Fiona Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 How do you know when your bike needs a valve job? Other than following the manufacturers recommendations and just checking valves at regular intervals are there signs that your bike actually needs a valve job? Do you hear noises that are a dead give away? Power loss? Excessive fuel consumption? If there are signs would they be progressive or would they show up from one day to the next? Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 I think you mean valve adjustment. If they're loose or tight enough to be observing symptoms without pulling the valve cover, they're waaay out of spec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted November 1, 2008 Author Share Posted November 1, 2008 I think you mean valve adjustment. If they're loose or tight enough to be observing symptoms without pulling the valve cover, they're waaay out of spec. Sorry. Got valve job confused with hand job. Yes, meant valve adjustment. However, I don't know what the symptoms would be IF they're out of spec. Can you enlighten me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Loose valve could get a clicking or ticking noise, tight valves could result in a loss of compression and a subsequent loss in performance. Any symptoms would most likely be progressive, not like flipping a switch. What's wrong with your bike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Loose valve could get a clicking or ticking noise, tight valves could result in a loss of compressions and a subsequent lose in performance. Any symptoms would most likely be progressive, not like flipping a switch. What's wrong with your bike? Well, over the last few rides(not so much the rides as the starting and warming up periods preceeding the rides) the bike has developed a slight clicking noise during warmup. It'll last for about 10 mins then be completely gone. The other day I fired up the bike and it was very noticeable, the clicking, so much so that I was worried something was broken. Nevertheless, I let the bike continue to warmup and again, after about 10 mins it eventually goes away. It could be that the bike hadn't been started in a couple of weeks that the clicking is more prominent this time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR71BLACKBIRDXX Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Usually..(but not always!!)..valve clearances get tighter rather than looser over time. Ticking sounds at startup are fairly common and dont always indicate trouble. Oil this thicker when cold and doesnt properly lube the top end. Also oil pressure at idle is lower and could cause the same symptom. Ive found that most, if not all, Jap bike valves are within spec or very close at the normal intervals. After its warm..rev it up a little and hold it..say 5000 rpm. If valve noise is still present, Id say something is wrong. Even when warm, my VFR ticks a little at idle. Valves are dead nuts. Bottom line is if you think its getting louder, get it checked out. A couple of hundred bucks is a small price to pay when you look at the alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Could switching from synthetic oil back to conventional oil cause a ticking? When I bought the bike the guy I picked it up from couldn't remember if he had synthetic or not and being the cheap ass I am I just put in the conventional Honda oil. I didn't notice a ticking before the oil change but I was also more enamored by the sound of the exhaust than anything coming from the engine. It was shortly after the oil change that I noticed the ticking. Did the first oil change within the first couple of days of getting the bike. Could there be a correlation between (if he did infact have synth in the bike when I bought it) synth and conventional? Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Dino oil doesn't flow as freely as full synthetic. So, at startup you're getting less oil moving around until it warms up. I suspect this is why you notice more ticking with dino oil after the change back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 So you guys think I should do an oil change with synth to see if it gets rid of the click or drastically reduces it before I concern myself with further diagnosing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrxxquad Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 could'nt hurt, but to find the area I will get a screwdriver and put it to my ear and touch each area with the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Ok. Swapped out the oil and filter today. Put in Mobil 1 full synth.... seems to have fixed the ticking. Did a bit more reading today on the fireblades forums and found that the 954 is notorious for having a "ticking" sound but can be greatly reduced by swapping in fully synthetic oil. Yep. Did the trick. Put 300 miles on it today then brought it home and put it in storage for the Winter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runner Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Hard starting when the bike is hot often indicates too tight exhaust valves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted November 8, 2008 Author Share Posted November 8, 2008 Hard starting when the bike is hot often indicates too tight exhaust valves... Definitely didn't have any problems starting the bike. Turn key, fire up first try.... no cranking at all. My concern was that it could have been loose but doesn't appear that was the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechnoGecko Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 As others have said, it's the oil. Regular oil is thicker when cold and thus doesn't flow as freely through the engine which causes the metallic tick noise. Synthetic won't be as thick and thus flow better and minimize the noise. In the miata I put 20/50 in the summer and 10/30 in the winter to eliminate ticking it in. If I don't switch in the summer the 10/30 is thin enough that it ticks, but if I leave it in the winter it's perfect. Same thing for the 20/50, too thick in the cold winter weather but perfect in the 110 degree days in the summer. And it's really obvious when it's time to change back and forth - the engine starts ticking like a monster... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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