Doing the valve clearances...

[instigator]

Hi

What a b*stard of a job eh (well, the front cct!! :x )

The bike in question is a 1999 SV650, 41,000 miles with sweet F.A service history so I figured I was bored and may as well.

Anyways the following are my findings, excuse the grubby appearance, if you've done it before you'll realise oily fingers are not avoiodable. :lol:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/greggreggreg/Clearances.jpg
where c = clearance, cc = cam chain (looking at it in the correct manner)

The front cylinder clearances were not too bad, varied a bit and took some time to make sure I had the correct measurements. Then onto the rear cylinder where all the clearances were less than 0.04mm. This was with the cams pointing in the 'correct' direction as stated in the haynes (moved the crank round many times to make sure in correct directions). I say less than 0.04mm because my feeler gauges don't go any lower. :? As tight as a badgers **** you might say.

The numbers in the circles in the diagram are the shim measurements. One is missing because well...ahem...less said about that the better. :lol: :oops: :x :x I'll find it eventually, once I get a big magnet and search my driveway. I have yet to use mr. micrometer to see what the shims really are and to take account of that if they are not as thick as they say they are.

I can't really decipher the haynes manual valve clearance spec. I know they're all out but it's the shim part I really just don't understand. Stupid graphs. Can anyone help me out here? :)

FYI:

Intake valves - Shim selection chart (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/greggreggreg/intakev.jpg)

Exhaust valves - Shim selection chart (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/greggreggreg/exhaustv.jpg)

And last question - Apart from replace cct gaskets, anything else I should do whilst I'm at it? Also, replacement shims - Tell me they aren't as expensive as Yamaha ones. :x Can you swap them/trade them? I know back in the day you could with some Yamaha dealers.

[Biker Biggles]

I'm not going to be any help here,but when my son bought his SV with nearly 70,000 miles on it I checked the clearences and found them to be mostly out.I looked at the manual,had a word with a few wise mates,and sent it down the local bike mechanic to do.I do all my own routine services,but that just looked too damn tricky. :twisted:

[sdusk]

Chances are that if you can still read the numbers on the shims, then they are still accurate to what they say. I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, but if the clearance is too tight, then the replacement shim will have a smaller number.

Lets take for example your front exhaust valve. The current shim is a '172', which means 1.72mm. Your clearance is 0.08. Your target clearance is between 0.20 and 0.30, so we'll say 0.25 for a good in between value. So a bit of maths gives us 1.72 - (0.25 + 0.08) gives us a new shim of 1.55mm or a '155' shim.

BTW, the shims cost me £3.84 each.

[Biker Biggles]

Looking at that again,they are very tight.I would question whether you could have some valve seat damage if they have run for long in that state?

[sdusk]

The exhaust valves themselves seem to be the weakest link on the SV, and were pitted quite a bit on an engine that had only done 12k miles. However, if you don't want to find problems then don't go looking for them :)

[instigator]

£3.84 each? Sweet...had heard the shims for a yzf750r are £18 e.a so I was expecting the worst. Where from? Robinsons foundry? Fowlers? :)

Biker biggles - Forums are great things, need any help - Just ask, thats wht my bike will only ever go to a garage for MOT and tyres changing (have yet to do tubeless tyres). Cannae hack giving the stuff to anyone. Bike will most definetely get a top end rebuild soon if not a full rebuild. It will be needing the top end done (will compression test) but I figure it's all a learning experience anyway so might as well do the whole thing! :)

Sdusk

Front cylinder, tappet clearance 0.08mm with shim of 172. If I look at the shim selection chart - exhaust valves and go along the "present shim size" to 170 or 1.70...Now If I go down the tappet clearance (vertical column) to the 1st bar to the 0.05-0.09 (mm) bar, it gives me a suggested shim size of 155. Is that correct? Is that reading it correct? Or should I be doing it your way? Just noticed my way = your way with the same results anyway. :lol: :lol: Think I'll use both methods.

[northwind]

Never had to do it, but I know my local dealer will exchange shims as long as they're not damaged or rusty... A mate of mine had to change a load in his Bandit, and they just charged him a fiver for the hassle of finding the ones he needed. Worth trying on with your local ;)

[instigator]

Hmmm...suzuki dealers in glasgow sure don't get a good rep and I don't like the dealers from Ayr. :x

Think I'll buy some and just keep some to the side as freebies for anyone thats doing theirs. :)

As for someone who has done theirs - clearance less than 0.04....that is incredibly small isn't it? The clearances can't have been adjusted full stop I'm thinking. :x