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Valve Adjustment Basic Questions

10K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  btom 
#1 ·
As a lifetime rider (40+ years) I have only done minimal maintenance on my bikes. Oil change every 3000 miles, tires when worn, chain when worn, battery when dead, you get the idea. I purchased my 02 800 classic new from the dealer and she’s never been abused
Until recently I haven’t looked any deeper. One thing I have never done is a vale adjustment. Honestly, I never really knew it was needed. So before I do anything, I have a couple of questions about valve adjustments.
1: Do the shims wear and they need to be replaced or do they seat in and requiring them to be adjusted, or…?
2: I see different sizes (not thickness) what size does this bike require, 9.48mm?
3: If I want to have shims on hand ready to go, what do I need to order? Ebay? Dealer? I see complete kits for about $60. Would this insure I have whatever I need and then I could reorder what I use to always have the kit?
4: I read something about them breaking in over time. What are the recommended intervals to recheck the clearance?
5: How much time should I expect to spend the first time around?
 
#3 ·
1) The valves seat into the head/stem stretches.
2) 9.48mm shims.
3) I bought the large kit from Hot Cams? The large kit has every shim you should ever need. As you replace them in your bike, measure the ones you remove and place back in the kit in the proper place. You'll get 4 of each size in the large kit.
4) I believe its every 6,000 miles, dont have book handy.
5) 2-3 hours, taking your time, I can now do it in about an hour. About 1/2 that time will be wiggling the rear cover just right to get it in and out.
Like Westy said, checkout the sticky in the 800 forum
 
#5 · (Edited)
The first time I did mine I removed the epa snorkel crap and plugged the related crossover tubes as well as one of the lines on the back of the breather. It helps solve the sneezing issue on these 800's. It also makes future removals of the lids simpler.

Oh and it's not necessary to drain the antifreeze, I managed to get my lids off by taking the mount bolts from the thermostat housing taking the line loose and twisting it to one side to get the back cover off. It's tight but it works. Just top the antifreeze off when you button things back up. I had no issues with it at all.

Pay attention to the part that says stuff rags into the oil valleys to keep from dropping a shim into the crankcase.

I also discovered if you can find a telescope magnet with a swivel head works better than one that is fixed, the fixed version works but is a little tougher to hit the angles you need.

My next tip will cause purists to cringe but after buying the recommended torque wrench and waiting a week for it to be delivered before doing the job I didn't even use it, I just used a 1/4 inch ratchet to tighten the valve cover lids down and had no issue with leakage nor did I strip any bolts. I have had the lids off a couple times since to recheck and still have not used the torque wrench. I feel it is 20 bucks wasted but who knows the day may come when I need to split the cases and really need it to torque the heads back down.
 
#7 ·
I also discovered if you can find a telescope magnet with a swivel head works better than one that is fixed, the fixed version works but is a little tougher to hit the angles you need.
I was searching on google for a swivel head magnet, where do you guys get one? I have a telescope magnet but the head is fixed rather than swivel, do I really need one with a swivel head?
 
#6 ·
I got a shim kit off Amazon for cheaper than anywhere else i could find. Saved me $20 for the whiskey i needed after adjusting the shims. It's really not that bad till you hit the back 2. Then cursing will start. Finding someone with small hands would be a very good idea there.
 
#9 ·
ya that's the telescope swivel magnet I saw, the swivel is about 2-3" from the magnet end like yours
 
#10 ·
ok, here's what I done so far, I'm getting ready to do the valve clearance checks on my '05 800. I drained the gas, took the speedo and gas tank off and the aftermarket airbox off and both side-covers off, now I'm looking at the carb and radiator hoses, do I drain the rad fluid and remove the rad hoses now that are above the cylinder head covers?
 
#13 ·
ok thanks, I will drain the coolant before continuing
 
#14 ·
ok, here's what I did, I removed radiator cap, placed a container under motor and removed drain plug at bottom of the right side crankcase, siphoned out rad fluid from reservoir tank, so now all the green rad fluid is out, so now what's next?
 
#16 ·
hey tehnis, I have a comment and question, I notice in 1st video of MotoDalnoBoy at 8:36 to 9:10 he removes bottom right side rad hose to drain radiator fluid, but there is a 10 mm rad fluid drain bolt at the bottom of right crankcase. And at 13:06 of 1st video he's turning the crank clockwise, should it be counter-clockwise or does it matter which way? Do I need to drain the engine oil?
Thanks for the videos, they were good and helpful.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Ok. No bolts should be opened.
The bottom drain bolt (near oil drain bolt) is used for total coolant draining. Actually, for valve adjustment You do not need to drain it fully. Just drain it below the level of cylinder (valve) covers. The easiest way to do so, is to open the previously mentioned radiator hose (seen on video).
Why is not worth draining and changing coolant just along valve adjustment in one shot? Well, if something goes wrong with putting back cylinder (valve) covers and gaskets, theoretically You risk to mix oil and coolant. After some test rides, You always can change Your coolant by draining it later, if You want. Same for engine oil. Actually, You do not need to drain any oil at all, but if something goes wrong, it's not a good idea to f*** up Your brand new engine oil. If it's time for oil change, it's good idea to change after making sure that everything is OK.

13:06 - The one and only direction You are allowed to turn the crank is only a clockwise direction! You should follow the marks. If missed, You will have to do a full clockwise turn to get it back in the right position!
Seems like You are not reading any service manual at all :D

P.S.
If You need some more translations from those videos, be free to ask. I'm not a Russian, but read and speak it freely as some more other languages ;)
 
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