Valve clearance check, any tips?

[Interceptor]

Hi all, I propose to conduct a valve clearance inspection in the near future, it will be the first time they have been due on my naked curvy, I am familiar with the procedure, but wondered if anyone has any tips or advice on the subject...

I notice the valve cover gaskets seem to be rubber, and wondered if they are Ok to re-use or should I replace them both with new ones?

Cheers guys

John

[thefallenangel]

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=128141

that might be of use. Otherwise i'll wait for someone more technically minded to come along.

[dizzyblonde]

rubber seals can be re-used. errr Im Indoors says take the rear wheel out, makes it easier to put in cam chain tensioner on rear cylinder.

[rictus01]

and do one cyclinder at a time, then you have the other as a reference should you need it.

Cheers Mark.

[Interceptor]

Thanks for the advice everyone, might have a look over easter...

Cheers

John

[mattb200]

as others have said the gaskets can be reused if your careful. ( I would be careful as well as i don't think they are particularly cheap!!) i did this procedure about a year ago and probably my only advice is take your time and don't rush it.
I am not a mechanic or even an experienced DIY'er (apart from reg oil changes etc) but I managed to change a shim.
With any luck you won't need to change any!!

[Interceptor]

as others have said the gaskets can be reused if your careful. ( I would be careful as well as i don't think they are particularly cheap!!) i did this procedure about a year ago and probably my only advice is take your time and don't rush it.
I am not a mechanic or even an experienced DIY'er (apart from reg oil changes etc) but I managed to change a shim.
With any luck you won't need to change any!!

Thanks Matt, I'll take my time, I don't expect to have to carry out any shimming, as it's only a routine maintenance inspection, BUT....... ;)

Cheers matey:thumleft:

[sam anon]

If you're working from a Clymer manual, their little diagram that shows the directions the cam lobes should point at front and rear tdc is wrong.

If this is the case let me know and I'll get the manual and explain it fully.

[Interceptor]

If you're working from a Clymer manual, their little diagram that shows the directions the cam lobes should point at front and rear tdc is wrong.

If this is the case let me know and I'll get the manual and explain it fully.

Thanks for the kind offer, that could have ended up a right howler...:rolleyes:
fortunately I'm going off a Haynes manual, but I'll pay close attention as I go!!!!

Cheers

John

[Zen Beetle]

Think you may find the following link very useful www.bluepoof.com/motorcycles/howto/svs_valves/

[Interceptor]

Think you may find the following link very useful www.bluepoof.com/motorcycles/howto/svs_valves/ (http://www.bluepoof.com/motorcycles/howto/svs_valves/)

Cheers matey, I have read the link with interest..... just hope I don't need to replace any of the shims......;)

[TSM]

rubber seals can be re-used. errr Im Indoors says take the rear wheel out, makes it easier to put in cam chain tensioner on rear cylinder.

the time it takes to do that is not worth it

just make sure you have allen key sockets and a extention bar, the 3/8 sockets are easier to fit than the 1/2
small flat screwdriver to retract the tentioner

one thing that the linked article does not note is the application of gasket sealent on the two semi-circle bits of the gasket, of course only do this after cleaning up the old sealant

a side note for modded bikes...
if the bike is not yours from new and has ever had the possability of having cam mods, check before removing the cams that everything aligns up as per manual, if they dont then its possable there has been mods done.
ie if you looked at the cams in my bike, the marks are not as per the manual

[flymo]

dont be tempted to remove the rubber gaskets unless they are knackered. they are sometimes stuck to the engine casing and will tear when removing, they are also expensive to replace as I found out.

[yorkie_chris]

Everything seems to have been covered. It does make it easier to drop the radiator out and replace the coolant at the same time. Replacing the spark plugs while you have them out is something to bear in mind.

Try ace motor factors, a liter of OAT extended life coolant is only a couple of quid there.

And nah, you don't need the rear wheel out. Remove the RHS rearset for access.

Turn the engine over by hand before pressing "start".

Think you may find the following link very useful www.bluepoof.com/motorcycles/howto/svs_valves/ (http://www.bluepoof.com/motorcycles/howto/svs_valves/)

I don't like that bluepoof site at all. It shows one way to do it and preaches it as gospel.

