Miles Posted February 1, 2013 Share #1 Posted February 1, 2013 I just finished the valve adjustment on my bike yesterday, in my cold shop, with a cast on my leg. I had to...the loaner kit and tools from Skydoc_17 were sitting here waiting for me to use it, and I was not about to wait for my leg to feel better before I used that kit and tools, and returned them to Earl. So the job needed to be done. The Bike, a 2006 RSMTD, with 40k on it. I am the second owner, bought the bike in Sept. 2011, and I do not believe at all that the valves have ever been checked in the first 7 years of this bikes' life. Given my propensity to riding a few miles each year (ha ha), I thought that this Winter was the perfect time to do things like Valve Adjustment, RSMax rear diff gears, etc. Here is what I found on the valves: Of the 16 valves on this bike, 9 of them were out of spec. That seemed like a lot to me, compared to all the multi-cylinder bikes I have put more than a million miles on in the last many years. I would have expected, and accepted that maybe 3 or 4 valves were out of spec, but to find 9 out...whew ! Of the 9 valves that were out of spec, 5 of them were intake valves that were out by .026mm each. To put that into perspective, that is generally one metric valve shim size difference than what was available in the shim box. I had 1 intake valve that was out of spec by .052mm. All of the intake valves that were out of spec...were too tight. On the exhaust valves...there were 2 that were too loose by .026mm, and 1 that was too loose by .052mm. Now, I want to believe that in most cases if other people were checking these valves, they would have accepted 6 of these 9 valves as being okay, as they were only out by .026mm. However, when it comes to engine specs for internal running parts, I am very picky (re: anal) about getting it right. I made sure that I checked every valve several times before writing down my findings, and if I did replace a shim, I made certain to rotate the engine a full 2 times, back it up 2 full times, and them get back to where I could take the measurement again, and confirm that my new measurement was in fact correct. To that end, when all was said and done, just to confirm to myself that I had all the valves now working smoothly, and quietly, I performed one last test. Before installing the chrome covers back onto the valve covers, I started the bike, ran it up to temp, let the cooling fan cycle a couple times, then I used my electronic stethoscope to listen to the valves. I placed the electronic stethoscope right onto the valve covers, and checked for the rotational sound of the cams and valves in about 20 places around the valve covers, and everything sounded perfect. I am quite satisfied. BTW, just to mess with a few of you's heads...I did install the valve cover gasket on the rear valve cover...installing the gasket a day in advance, using a small amount of yamabond to secure the gasket into the valve cover, and then a day later installed that rear valve cover onto the bike. I know, many of you say it connot be done with the gasket in place, but it worked like a charm for me. I made the decision to do it this way, after seeing that the gasket snakes its' way around the valve cover, and must fit into the grooves of the cover. I believed it would be harder to get that gasket into the grooves of the cover, if the gasket was laying on the head, and I squeezed the cover into place, and then tried to mate the cover to the gasket. To me, that would be a nightmare. My way worked, the gasket never moved, I slid it all into place, and have 100% confirmation that the gasket is in fact in perfect position all the way around that valve cover, mating it to the head. Now, as a final step, I will be re-checking the carb sync on my bikes, now that the valves have been adjusted. Having a Carbtune Pro helps, and I like using it. So, Mr. Pickyhead (me) has found 9 valves out of spec on a bike with 40k on it. Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankd Posted February 1, 2013 Share #2 Posted February 1, 2013 .026mm = .001"----That's 1/4 of the minimum allowable intake clearance. I don't think that most would ignore that---I sure didn't. I have run Ventures with slightly tight intakes, but not that tight. You said that your garage was cold....how cold? Glad you're feeling good enough to be out working in the garage!! Frank D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted February 1, 2013 You said that your garage was cold....how cold? Glad you're feeling good enough to be out working in the garage!! Frank D. Frank, my shop was not cold compared to midwest standards. It was maybe 40 degrees in my shop. And I am not going to let a silly broken fibula in my leg stop me from completing the task at hand. Ha ! Ha, I say ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKid Posted February 1, 2013 Share #4 Posted February 1, 2013 I believe my shop did this for me when i had the service plan back a while again. I probably need to find someone I trust (not a stealership) to help me complete this on my 07 with ~80K miles. It runs great