Dano Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Decided to do my, get ready for summer maintenance today. Radiator flush, new CCT, new plugs, air cleaner, new brake pads, bleed clutch and brakes. Checking valve clearances for the first time. Guess I should have checked them earlier.. At 34,000 miles 2002 XX. Only 5 of sixteen in spec ! 1 dead on , 4 close All the rest tight.. Valve_shim_chart_1.ppt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBadExxample Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I've done it twice, it's not so bad. You have the manual, no? When I adjust valves I aim to have all the valves wind up with the same clearance, even if that means changing shims of clearances within spec. May as well once you've pulled the cams. Also I adjust them as close as possible to the loose end of the spec, as valves tend to tighten over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share Posted February 17, 2008 I've done it twice, it's not so bad. You have the manual, no? When I adjust valves I aim to have all the valves wind up with the same clearance, even if that means changing shims of clearances within spec. May as well once you've pulled the cams. Also I adjust them as close as possible to the loose end of the spec, as valves tend to tighten over time. Thanx.. Got the manual. I guess the good news is I didn't take it apart for nothing So go with .0095/.010" on exhaust and .0065/.007 on intakes? At least I'll be good to go for quite a while once I get it buttoned up. So who has the shim kit? Or does it exist anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 So who has the shim kit? Or does it exist anymore? Last I knew Warchild had it, but we haven't heard from him in awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBadExxample Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 So who has the shim kit? Or does it exist anymore?Last I knew Warchild had it, but we haven't heard from him in awhile. I exchanged a couple PMs with Warchild over a year ago, he didn't think he had it, but couldn't remember to whom he sent it. I think it's safe to declare the shim kit MIA. BTW, I couldn't find an aftermarket kit with shims in 0.005 increments. Only Honda had those. PM me when you know what shims you need. I may have 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share Posted February 17, 2008 BTW, I couldn't find an aftermarket kit with shims in 0.005 increments. Only Honda had those. PM me when you know what shims you need. I may have 'em. Thanx, I have to travel this Wednesday, thru the weekend. I hope to have the cams out before wednesday but the wife has me redoing the bathroom too. At least I got the toilet back in today. I'll let ya know once I have it sorted out. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R1000 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Decided to do my, get ready for summer maintenance today. Radiator flush, new CCT, new plugs, air cleaner, new brake pads, bleed clutch and brakes. Checking valve clearances for the first time. Guess I should have checked them earlier.. At 34,000 miles 2002 XX. Only 5 of sixteen in spec ! 1 dead on , 4 close All the rest tight.. It doesn't look to me as there is a real a urgent need to adjust the valves right now. They are out of spec some, but since the engine is fairly stable at this mileage, I believe you could ride another full season as is without getting any problems. It would be interesting to hear others opinion to this statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBadExxample Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 It doesn't look to me as there is a real a urgent need to adjust the valves right now. They are out of spec some, but since the engine is fairly stable at this mileage, I believe you could ride another full season as is without getting any problems. It would be interesting to hear others opinion to this statement.Since I don't know any better, I follow Honda's lead, i.e. if they're out of spec I put them within spec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02XXCA Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Damm, I was betting on the word that most peoples cams were withing spec even with higher milage. I've got 69K and haven't done it yet. I guess I better take a look one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 It doesn't look to me as there is a real a urgent need to adjust the valves right now. Since I have it apart I'm gonna do it. With only putting 5-7K mile per season I won't have to look at it again for 4 years... I'm no mechanic but if .009" is mid spec, and anything below .008" is out of spec and I have one at .006" that seems pretty tight to me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02XXCA Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I just measured mine as I have 69K. Exhaust 1 2 3 4 8-7 8-8 9-9 8-8 Intake 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-6 It looks like I need to replace one on the exhaust for sure, but I was thinking I might as well make them all on the loose side so I don't have to do it for another 69K! With them getting tighter over time, is that caused by the seats wearing and the valves sitting lower? With the tighter clearance do the vales end up with a longer duration? Is that bad? How much money am I saving by doing this myself? How many shop hours do they charge for doing the valve adjustment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 I just measured mine as I have 69K. Exhaust 1 2 3 4 8-7 8-8 9-9 8-8 Intake 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-6 It looks like I need to replace one on the exhaust for sure, but I was thinking I might as well make them all on the loose side so I don't have to do it for another 69K! With them getting tighter over time, is that caused by the seats wearing and the valves sitting lower? With the tighter clearance do the vales end up with a longer duration? Is that bad? How much money am I saving by doing this myself? How many shop hours do they charge for doing the valve adjustment? One of these day? You're quicker than I am! I'm still futsin around measuring twice cut once.. Only one, that's not bad. I had a quote once from I90 Honda, I think it was $550 whether the have to change shims or not. I bet in you case they would say it's good and just button it up. That's why I wanted to do it my self. How far did you strip your bird down. I followed the manual and my bird is basically naked up front. db Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02XXCA Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I just measured mine as I have 69K. Exhaust 1 2 3 4 8-7 8-8 9-9 8-8 Intake 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-6 It looks like I need to replace one on the exhaust for sure, but I was thinking I might as well make them all on the loose side so I don't have to do it for another 69K! With them getting tighter over time, is that caused by the seats wearing and the valves sitting lower? With the tighter clearance do the vales end up with a longer duration? Is that bad? How much money am I saving by doing this myself? How many shop hours do they charge for doing the valve adjustment? One of these day? You're quicker than I am! I'm still futsin around measuring twice cut once.. Only one, that's not bad. I had a quote once from I90 Honda, I think it was $550 weather the have to change shims or not. I bet in you case they would say it's good and just button it up. That's why I wanted to do it my self. How far did you strip your bird down. I followed the manual and my bird is basically naked up front. db Yeah, that it one good thing about doing it yourself, is knowing the true outcome