Valve clearance woes
#1
08-21-2006 | 07:31 PM
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Valve clearance woes
Hi guys,
I'm new on here.
I've had my 95' for four months and clocked up 10,000 trouble free miles.
I decided to check the valve clearances 'just in case' as I could find no record of them having been checked recently by the previous owner. I should state at this point that I had no problems with performance or valve noise up to this point. Bike has 43,000 miles.
The inlets all seemed OK (a little slack if anything but I left them). The exhausts however all measured too tight. I couldn't get a 7 thou feeler guage in at all. Anyway, I adjusted them all a little looser so a 7 thou would go in but not an 8 thou. This task was complicated by having to lash two short allen keys together with tape in order to get one long enough
I bolted it all back together and voila...... it sounds like a tractor. Actually that's a slight exaggeration more like a sewing machine.
Any ideas what I did wrong? I followed the procedure in the Honda manual for establishing TDC. I have to confess I didn't recheck all the valves after rotating the engine as I was pushed for time. Perhaps once they'd settled they all were too loose??
I've got some extra long allen keys on order and I'm determined to have another go before I admit defeat and give it to someone who knows what they're doing.
Any ideas for round two?
David
I'm new on here.
I've had my 95' for four months and clocked up 10,000 trouble free miles.
I decided to check the valve clearances 'just in case' as I could find no record of them having been checked recently by the previous owner. I should state at this point that I had no problems with performance or valve noise up to this point. Bike has 43,000 miles.
The inlets all seemed OK (a little slack if anything but I left them). The exhausts however all measured too tight. I couldn't get a 7 thou feeler guage in at all. Anyway, I adjusted them all a little looser so a 7 thou would go in but not an 8 thou. This task was complicated by having to lash two short allen keys together with tape in order to get one long enough
I bolted it all back together and voila...... it sounds like a tractor. Actually that's a slight exaggeration more like a sewing machine.
Any ideas what I did wrong? I followed the procedure in the Honda manual for establishing TDC. I have to confess I didn't recheck all the valves after rotating the engine as I was pushed for time. Perhaps once they'd settled they all were too loose??
I've got some extra long allen keys on order and I'm determined to have another go before I admit defeat and give it to someone who knows what they're doing.
Any ideas for round two?
David
#2
08-21-2006 | 08:26 PM
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,237
Likes: 14
From: Bir Tawil
RE: Valve clearance woes
Welcome to a great forum.
First off, I am in the states. Here, poeple are less tolerable to engine noise. We set valves tighter than other countries.
Second, intake has cool air/fuel mixture passing over the valves cooling them while the exhaust valves have hot spent gass passing over them.
The exhause valves have a looser gap so the they stay in contact with the seat longer for cooling.
With that said, my book says,
Rotate the crank CCW to align "T" mark with index mark (index mark is just left of the mark with "SWID")
The EX and IN marks on the cam sprockets should be flush with the head away from each other at this point.
Check #1 and #3 IN for 0.010+or-0.02mm(0.004" +or- 0.001)
Rotate crank 180 and align mark to "T"
Check #2 & #4 EX for 0.180+or-0.02mm(0.007 +or- 0.001")
Rotate crank 180
The EX and IN on the cam sprockets should be flush with the head twards each other at this point.
Check #2 & #4 IN (.004")
Rotate crank 180
Check #1 & #3 EX (.007")
Edit: Im an idiot ( I can't type)
First off, I am in the states. Here, poeple are less tolerable to engine noise. We set valves tighter than other countries.
Second, intake has cool air/fuel mixture passing over the valves cooling them while the exhaust valves have hot spent gass passing over them.
The exhause valves have a looser gap so the they stay in contact with the seat longer for cooling.
With that said, my book says,
Rotate the crank CCW to align "T" mark with index mark (index mark is just left of the mark with "SWID")
The EX and IN marks on the cam sprockets should be flush with the head away from each other at this point.
Check #1 and #3 IN for 0.010+or-0.02mm(0.004" +or- 0.001)
Rotate crank 180 and align mark to "T"
Check #2 & #4 EX for 0.180+or-0.02mm(0.007 +or- 0.001")
Rotate crank 180
The EX and IN on the cam sprockets should be flush with the head twards each other at this point.