and i have had no problems (knock on wood) so far. Maybe i will find someone close by and with the tools to help sometime in the furture. Miles~hope the recovery goes smooth and you are alive to tell us all the stores. Ride Safe again once the cast is removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted February 1, 2013 Share #5 Posted February 1, 2013 All of these posts about valves just keeps reminding me that I need to do mine this winter. I'm at 50K and I really doubt that have ever been touched or looked at. I do have the shim set out of a parts engine, hopefully it will have whatever I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted February 1, 2013 Share #6 Posted February 1, 2013 Because the coefficient of thermal expansion of aluminum is higher than steel they'll loosen up as the engine gets colder. It's possible the loose ones would have been in spec at 68 degrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted February 2, 2013 Share #7 Posted February 2, 2013 I read a chart that shows the thermal property of each and indicates they change per degree aluminum changes 0.0000123- 0.0000129 Steel changes 0.0000063 - 0.0000073 plastic 0.0000170 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G in SC Posted February 2, 2013 Share #8 Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) I believe my shop did this for me when i had the service plan back a while again. I probably need to find someone I trust (not a stealership) to help me complete this on my 07 with ~80K miles. It runs great and i have had no problems (knock on wood) so far. Maybe i will find someone close by and with the tools to help sometime in the furture. Miles~hope the recovery goes smooth and you are alive to tell us all the stores. Ride Safe again once the cast is removed. Robert, You do have a guy up at Lake Norman that is pretty good. Bill Little, known here as Wild Bill. See vendor/member classifieds. He is a retired mechanic/engineer and has his own wrenches,lol. He lowered my RSV but I know he can do most anything. Look him up,,, nice guy too. Mike G in SC http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=4202&title=service-to-lower-front-or-rear-of-2nd-gen-rsv-27s-&cat=36 Edited February 2, 2013 by Mike G in SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydoc_17 Posted February 2, 2013 Share #9 Posted February 2, 2013 Hey Miles, I sent the shim kit early not to drive you into your sub-zero garage with a peg leg, and a parrot on your shoulder, but because I promised you that it would be there upon your return!:crackup:I too would have adjusted out the .001 tightness of the valves in your bike. I don't consider this "anal", I consider this doing the job right the first time. There is nothing worse than a "lazy" mechanic in my opinion. It seems like the dealerships are riddled with this type of mechanic, so this is why I do ALL of my own maintenance. I am glad you had the opportunity to take the ride that you did, and was able to make it home with no more injuries than you sustained. I am extending my offer of the loan of my shop shim kit to ANY of the VR.ORG members. As I am sure that Miles will attest to, you may be surprised just how many valves will be out of adjustment if you take the time to check them. This is an expensive service if done at the dealer, but with the use of the shim kit I offer, and the ability to "take your time" with the loaner shim kit, I believe you can attain excellent results (as good as ANY dealer would) with no more cost than the replacement Valve Cover Gaskets, and that "odd" shim that I do not have in the shim kit. Please feel free to Pm me if you are interested in the loaner shim kit. Welcome back Miles, You Sir are the "poster boy" for enjoying the open road on a motorcycle! I am green with envy as it is 8 degrees F here this morning in Pennsylvania, with snow on the ground, and more to come! Earl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share #10 Posted February 2, 2013 Earl, I want to THANK YOU for the use of the loaner Valve Shim Kit and Tools. That is a very kind service you provide, and it worked perfectly for me. Buying the valve cover gaskets from you is a good deal, as I get the "correct" product from someone that knows what we want. Once I got the package from you, or...once I got home from the trip and found the package from you was already here, I opened it, found the valve cover gaskets, opened those plastic bags, and laid the rubber valve cover gaskets out on a flat surface inside the house, so that they could regain their composure, relax from the cold ride they took from Pennsylvania to Washington, all curled up in little plastic bags. I wanted the rubber gaskets to relax, and lay flat again, so that they would be easier to install. As I said to you in a private e-mail, the box is all on its' way back to you now, and you should receive it by Monday or Tuesday. Open the box and check it out, I hope you will be pleased. Again, Thank You Earl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timgray Posted February 2, 2013 Share #11 Posted February 2, 2013 Bet you the