1995 ST1100 Engine Repair Questions

andrew24

Joined
Mar 3, 2026
Messages
25
Age
37
Location
Chicago
Bike
1995 ST1100
I have a ST from 95 and am trying to be sure if so this is or not a valve clearance issue?


I rotated it in standard and various other test positions from top dead center front right cylinder #1with this issue, there are no stuck valves I'm assuming it is a valve clearance thing yeah? As ALL marking points to standard of the manual.
 
Also, is there supposed to be a click from starter relays/solinoid as I'm not getting one from the one on this model even after buying a new one.
 
It's been a while since I had an 1100, but aren't there also punch marks on the cam ends that are relevant? As in the gear position of the cam idler gear vs the cams themselves also needs to be correct. When the index mark on the cam idler gear is aligned, the marks on the end of the camshafts should align with the top of the cylinder head.

Also, the crank alignment mark is TF1 for the right cylinder head (with cam idler aligned) but TF4 for the left cylinder head. In your video you have both heads aligned on TF1 so the left head will not be timed correctly. Good thing you turned the engine over witha spanner.
 
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Not sure if this will help. When I changed the belt on my 94 years ago, the 2 cam marks lined up but the crank mark did not. Not sure it was a factory ‘mistake’, but what I ultimately did was make sure the #1 cylinder was at TDC (put a straw in the spark plug hole) and made sure that piston was all the way to the top. The crank mark remained off, but the cam marks were matched and the engine turned fine manually with the belt on. I asked here and many said to just line everything up. Had I done that, I might have had interference. I guess in retrospect the proper thing to do would have been to break the crank bolt free and re-align the crank mark. I installed the belt with the crank mark ‘off’ and the engine turned fine and has been running well since then (2017 and nearly 20,000 plus miles)- to this day, I’m not sure why the mark was off as I don’t believe anyone else had been in the bike that deep in the past (I had made a new alignment mark using a special marker in white on the crank so if the belt ever had to come off again, it is easy to align). Is it possible to remove your belt, line up the cam marks, and rotate the crank (very carefully) to achieve TDC, then put the belt on and see if you experience what I had on my 94? On my 2000 for the belt job, all was aligned properly.
 
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A little history might help.

Was the bike running and this is just a timing belt change as routine maintenance?

You might be 180 degrees off on the crankshaft.
 
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TerryS said:
It's been a while since I had an 1100, but aren't there also punch marks on the cam ends that are relevant? As in the gear position of the cam idler gear vs the cams themselves also needs to be correct. When the index mark on the cam idler gear is aligned, the marks on the end of the camshafts should align with the top of the cylinder head.

Also, the crank alignment mark is TF1 for the right cylinder head (with cam idler aligned) but TF4 for the left cylinder head. In your video you have both heads aligned on TF1 so the left head will not be timed correctly. Good thing you turned the engine over witha spanner.
Click to expand...
TerryS said:
It's been a while since I had an 1100, but aren't there also punch marks on the cam ends that are relevant? As in the gear position of the cam idler gear vs the cams themselves also needs to be correct. When the index mark on the cam idler gear is aligned, the marks on the end of the camshafts should align with the top of the cylinder head.

Also, the crank alignment mark is TF1 for the right cylinder head (with cam idler aligned) but TF4 for the left cylinder head. In your video you have both heads aligned on TF1 so the left head will not be timed correctly. Good thing you turned the engine over witha spanner.
Click to expand...
In this guy's video he uses the manual text level at the reassemble of front end yet with my ride lol I don't know I spent 4-5 hours I would rotate the engine at various degrees then reinstalling the belt, I got the muscle memory building up at least yeah?! This video I did the same and realized the pistons only move up and down like 2 inches?!
Anyway here is the dude I followed his steps to confirm which is why I was asking on the starter relay if it clicks with 12 volts or not cause I got a new one and it don't click!
Also wanna ride this week so in a hurry to slap this thing together all pretty.

 
Mike M. said:
A little history might help.

Was the bike running and this is just a timing belt change as routine maintenance?

You might be 180 degrees off on the crankshaft.
Click to expand...
This was a Facebook marketplace 300$$$ ride I snagged up and there were external parts only missing other then fuel pump wiring which should be a quick task to check off.
The valves behave ok and no sign of bent ones maybe lap then if can get it running but... The engine timing was off when got it I THINK I started off sloppy AF.
 