Check #2 & #4 IN (.004")
Rotate crank 180
Check #1 & #3 EX (.007")
Edit: Im an idiot ( I can't type)
#3
08-21-2006 | 08:41 PM
Admin Emeritus & MVN
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 6,908
Likes: 3
From: Conyers, GA
RE: Valve clearance woes
I believe you were 180degrees off -- that certainly would cause everything to rattle. I did the same thing the first time I adjusted the valves on my first bike. Bike sounded o.k. before and clackity-clickity afterwards. Just start over and make sure you have all the right marks lined up and it'll be fine.
Just don't run the bike until you get it sorted out. Loose bits clanking about are not a good idea.
Just don't run the bike until you get it sorted out. Loose bits clanking about are not a good idea.
#4
08-22-2006 | 02:51 PM
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
RE: Valve clearance woes
ORIGINAL: UKDavid
Hi guys,
I'm new on here.
I've had my 95' for four months and clocked up 10,000 trouble free miles.
I decided to check the valve clearances 'just in case' as I could find no record of them having been checked recently by the previous owner. I should state at this point that I had no problems with performance or valve noise up to this point. Bike has 43,000 miles.
The inlets all seemed OK (a little slack if anything but I left them). The exhausts however all measured too tight. I couldn't get a 7 thou feeler guage in at all. Anyway, I adjusted them all a little looser so a 7 thou would go in but not an 8 thou. This task was complicated by having to lash two short allen keys together with tape in order to get one long enough
I bolted it all back together and voila...... it sounds like a tractor. Actually that's a slight exaggeration more like a sewing machine.
Any ideas what I did wrong? I followed the procedure in the Honda manual for establishing TDC. I have to confess I didn't recheck all the valves after rotating the engine as I was pushed for time. Perhaps once they'd settled they all were too loose??
I've got some extra long allen keys on order and I'm determined to have another go before I admit defeat and give it to someone who knows what they're doing.
Any ideas for round two?
David
Hi guys,
I'm new on here.
I've had my 95' for four months and clocked up 10,000 trouble free miles.
I decided to check the valve clearances 'just in case' as I could find no record of them having been checked recently by the previous owner. I should state at this point that I had no problems with performance or valve noise up to this point. Bike has 43,000 miles.
The inlets all seemed OK (a little slack if anything but I left them). The exhausts however all measured too tight. I couldn't get a 7 thou feeler guage in at all. Anyway, I adjusted them all a little looser so a 7 thou would go in but not an 8 thou. This task was complicated by having to lash two short allen keys together with tape in order to get one long enough
I bolted it all back together and voila...... it sounds like a tractor. Actually that's a slight exaggeration more like a sewing machine.
Any ideas what I did wrong? I followed the procedure in the Honda manual for establishing TDC. I have to confess I didn't recheck all the valves after rotating the engine as I was pushed for time. Perhaps once they'd settled they all were too loose??
I've got some extra long allen keys on order and I'm determined to have another go before I admit defeat and give it to someone who knows what they're doing.
Any ideas for round two?
David
David,
Why are you setting your valve clearances to .007" ????? If the manual calls for 4 and you're setting them to 7... well that's almost double the clearance and I would think that would make a bunch of valve noise.....
Mike
#5
08-22-2006 | 03:29 PM
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
RE: Valve clearance woes
Thanks guys,
In response to andrewmr, the clearance for the exhausts is 7 thou not 4 (as you say, nearly double).
I'm sure I followed the right procedure to ensure I wasn't 180 degrees out but it's certainly a possibility.
I'll let you know what happens at the weekend.
David
In response to andrewmr, the clearance for the exhausts is 7 thou not 4 (as you say, nearly double).
I'm sure I followed the right procedure to ensure I wasn't 180 degrees out but it's certainly a possibility.
I'll let you know what happens at the weekend.
David
#6
08-22-2006 | 08:00 PM
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,149
Likes: 0
From: Sweden
RE: Valve clearance woes
ORIGINAL: UKDavid
Thanks guys,
In response to andrewmr, the clearance for the exhausts is 7 thou not 4 (as you say, nearly double).
