Where do I buy the feeler gauge and micrometer?

[Biker George]

If the custom feeler gauge set is ~$35, I'd be IN. Based on your earlier posts, I presume you are looking at the bent ones instead of the straight ones - correct?

I already have a good micrometer.

Looking forward to hearing more about this. Please don't hesitate to PM me.

I'm going to be taking a 2-week tour starting 8/1, so if this doesn't come together by then - I'll be out of pocket. But, still interested.

Let me know.

Regards,

-Geo

 

[BigTom]

Snap On used to custom a feeler guage blade for about $10.00 each. I had several application specific ones, used them as go/no go tools. Took about 2 weeks to get them IIRC. Pretty cool if it's worth that much to you.

Remember it's been about 15 years since I needed any of that stuff....

 

[RCS]

I got the estimate from the Tool Shop for the custom feeler gauge set. The good news is that they can make the custom set from .13 to .28 in 1/100ths of a mm increments. The bad news is that since 11 of the feelers have to be custom ground, the cost in a quantity of 10 units is $97 for each unit and for a quantity of 100, $60 each. $33 of the $60 is for only the 11 custom ground feelers.

Stock size feeler gauges from the Tool Shop are much less expensive. Stock sizes include .01, .02, .03, .04, .05, .06, .07, .08, .09, .10, .13, .15, .18, .20, .25, .30.

So, I did some math and learned that we can get a range in 1/100ths of a mm increments beginning at .10 and up to .31 - 22 keys with using a combination of 11 Stock size keys which would require using a max of up to 2 keys for some clearances. The Stock Keys needed would include .04, .05, .06, .07, .10, .13, .15, .18, .20, .25, .30.

All but three of those 11 feeler keys come in the Sears Craftsman set 40811. The three keys that don't come in the kit include .04, .07, .30.

So, should I ask for another quote from the Tool Shop using the Stock 11 Keys that are tapered - it will probably cost $30 per unit for 10 units. Or should we just find some commercially available kits in retail stores that will give us these Stock Keys for the ST1300 range?

Or, do you think the ST Owners market will purchase 100 units of a $60 custom feeler gauge tool?

 

[DaveST]

I'm not "precise". I took the Sears feelers that were the inch size I needed and custom bent them in the vice. If you want anouther straight set buy them. Like +/-$15.
If the gap is closing open it up. (That means next time for me 'cause mine were in spec.). If it's larger (with-in reason) leave it alone.
The whole damn thing is only micro inches.
At 16k my bike both front cylinder exhaust gaps were the only gaps that were not right dead in the middle of the spec. Even those were not "tight" spec. Every other of the 12 were dead in the middle. In a month or so I expect at 32k they will still be in spec.
Measure them then figure out what you want to do. Take it apart and do it later. IMO. How many million miles you going to do between the two take aparts?

 

[okmurdog]

I havent looked up the specs, but i assume like most bucket/shim systems there is an acceptable tolerance range of about .004 inches? Splitting hairs beyond what is required would be fruitless.

No need to split hairs, only need the required accuracy to have confidence in the measurement. Whether you purchase a micrometer or caliper, the minimum accuracy (of the micrometer or caliper) you should purchase to measure a shim on the ST is ?0.00025" (?0.00635 mm), with a resolution of at least 0.001" (0.025 mm).

 

[brianm767]

Old thread, but if any one needs an inexpensive Micrometer/ digital caliper, here's what I use,
Actually the one I have is a Blue Point Tools one, and one of my partners at work has a Matco one, but the funny thing is, both those high end tool suppliers use the same Chinese manufactured tool that Harbor freight sells,most guys have teh Harbor freight ones, the cases , instructions and every thing are identical, the only thing that is different is the decal on the body of the tool, so mine is all blue and says blue point, the harbor freight one is all black a shown . on sale there about $16bucks.

