Valve Clearance - XJ700N

This is my first attempt at doing this. I printed Bigfitz's "how to" but I am stuck.

The valve cover is off, I made all the measurements, and since every shim is out of spec, I need to pull them all. All of the shims measure between .005 and .007 so they are all tight.

With the valve fully open, I placed the tool flush as instructed. I rotated th cam away from the tool until the lobe was pointed straight up. I placed a non-magnetic screwdriver in the slot but I cannot get the shim out with the hemostats.

The shim appears to be wedged against the cam.

I tried this multiple times on a couple of the valves but get the same problem.

Are there any "tricks" to this?

 

Are your measurements in inches? The clearances are measured in mm. So your measured .005 is .127 mm which IS IN SPEC for intake. .007 is .177mm which would be IN SPEC for exhaust.

So i guess we need to know which you were referring to, intake or exhaust and what the actual measurement is to help further.

 

First off, the question in regard to how you measured raises a valid point. If those are metric measurements you're too tight.

Secondly, yes, there is a bit of a "trick" to it-- what's happening is that the tool has missed the top of the bucket and it's come back up. The trick is to be sure the tool is centered (left-to-right) on the edge of the bucket-- kinda hard to do because you can't SEE it but you'll develop a feel for it, and once you get it right it will work every time. Make sure the valve is fully down when you install the tool, and be sure to push the tool up tight against the cam.

The first time I did a valve adjustment I thought I had gotten a defective tool. It was the operator, not the device.

 

I used a very soft tipped pick to pry up on the edge of the shims and some tweezers to pull them out. Also before you install the tool spin the cam so the lobe is up and then stick a finger on the shim and spin it until you see a small opening in the cup. That's how I did it so I'd have a place to pry with the pick. It makes it a lot easier. After you get that first one down the rest will be easy.

 

Thanks for the advice. I was a bit drunk last night and then I ran out of daylight but rest assured I will keep trying tonight.

I'm pretty sure my measurements were in inches.

I feel like an idiot thinking they were all tight! I have put so much money into this bike maybe I assumed the prior owner never did this.

700 non-X:
Intake: 0.11 - 0.15mm ( = 0.004 - 0.006")
Exhaust: 0.16 - 0.20mm (= 0.006 - 0.008")

 

Ok, I'm pretty sure I got this right but if somebody could check, I'd appreciate it:

exhaust measurements
#1 - .005 inches or .127mm (out of spec)
(supposed to be between .006 and .008 inches)
the shim I pulled was a 255 so it needs to be replaced with a 250 shim?

#2 - .008 inches (in spec)
#3 - .007 inches (in spec)
#4 - .007 inches (in spec)
intake measurements
#1 - .005 inches (in spec)
#2 - .005 inches (in spec)
#3 - .004 inches (in spec)
#4 - .007 inches (out of spec)

Final question: could one slightlyout of spec valve make my bike produce what I can only describe as a ticking sound?

 

Charlie,

You are correct on all of your exhaust valves.

On the intake valves, the #3 intake at .004" clearance (= .1016mm) is too tight, you need to decrease the size of the shim by one size (.05mm thinner). A thinner shim than what is currently in there will increase the clearance.

On the #4 intake, you need to increase the size of the shim by one size (.05mm thicker). A thicker shim than what is currently in there will decrease the clearance.


If an out-of-spec valve is really large on the "too big of a clearance" side, then that may be the cause of a ticking sound; more likely, it's a bad exhaust system gasket........

 

Thx Len,

I broke a spark plug wire boot while pulling the head so tomorrow be on the lookout for my order of the screw on boots and three shims.

The chart says the intake valves are supposed to be .004 inches to .006 inches. I guess you are suggesting since I have the bike apart, it's best to just replace the .004 one now?

Can't wait to get this all back together. Getting my tank customized too!

 

One last question (because I am a noob)

I got intake 3 and intake 4 out but cannot read the numbers on the back of the shims.

I thought I read somewhere that you can bring them up to an auto parts store, measure them, and depending how thick they are, determine the number that way?

 

Hey Charlie, .004" = .1016mm, and that's below the acceptable range of .11-.16mm for intake valves. As things wear over time, clearances get smaller (not larger, as logic might lead you to expect!), so that valve clearance is going to get even smaller over time........and tight valves are a Very Bad Thing in air-cooled engines.

Yes, you can measure the shim with a set of (accurate) calipers, and that will tell you what size they are.