PO was not running a high Zinc oil. Modern oils today utterly destroy non roller cam setup like those found in a motorcycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted February 3, 2013 Share #12 Posted February 3, 2013 Miles To adjust out .001 out of spec is not anal, its doing what you went in there for. Anal is my getting a surface grinder to add to my basement shop so that I can get shim sizes in between the standard available increments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share #13 Posted February 3, 2013 Miles To adjust out .001 out of spec is not anal, its doing what you went in there for. Anal is my getting a surface grinder to add to my basement shop so that I can get shim sizes in between the standard available increments. Oh No, Jeff....being anal is taking a pad of steel wool, and slowly working down an existing valve shim to a different size. Not that is being anal...er...picky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted February 3, 2013 Share #14 Posted February 3, 2013 Oh No, Jeff....being anal is taking a pad of steel wool, and slowly working down an existing valve shim to a different size. Not that is being anal...er...picky. Your right, But I would like to see how that works out........ I'm way to lazy to work that hard. That is why these machines were invented. Maybe try using a cotton ball instead of steel wool, it will cut slower so that you do not accidentally remove to much material....... Be good exercise for thumb wrestling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YamahaWoodsey Posted February 3, 2013 Share #15 Posted February 3, 2013 Hello All . How hard is this project to do yourself ? and when is a good time to do it . I have only 15.000 mile's on her and it's a 2004 model RSMV . Any answer's would be deeply appreciated . Thanks YamahaWoodsey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmelah Posted February 3, 2013 Share #16 Posted February 3, 2013 Hello All . How hard is this project to do yourself ? and when is a good time to do it . I have only 15.000 mile's on her and it's a 2004 model RSMV . Any answer's would be deeply appreciated . Thanks YamahaWoodsey not hard with the right tools and excellent know how on this site Earl - Skydoc-17 has the tools just PM him he also has alot of knowledge on these bikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydoc_17 Posted February 3, 2013 Share #17 Posted February 3, 2013 Hey Jeff, The answer to your question is a tuff call. Many Second Gen. owners, for what ever reason prefer to have a dealer do this type of maintenance on their motorcycles. It's not that they don't have the ability, it seems that they just don't have the time. Doing this maintenance procedure the first time could easily take an entire weekend! Not because of the measurement of the valve lash, but because of ALL of the plastic that will need to be removed to get to the valves. Basically, you would take the feeler gages that come in the loaner kit, measure the distance between the lobe of the camshaft and the top of the valve "bucket". It will be within the spec that Yamaha calls for or it will not. If the distance is too tight, (which is bad) then you would use the bucket compression tool to compress the valve bucket, and remove the old shim and install a thinner (or fatter shim) to bring the valve lash back into spec. The thing to remember about these bikes is usually, as these engines run for a while, the valve lash gets tighter because the valve spring pulls the valve deeper into the cylinder head. The valve bucket will reach a point where the cam lobe will not let the valve close completely, (loss of power) and then the cam will eventually bend the valve stem. (in extreme cases) Because I have the valve shim kit here at the shop, I check my valve lash yearly. (because there is very little cost to me, just time) This is the main reason I try to share the valve shim kit with as many members as I can. You save the labor cost of the adjustment, but more importantly, you learn how to remove the plastic from your bike, and work on your own motorcycle, which to me is as important as riding. Only YOU know if you have the patience and the amount of time it takes to do ANY maintenance on your motorcycle! I can only provide the tools and share my knowledge with you. But the bottom line is YOU HAVE TO DO THE WORK! If you are up to the challenge, and can overcome your fear of the unknown, then by all means contact me, and I will get you on the list for the valve shim kit. This post will either "scare" you into taking your bike to the dealer, or it will inspire you to pull your shoulders back, and hold your head up high and learn how to work on your own motorcycle. The choice is (as it always is) up to YOU! Earl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyR Posted February 3, 2013 Share #18 Posted February 3, 2013 By the book, a valve adjustment check is due every 26,000 miles. In reality, it can probably be stretched out a few miles beyond that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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