FFS don't take all the advise there to heart!

[Interceptor]

cheers everyone, and thanks for the suggestions Chris.....

Best wishes

John

[Old Git]

Interceptor, did you do the check, was it possible for a slightly abnormal man like me & not a spanner god(like YC) to do this without Forking it up?

Am on a curvy, not to the service int. yet, but thinking to check myself & be more involved with my ride, rather than wimp out & pay.:-k
What is the likelyhood that they will be out, bike seems to run excellent with no probs.

Don't have bike background, so no friends (boo hoo) locally who are into bikes to ask to watch over me to ensure I don't clock-it-up, so looking for guidance/reassurance.

Cheers.

[sinbad]

I did it myself and I'm not very experienced really. If you prepare well, read as much as you can, give yourself twice as long as you hope it will take, and take your time then you can't go wrong. Document and photograph as you go.

The actual check itself is really quick simple, it's just the bodywork, radiator and head cover removal which is time consuming and a little daunting.
Mine were within tolerances at 15k, but one of the front exhausts was close so I may well check them again at 20 or so.

[Old Git]

Thanks, sinbad for the support & bugger for reminding me of all the faf before I even get to do the check!
Also shows that even on a relatively low mileage, they can be close or out, which worries me.
Only coming upto 12K at present, but like to read & think way in advance. Guess it won't be until July/Aug time for the check, so still av to do some reading.

[northwind]

Quite a lot of these comments are more to do with changing shims than checking the clearances- the odds you'll actually need to change a shim are nicely slim on these motors. Mine has 45000 miles or so on without a tweak, which is nothing really, but also I changed the cams at 20000 miles and STILL the tolerancing was good enough and wear rates so slow that it didn't need a single shim changed.

Course, you still have to check it because if you don't, you'll be the 1 person who needed to change one ;) But with the SV it's perfectly reasonable to assume that it's only going to be a check, not a change.

And nah, you don't need the rear wheel out. Remove the RHS rearset for access.

Turn the engine over by hand before pressing "start".


+1 for the first comment, + 1 billion for the second! It's not messing up the timing that destroys all your valves, it's forgetting to test turn it. One is quite reasonable, the other's unforgivable ;)

Oh, I can get to the front head without draining the coolant on mine- unbolting the fan and removing the front LHS engine bolt means I can shove the radiator down out of the way without any more faffing. But that'll probably vary from bike to bike, there's not much room to maneuvre.

[yorkie_chris]

At 30K I needed to change 5 shims.

But mine is downgeared so Mway cruising is turning a lot of revs. Might have something to do with it.

[tsihcrana]

If you're working from a Clymer manual, their little diagram that shows the directions the cam lobes should point at front and rear tdc is wrong.

If this is the case let me know and I'll get the manual and explain it fully.

You mean, FIGURE 66!? That little diagram nearly made me go apoplectic and had me endlessly rotating the crankshaft and obsessively checking and rechecking my clearances. in fact, I've been in a mild fog of uncertainty during my whole valve adjusting adventure after seeing that revolting little diagram.

"On the rear cylinder...camshaft lobes must be in position B as shown in Figure 66..."

If I recall correctly, I could only get the lobes into position A on the rear cylinder, no matter how many times I rotated the crankshaft. I will never buy Clymer again. What are the correct lobe positions?

Oh, and this is my first post. Hi, how are you?

[sam anon]

You mean, FIGURE 66!? That little diagram nearly made me go apoplectic and had me endlessly rotating the crankshaft and obsessively checking and rechecking my clearances. in fact, I've been in a mild fog of uncertainty during my whole valve adjusting adventure after seeing that revolting little diagram.

"On the rear cylinder...camshaft lobes must be in position B as shown in Figure 66..."

If I recall correctly, I could only get the lobes into position A on the rear cylinder, no matter how many times I rotated the crankshaft. I will never buy Clymer again. What are the correct lobe positions?

Oh, and this is my first post. Hi, how are you?

Yep thats the puppy!

In essence, they've just got the "A" and "B" mixed up.

So....at rear tdc the lobes should be at position "A", and vice-versa!

[tsihcrana]

I feel much better knowing that. Thank you very much.