Erdoc48 said:
Not sure if this will help. When I changed the belt on my 94 years ago, the 2 cam marks lined up but the crank mark did not. Not sure it was a factory ‘mistake’, but what I ultimately did was make sure the #1 cylinder was at TDC (put a straw in the spark plug hole) and made sure that piston was all the way to the top. The crank mark remained off, but the cam marks were matched and the engine turned fine manually with the belt on. I asked here and many said to just line everything up. Had I done that, I might have had interference. I guess in retrospect the proper thing to do would have been to break the crank bolt free and re-align the crank mark. I installed the belt with the crank mark ‘off’ and the engine turned fine and has been running well since then (2017 and nearly 20,000 plus miles)- to this day, I’m not sure why the mark was off as I don’t believe anyone else had been in the bike that deep in the past (I had made a new alignment mark using a special marker in white on the crank so if the belt ever had to come off again, it is easy to align). Is it possible to remove your belt, line up the cam marks, and rotate the crank (very carefully) to achieve TDC, then put the belt on and see if you experience what I had on my 94? On my 2000 for the belt job, all was aligned properly.
Click to expand...
The number one cylinder I believe is front right on this one, the bolt I removed to check and it has a groove so it's still making no sense cause the markers there are on, I attempted to rotate on t1 and t4 by eyeing out the pistons reaching point. Like I said though the pistons only move like a few inches it seems while fully rotating though I'ma try and do what one said with a straw in sparkplug hole.
Sounds good I went home defeated though more motivated hearing these replies, maybe it's the valve clearance I'm thinking so took off the right side cams then got too dark to work so in the morning removing the shims to see if it rotated but non were off by more than .002 so it was a last ditch effort to see something positive being bailing on it...
Idk
 
TerryS said:
It's been a while since I had an 1100, but aren't there also punch marks on the cam ends that are relevant? As in the gear position of the cam idler gear vs the cams themselves also needs to be correct. When the index mark on the cam idler gear is aligned, the marks on the end of the camshafts should align with the top of the cylinder head.

Also, the crank alignment mark is TF1 for the right cylinder head (with cam idler aligned) but TF4 for the left cylinder head. In your video you have both heads aligned on TF1 so the left head will not be timed correctly. Good thing you turned the engine over witha spanner.
Click to expand...
It works in this video
but I'll try it
 
andrew24 said:
I have a ST from 95 and am trying to be sure if so this is or not a valve clearance issue?


I rotated it in standard and various other test positions from top dead center front right cylinder #1with this issue, there are no stuck valves I'm assuming it is a valve clearance thing yeah? As ALL marking points to standard of the manual.
Click to expand...
Anyone gotta photo of what the cam arms should be doing at top cent ?
 
andrew24 said:
The number one cylinder I believe is front right on this one, the bolt I removed to check and it has a groove so it's still making no sense cause the markers there are on, I attempted to rotate on t1 and t4 by eyeing out the pistons reaching point. Like I said though the pistons only move like a few inches it seems while fully rotating though I'ma try and do what one said with a straw in sparkplug hole.
Sounds good I went home defeated though more motivated hearing these replies, maybe it's the valve clearance I'm thinking so took off the right side cams then got too dark to work so in the morning removing the shims to see if it rotated but non were off by more than .002 so it was a last ditch effort to see something positive being bailing on it...
Idk
Click to expand...
What cylinder is #1 to you, front right?
 
TerryS said:
It's been a while since I had an 1100, but aren't there also punch marks on the cam ends that are relevant? As in the gear position of the cam idler gear vs the cams themselves also needs to be correct. When the index mark on the cam idler gear is aligned, the marks on the end of the camshafts should align with the top of the cylinder head.

Also, the crank alignment mark is TF1 for the right cylinder head (with cam idler aligned) but TF4 for the left cylinder head. In your video you have both heads aligned on TF1 so the left head will not be timed correctly. Good thing you turned the engine over witha spanner.
Click to expand...
What do you suggest?
 
Erdoc48 said:
Not sure if this will help. When I changed the belt on my 94 years ago, the 2 cam marks lined up but the crank mark did not. Not sure it was a factory ‘mistake’, but what I ultimately did was make sure the #1 cylinder was at TDC (put a straw in the spark plug hole) and made sure that piston was all the way to the top. The crank mark remained off, but the cam marks were matched and the engine turned fine manually with the belt on. I asked here and many said to just line everything up. Had I done that, I might have had interference. I guess in retrospect the proper thing to do would have been to break the crank bolt free and re-align the crank mark. I installed the belt with the crank mark ‘off’ and the engine turned fine and has been running well since then (2017 and nearly 20,000 plus miles)- to this day, I’m not sure why the mark was off as I don’t believe anyone else had been in the bike that deep in the past (I had made a new alignment mark using a special marker in white on the crank so if the belt ever had to come off again, it is easy to align). Is it possible to remove your belt, line up the cam marks, and rotate the crank (very carefully) to achieve TDC, then put the belt on and see if you experience what I had on my 94? On my 2000 for the belt job, all was aligned properly.
Click to expand...
I had attempted this, so it's gotta be valves like the spacing shims hell I'll figure out tomorrow for sure with all the trouble shooting.
 
Nah they on as mentioned all 7 markers were set to complete the task which seems simple though something going on and it's pissing me off.
 
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