instead of the easy way out by the dealer. I pulled the side plastics and dropped the front raditor and oil cooler to get into the front of the motor. I definately need a lift as I hate bending over. One good thing is that I will know it done right and no corners are cut! I just don't trust dealers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 Yeah, that it one good thing about doing it yourself, is knowing the true outcome instead of the easy way out by the dealer. I pulled the side plastics and dropped the front raditor and oil cooler to get into the front of the motor. I definately need a lift as I hate bending over. One good thing is that I will know it done right and no corners are cut! I just don't trust dealers! A lift like this.. I just pulled the cams and took the stock shim numbers. Are you suppose to mic all the shims and not just go off the etched numbers on the shim ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02XXCA Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Yeah, that it one good thing about doing it yourself, is knowing the true outcome instead of the easy way out by the dealer. I pulled the side plastics and dropped the front raditor and oil cooler to get into the front of the motor. I definately need a lift as I hate bending over. One good thing is that I will know it done right and no corners are cut! I just don't trust dealers! A lift like this.. I just pulled the cams and took the stock shim numbers. Are you suppose to mic all the shims and not just go off the etched numbers on the shim ? Nice lift, where and how much? I was going to spec the old in case they have worn so I know what I should order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Yeah, that it one good thing about doing it yourself, is knowing the true outcome instead of the easy way out by the dealer. I pulled the side plastics and dropped the front raditor and oil cooler to get into the front of the motor. I definately need a lift as I hate bending over. One good thing is that I will know it done right and no corners are cut! I just don't trust dealers! A lift like this.. I just pulled the cams and took the stock shim numbers. Are you suppose to mic all the shims and not just go off the etched numbers on the shim ? I mic'd all of my shims, and they were all within 0.0003 of where they should be... (I had borrowed the company's 5 decimal place micrometer to adjust valves on something else, and I happened to have it at home when I got laid off... Whoops... ) Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZDave Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I mic'd all of my shims, and they were all within 0.0003 of where they should be... (I had borrowed the company's 5 decimal place micrometer to adjust valves on something else, and I happened to have it at home when I got laid off... Whoops... ) Mike Severance pay! :icon_shhh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I mic'd all of my shims, and they were all within 0.0003 of where they should be... (I had borrowed the company's 5 decimal place micrometer to adjust valves on something else, and I happened to have it at home when I got laid off... Whoops... ) Mike Severance pay! :icon_shhh: that's what I figured... They're only $130 though... Mitutoyo Digital Mic. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Nice lift, where and how much? I bought it at Harbor Freight. They have a new store in Bellevue. I got a 15% off coupon form a guy on ADV Rider and they applied that to their regular price of $299 and gave me the discount from the $199 sale price . So out the door is was $168 Sweet deal.. indeed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccriderXX Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I bought it at Harbor Freight. They have a new store in Bellevue. I got a 15% off coupon form a guy on ADV Rider and they applied that to their regular price of $299 and gave me the discount from the $199 sale price . So out the door is was $168 Sweet deal.. indeed.. Very sweet deal. I have lucked out there sometimes too. The current flyer has it on sale at $278, maybe they would apply the 15% to that. Anyone still have the coupon? I am in the same boat as you and Chris. I need to check mine, I am at around 36K. I called Everett Honda and they $308 in labor and $70 in parts for the valve cover gasket and o-rings. That was the cost even if the gaps were OK. Gervisi's in Everett said it is a 3.5 hour job and quoted roughly $280. Their rate is $76 bucks an hour. Gervisi's will let me bring my bike in stripped and will reduce the labor cost some. But the last time I took my VF700F to them, the cost did inflate a bit. I have replaced shims on my old ZX11, but I am a bit freaked out about taking the cams out of the Bird. I was thinking I would strip it, check the clearances, and if needed have the shop replace the shims? You guys can tell me how difficult it is to take the cams out. Take good notes. Oh, and it would be nice if I was able to go home once in a while to do this. I am swamped at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I didn't take good notes, but I did take a few pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccriderXX Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I didn't take good notes, but I did take a few pictures. Yes I had seen that, and it will be a guide. Great pictures, Thanks. I do have a manual, I guess I could read it. From the pictures it looks like to remove the cams, you must relieve the tension on the cam chain, make sure you mark the position of the cam, then carefully remove the bearing caps and keep track of where they came from. Then the shims are under the buckets. Are those the basic steps? When I get home I will look at the manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 You guys can tell me how difficult it is to take the cams out. Take good notes. Once you have it stripped down to measure, pulling the cams is easy. Just a bunch more bolts to undo It just takes time to measure all the shims and figure out where to move them to, and which ones you need to get.. With that being said I haven't put mine back together yet, so my story may change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBadExxample Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Yes I had seen that, and it will be a guide. Great pictures, Thanks. I do have a manual, I guess I could read it. From the pictures it looks like to remove the cams, you must relieve the tension on the cam chain, make sure you mark the position of the cam, then carefully remove the bearing caps and keep track of where they came from. Then the shims are under the buckets. Are those the basic steps? When I get home I will look at the manual. Well kinda, The cam gears are already marked. Before you remove anything the crank and cam have to be in a specified position, RTFM. There are no bearing caps per se, rather there is an intake cam holder and an exhaust cam holder. Also I work on one valve at a time, you definitely do not want to lose track of where each shim and bucket belong. I use a Valve Adjustment Template Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02XXCA Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 The one thing I noticed was its hard seeing the the marks on the intake cam, because of the frame. I see from Tim's pictures he marked the back of the cam, which I failed to do so it will be harder putting it back in. Also is ther any problem taking the cam chain tensioner out insted of backing it off? ALso I followed the manual and removed the sensor on the right side of the case so as to not damage the sensor by the chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.