I don't know to what accuracy the ARMY calibrates them too at my work, but we use them on military aircraft, and I used to use mine on Boeing B767's , so I figure it has to be good enough for a Honda. and a nice touch, a press of the button goes from standard to metric, I've used it several times to see what my standard feeler gauge was reading in metric, at work we usually take three readings, and if it comes out like maybe .0015.5 twice and .0016 once, we go with the .0015.5, just like feeler gauges, it's in the touch, squeeze it tighter and get a smaller reading, now I can check something four or five times and I get the same reading each time.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47257

 

[Pete in PA]

Sears has feeler gauges in stock for $9.99. P/N 40802
After reading more than a few posts about not finding a good set of feeler gauges I thought I'd post.

On the shelf near the compressors (I had to ask, you'd think they would be with the calipers and micrometers) I found a 26 blade angled set from .005 to .030 in .001 in. increments. This is .13 to .76 mm. They have a screw and nut so you can remove 1 at a time to use it.

I'm going to do my first check at 21k miles and wanted an angled set. The set I had needed 2 together for a measurement some times and wasn't angled.

I know older post. I was just reading the whole valve check section.

 

[azlife4me]

Thanks for this find.

Sears has feeler gauges in stock for $9.99. P/N 40802
After reading more than a few posts about not finding a good set of feeler gauges I thought I'd post.

On the shelf near the compressors (I had to ask, you'd think they would be with the calipers and micrometers) I found a 26 blade angled set from .005 to .030 in .001 in. increments. This is .13 to .76 mm. They have a screw and nut so you can remove 1 at a time to use it.

I'm going to do my first check at 21k miles and wanted an angled set. The set I had needed 2 together for a measurement some times and wasn't angled.

I know older post. I was just reading the whole valve check section.

 

[Mellow]

Thanks Pete - I'll get one.

 

[ST1300 Alicia]

You don't want to buy precision tools from cheap department stores or from Ebay. You don't want to borrow then either. Step up to the plate and Call Your Snap On Tool Dealer Today! Remember, price is no object. Your Honda Deserves the absolute BEST! Remember to Spend, Spend, Spend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Blrfl]

So where do we stand on the locations of choice for purchasing the custom feeler guages and a micrometer that meets the tolernace requirement?

Sears has a feeler gauge set that should fit the bill: CLICKY. You should be able to check availability on the web site at a store near where you're staying. Like many sets, this one only goes down to 0.005", and it's good to have a 0.004" feeler, which is one size out of the intake valve's spec range. You can mail-order a length of feeler gauge stock for about $4.00 from McMaster-Carr while you're here (P/N 19875A35) or see if there's someplace in Dallas that carries it.

The shims come in large enough increments that you don't need a micrometer with precision worthy of NASA, just enough to identify what size you pulled out of the bike. Even a cheapie will do the job.

--Mark

 

[gummycarbs]

Bumping this thread because it's the top result for ST1300 feeler gauges.

I own an assortment of feeler gauge sets, but the finest I could measure is 0.05mm increments. I could tell if a valve was *way* too tight or loose, but I couldn't get any idea of how close to the allowable limit I was. Even worse, most of my feeler gauges are really SAE, so the metric values are extra screwy.

So, I gave up and bought a bunch of individual feeler gauges from McMaster. They're all stainless steel, 12" long and 1/2" wide:

0.05mm 2300A2
0.06mm 2300A3
0.07mm 2300A4
0.08mm 2300A5
0.09mm 2300A6
0.1mm 2300A7
0.15mm 2300A8
0.2mm 2300A9

Stacking at most two feeler gauges from this set allows exact measurement of where the valve is within the allowable range (+/- 0.03mm) for both the intake and exhaust side. The total cost, with shipping, was $48.02, which is less than I spent on one of my feeler gauge sets (German made, metric, but only 0.05mm resolution).

