a grasp on reality.


I wouldn't mind using a micrometer, but they're all marked in retro low-tech 1950's inches here in the US of A (at least all the affordable ones are). I hate converting back and forth -- it's just another chance to screw up. I used a micrometer before I got my digital caliper, and I had a little chart I kept with it of the shim sizes and their inch measurements. Still a big pain in the butt.

Agreed, cheepie callipers work great for me. I take mulitple measurements and rotate the shim to assure i get it right, and ive only ever seen .01 at most of inexactedness out of them. Then again, we have a bunch of X shims in our collection too...so.

And yes, my brain cannot deal with Metric to SAE on the fly, and there seems something inherently wrong with using SAE anything on these bikes to me....Go Imperial!!

[bwringer]

And yes, my brain cannot deal with Metric to SAE on the fly, and there seems something inherently wrong with using SAE anything on these bikes to me....Go Imperial!!

Might as well use fathoms or cubits. My brain converted to metric years ago.

Quoth Google:
1 millimeter = 0.000546806649 fathoms
1 millimeter = 0.0021872266 cubits
1 millimeter = 1.05702341 × 10-19 lightyears

Gawd, I HATE trying to work in inches. US-made automobiles have been mostly metric since the mid-70's, and all metric since the '80s. So why does every US hardware store have three gleaming aisles packed full of SAE fasteners of every possible description, and maybe three picked-over drawers that used to contain metric goodies?

[psyguy]

Gawd, I HATE trying to work in inches. US-made automobiles have been mostly metric since the mid-70's, and all metric since the '80s. So why does every US hardware store have three gleaming aisles packed full of SAE fasteners of every possible description, and maybe three picked-over drawers that used to contain metric goodies?

brian, mate, sounds like you need a good holiday in ... say, germany, so you can shop for quality metric goods with ease and as much as you like

[82Shafty]

I would use a MIC if I were to be measuring crank journals and valve stems where tight tolerances are a must down to .0005 veneer, but otherwise, ol cheapo does what I need it to do because when it comes to slipping in the ol feeler gauge between the cam and the shim, it's the ultimate say so.

[azr]

finished

ok, now I know lots about what calipers to buy if I do. I took the advice to swap the unknown with the known size and figured they were either 2.60 or 2.55. Finished the valve job and she's running way better. And the little trick of using zap straps was GREAT. It was so easy I laughed.