Help with shim removal

Total noob so please be kind.

I have Romex wire folded and under the valve.
Cam is cranked to minimum at shim.

I can lift up on the shim but it will not come out.

I have an assortment of small screwdrivers and a hemostat.

Is there a pictorial guide to getting the shim out?

 

What SIZE wire? #14 is too small it has to be #12, insulated with the insulation on. This is why I personally prefer "the tool." I'm MAKING a pictorial but I'm using "the tool."

 

I've been reading some of the threads and it looks like maybe I need a holder tool for holding the shim bucket down. Yes?

 

I purchased my shim bucket tool from Chacal, but here is a link to something similar for picture purposes:

Bucket Tool

 

The idea is to keep the valve spring from holding the bucket up against the cam. You can do that with a holder tool, or by catching something under the valve to keep the bucket down.

Assuming you have enough clearance: They can be tough to get out. Oil gets around and under them and creates a vacuum. Sometimes really have to dig at them. I use a dental pick.

 

It does work better than jamming a hunk of wire down there (my opinion, others may feel differently.) The tool is of course the factory recommended method. It takes some practice too, the cam has to be EXACTLY at 90 degrees to the shim for the tool to seat correctly but once you get the hang of it, it works great. The only real drawback is you have to be BEAUCOUP careful with the tool bolted in place because the cam has enough mechanical advantage if you crank it against the tool it can crack the head. As long as you're careful and take your time the tool works fine for me. The tool is available just about anywhere for under $25, sometimes as cheap as $12. I think I paid $15 for mine before I found this site. Chacal carries them too I believe.

 

The tool I got from Cycle Gear that was supposed to work, and didn't, prompted me to go ghetto and use the method listed on the XJCD:

a folded over zip tie. Big one.

Once that's done, spin the bucket around so the notch is handy, and pop it loose with a small screwdriver. A telescoping magnet finishes the removal process.

 

NO MAGNETS!!! NO NO NO NO!!! The shim and the bucket are made of easily magnetizable metal. A magnetized shim or bucket will attract and hold microscopic bits of metal and eat your cam lobes. MAGNETS BAD.

 

I am using screwdrivers and a hemostat.

It looks to me like the bucket is stuck to the shim. I guess I need the holder tool.

 

I had a stubborn shim that was vacuum-locked inside the bucket. I shot compressed air (about 80-90 psi with a fine tip nozzle) into that slot in the bucket and the shim lifted up. Kinda messy cause the oil went everywhere, but worked pretty good... I guess a splatter guard would've come in handy.

 

Doing this under a shop rag might be a good idea.

 

I use a tiny flat-bladed screwdriver in the notch in the bucket rim and pop 'em loose. Does take QUITE a healthy pry sometimes to get them loose.

 

+1 they can be a bear to get out. I also have used a piece of plastic to push the shim out where I could grab it once I had popped it loose.

 

Which brings to mind another thing to remember: be sure to SLATHER the new shim with fresh motor oil before installing, so it can "re-adhere." (I just drop them in a small cup full of oil when I begin the surgery.) Then be SURE to turn the motor over a couple more times (forward, slowly) when you're done to be sure they're all fully seated. Then go back and recheck your freshly adjusted clearances and write the new ones in your log too.

 

Will do.

Bucket holder tool is on order.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

Anytime. Keep us posted, holler if you need any more assistance. We're all in this together.

 

When you do this they will shoot oil into your eye. Even if you're 40 feet away and behind a wall. Lay a shop rag over the valve train before turning.

 

just a dummy tip. if you are using the wire technique, you stick it Through the Spark Plug Hole into the end of the valve while it is open. seems obvious but believe it or not i puzzled for an hour.

 

Bigfitz do you watch the RED GREEN show?