 

[Oldbikefixr]

On the day I was to process out of the USAF, we had an Operational Readiness Inspection. LOTS of AF white hats with clipboards watching over everyone's shoulder, scrutinizing everything they did.
I cleaned out my tool box and placed them all into a heavy duty cardboard box, government issued for this purpose and drove over to the squadron office. Everyone was quite professional looking and nervous. I told the squadron clerk I was signing out....he immediately got a worried look on his face and actually asked me to come back tomorrow! I replied in a rather loud tone that I needed to sign out NOW! He fumbled thru the forms and pulled our six for me to autograph, which I did and was given a copy of one as well as my pertinent training records. He told me under his breath that I could get him written up...no please leave. Which I did. Headed over to the Supply office to return my tools. Got the same reception...'I don't care, we can't be caught making a mistake! No please leave!' Clerk tore up my tool receipt and inventory. So I left with my tools. Their presence in my car was ignored during the quick departure inspection. Handed in my 'I'm leaving never to return form and my parking pass and left for home'.
Really long, pointless story aside, I still have my stainless set containing 30? four inch feeler gages marked in both inches and mm, all bolted into a long U shaped handle. Still use it frequently...since August of 1975.

 

[dwalby]

Occasionally this topic gets brought up and its worth mentioning that metric feeler gauges aren't needed for valve adjustments, plain old Imperial gauges actually work better anyway.

I'm not sure if the 1300 is the same as the 1100, but I think it is, in which case the intakes are spec'd from 0.005" to 0.007", and the exhausts at 0.009" to 0.011".

Any decent set of Imperial feeler gauges will have those sizes, plus the ones at either end of the spec range (4/8/12), and many more in 0.001" increments in case a valve is way out of adjustment.

And the reason the Imperial gauges work better anyway is that the shim intervals are 0.025mm, which is 0.001", so if you measure in thousandths its easy to figure out the new shim size. If you measure to 0.01mm, you're using more resolution than the shims can provide, so there's no benefit.

 

[dbst1300]

Occasionally this topic gets brought up and its worth mentioning that metric feeler gauges aren't needed for valve adjustments, plain old Imperial gauges actually work better anyway.

I'm not sure if the 1300 is the same as the 1100, but I think it is, in which case the intakes are spec'd from 0.005" to 0.007", and the exhausts at 0.009" to 0.011".

Any decent set of Imperial feeler gauges will have those sizes, plus the ones at either end of the spec range (4/8/12), and many more in 0.001" increments in case a valve is way out of adjustment.

And the reason the Imperial gauges work better anyway is that the shim intervals are 0.025mm, which is 0.001", so if you measure in thousandths its easy to figure out the new shim size. If you measure to 0.01mm, you're using more resolution than the shims can provide, so there's no benefit.

Join any BMW forum and run this info by them

BTW, I agree.

 

[SMSW]

Join any BMW forum and run this info by them
BTW, I agree.

Back in the day, didn't we adjust points (points? What are they?) with a business card? Can't confuse belief systems with facts...it doesn't work.

 

[dwalby]

Back in the day, didn't we adjust points (points? What are they?) with a business card?

that's crazy, everyone knows you were supposed to use the back of a matchbook (or was it the actual match itself, now I forget).

 

[dbst1300]

that's crazy, everyone knows you were supposed to use the back of a matchbook (or was it the actual match itself, now I forget).

And the strike area of a match book to clean points.

 

[DannoXYZ]

I use these to adjust valves on my VF500 & VFR. Great design to reach in without rubbing on anything else. Stiff centre section for easy handling.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

On bucket valvetrain, doesn't matter what measurement standard I use. I just entre them into spreadsheet and mix & match positions to minimise number of new shims needed. It spits out shim thickness in both inches & mm. Shim kit I have is metric, so I go with those numers.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

Back in the day, didn't we adjust points (points? What are they?) with a business card? Can't confuse belief systems with facts...it doesn't work.

Had a bike rebuilding friend, rip, who swore his left thumbnail was appropriate for his points and his right worked to gap sparkplugs.