I'm sure I followed the right procedure to ensure I wasn't 180 degrees out but it's certainly a possibility.
I'll let you know what happens at the weekend.
David
Thanks guys,
In response to andrewmr, the clearance for the exhausts is 7 thou not 4 (as you say, nearly double).
I'm sure I followed the right procedure to ensure I wasn't 180 degrees out but it's certainly a possibility.
I'll let you know what happens at the weekend.
David
#7
08-23-2006 | 02:27 AM
Very Honorable Most Senior Member :)
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 769
Likes: 1
From: Central Montana, USA
#8
08-23-2006 | 04:48 PM
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
RE: Valve clearance woes
DRam: I'm pretty sure I didn't mix up thousandths and mm. But it wouldn't be the first time I did something like that so thanks for the suggestion.
R1000: I like the idea of looking at each valve (or pair of valves) individually. Following the Honda method, the lobe of the cam was not pointing directly away from the valve and I was a bit concerned the valve might not be 100% closed.
If I understand you correctly, if I just rotate the engine so the cam lobes for a particular pair of inlets or pair of exhausts are pointing straight up (directly away from the valves), I must be measuring the clearance when the valve is closed and therefore at the correct point. Is my understanding of your method correct?
Just took delivery of my nice new extra long allen keys. Don't you love having an excuse to buy a new tool?
David
R1000: I like the idea of looking at each valve (or pair of valves) individually. Following the Honda method, the lobe of the cam was not pointing directly away from the valve and I was a bit concerned the valve might not be 100% closed.
If I understand you correctly, if I just rotate the engine so the cam lobes for a particular pair of inlets or pair of exhausts are pointing straight up (directly away from the valves), I must be measuring the clearance when the valve is closed and therefore at the correct point. Is my understanding of your method correct?
Just took delivery of my nice new extra long allen keys.
Don't you love having an excuse to buy a new tool?David
#9
08-23-2006 | 05:08 PM
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,149
Likes: 0
From: Sweden
RE: Valve clearance woes
ORIGINAL: UKDavid
DRam: I'm pretty sure I didn't mix up thousandths and mm. But it wouldn't be the first time I did something like that so thanks for the suggestion.
R1000: I like the idea of looking at each valve (or pair of valves) individually. Following the Honda method, the lobe of the cam was not pointing directly away from the valve and I was a bit concerned the valve might not be 100% closed.
If I understand you correctly, if I just rotate the engine so the cam lobes for a particular pair of inlets or pair of exhausts are pointing straight up (directly away from the valves), I must be measuring the clearance when the valve is closed and therefore at the correct point. Is my understanding of your method correct?
Just took delivery of my nice new extra long allen keys. Don't you love having an excuse to buy a new tool?
David
DRam: I'm pretty sure I didn't mix up thousandths and mm. But it wouldn't be the first time I did something like that so thanks for the suggestion.
R1000: I like the idea of looking at each valve (or pair of valves) individually. Following the Honda method, the lobe of the cam was not pointing directly away from the valve and I was a bit concerned the valve might not be 100% closed.
If I understand you correctly, if I just rotate the engine so the cam lobes for a particular pair of inlets or pair of exhausts are pointing straight up (directly away from the valves), I must be measuring the clearance when the valve is closed and therefore at the correct point. Is my understanding of your method correct?
Just took delivery of my nice new extra long allen keys.
Don't you love having an excuse to buy a new tool?David
#10
08-25-2006 | 04:28 PM
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 53
Likes: 1
From: UK
RE: Valve clearance woes
I'll chip in here as I too will soon be checking my valve clearances. Does anybody use the special locknut wrench suggested in the manual? If so, how are you applying the correct torque to the locknuts? Is the special tool being used first to tighten the locknut securely while holding the adjuster, and then switching to the torque wrench? If the special locknut wrench is not being used, what other methods are people adopting?
Also, do people renew the cylinder head gasket as a matter of course or simply stay with the same one (my bike is a 99, so I doubt the gasket will have perished)...
Thanks
Also, do people renew the cylinder head gasket as a matter of course or simply stay with the same one (my bike is a 99, so I doubt the gasket will have perished)...
Thanks