gs 850 valve clearance ???????

[Anonymous]

im tryin to find the correct procedure for checking valve clearances i have a book that says turn each lob of the cam to the up position and a dealer mechanic told me that was wrong and i should put the 1 cylinder to top dead center and the valves on that cylinder will be pointing to away from each other for that cylinder and to check them then ,,,,,,which is right??????im wondering what the factory recomends or how someone else witha susuki 850 is doing it,,,,,,,its the inline 4 cylinder

[SqDancerLynn1]

Valve clearance checked with the cam lobe up .03mm--.08mm
(.0012-.0031)

[Anonymous]

Follow the manual.

Follow the manual. These so called mechanics at the local shops don't even use metric feelers gauges.

Get yourself some metric feelers the next time you see a snap on truck, and do it as per the manual.

If you take it to a local mechanic or follow thier advice your bike will probably run worse or be damaged after wards.

Most of them don't even do valve adjustments..... they say its because its not needed. What they really mean is they know they will get it wrong.

[bwringer]

Don't make this any more complicated than it has to be...

Just make sure the pointy end of the cam lobe you want to check is pointed away from the engine and check the clearances. Rotate the engine as needed until you've checked them all.

Remember to always rotate the engine clockwise using the 19mm hex on the end of the crankshaft.

If you really want to be organized about it, you can start at TDC, then check half the valves. I believe than that one full rotation of the crankshaft will then allow you to check the other half of the valves. However, there's no need to be all that organized. As long as the cam lobe is pointed away from the shim, you'll be able to check the clearance just fine, no matter where the engine actually is in its rotation.

If you change any shims, remember to rotate the engine a few times then re-check the clearances. The aftermarket shims I can find around here tend to be a tiny bit thicker than marked, which can be useful as well as aggravating.

And don't forget to write everything down -- if more than one needs to be changed, there's a decent chance you may be able to swap at least one of them.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

And be sure the motor is STONE COLD when checking the clearances.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Just did the valves tonight on my 850, all that work and none of them needed adjusting 8O

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Just did the valves tonight on my 850, all that work and none of them needed adjusting 8O

I know the feeling. I've had that happen a couple of times in a row. Makes you almost forget about them.

[Anonymous]

Remember to always rotate the engine clockwise using the 19mm hex on the end of the crankshaft.

Just to add a bit to bwringer's suggestions...

If your bike is like mine and has the engine guard, you may not want to go to all the hassle of getting to the crankshaft. My engine guard covers that cover up, and I'd have to loosen/remove the engine mounts to get the damn thing out of the way.

Alternately, put the bike in 5th gear and rotate the rear wheel while keeping an eye on the cam lobes. It will save you a lot of work in the long run.