Hi All,
Well time to do a brain dump. This isn't a step by step. It's things I learned after I knew the procedurs on how to properly check the valve clearance. RTFM!!! Checking valve clearances is one of those chores that not a lot of riders tackle on their own but I've now done them twice with assistance and may be going solo the next time around. However I wanted to at least put some notes down so someone can point me to my own post, again, the next time I do this.
Taking the side cowlings off is always a chore. You don't need to remove the airbox if you're not pulling the right bank so hold off until you've done the measurements.
You can't rush this job and it took me took weeks because I had to order some of my shims. Some dealers will trade shims with you so call around and you might get lucky. I found a dealer that would but they only had shims in .050 increments. I think you will find this with most kits also. Honda however has them in .025 increments. This is important because you want to center the clearance if you can and .050 could push you out of tolerance. I had two that valves that I needed a 1.475mm shim so I ordered them. They are pricey at $9/each but if you ordered online you could get cheaper but then there's shipping.
Checking the clearances is an art more than a science. Using an angled feeler gauge helps for me but you can do it with the straight ones if they are long enough. I bought the angled feeler gauge set they sell at Sears however it only goes to .005in which is the lower limit on the intakes so I wanted one below that in case the intake was really tight. I bought their straight set also and removed the .004 and bent it myself. Not perfect but good enough. The other part about measuring the clearance is that you only have 3 feeler gauges to measure your clearances (intakes, .005in, .006in, .007in and exhausts .009in, .010in, .011in). However the shims come in millimeters so you have to convert everything to metric. The feeler gauges also have millimeters on them but I try to guess the clearance in .005mm increments. I'm not explaining this well at all but I'll continue.
So if you're measuring and looking at the millimeters on the feeler gauge and trying to ballpark the clearance between two feeler gauges you can have up to 5 measurements. The example would be measuring an intake that seems to be between the .005in feeler gauge and the .006in feeler gauge. .001in is .0254mm so if you're trying to get it within .005mm there's 5 possible readings between those two. .127mm to .152mm is the range you're looking at there with the .005in an .006in feeler gauges. I would estimate and use these values (.125, .130, .135, .140, .145, .150mm). Now if you put in the feeler gauge and it goes in with some drag what is the clearance? If it's a very light drag I might go closer to .125 but if there's more I'll go more towards the .150 value. The intake can go from .130mm to .190mm. You have to guess and sticking to the .005 increments will make it easier. This will be important if you have to replace the shim because you don't want to overshoot the clearance. Ideally you would like shims to come in .005mm increments but the come in .025mm increments. Here's an example of one of my intakes.
Intake 4-1 (first intake valve on cylinder 4)
Measured Clearance: 0.130mm (this is the lower limit so I decided to change it)
Original Shim: 1.850mm (this was the size of the shim that was on that valve but you don't know that until you pull it and you can't calculate your new shim value until you know the old one)
Now I needed to calculate the new shim size. This formula is in the service manual. A = (B - C) + D
A = New Shim Size
B = Measured Clearance (.130mm)
C = Nominal Clearance from Spec (for intake .160mm)
D = Original Shim Size (1.850mm)
A = (.130 - .160) + 1.850mm = 1.820mm
So if I replaced the 1.850mm shim with a 1.820mm shim the clearance should then measure out to .160mm which is exactly in spec. However you can only get shims in .025 increments so we have to choose a shim using those increments and then recalculate the new clearance with that shim size to make sure we're still within spec and hopefully a little more than nominal since the valves tend to tighten up over time. So here's the run down:
.160mm clearance if shim is at 1.820mm
1.850mm = .130 (edge of lower spec and original shim)
1.825mm = .155 (pretty good and maybe the best choice)
1.820mm = .160 (perfect but can't get a shim in this size)
1.800mm = .180 (this is still good but getting towards upper spec of .190)
1.775mm = .205 (out of spec)
This math crap is for the birds. If you search for valve clearance spreadsheet you'll find a spreadsheet I've set up to do all this pretty much for you with color coding to tell you when something is out of spec or getting close.
So it appears like you would probably go with 1.825mm because that puts you within .005 of nominal and I would have except that I was wanted to get this job finished so I had to settle for what the dealer had. Since they only have shims in .050 increments I only had one choice (unless I wanted to keep the original shim in) which was the 1.800mm shim. I put that one in and then remeasured after I was all done. It actually measured out to .185mm or maybe even .190mm so you can see that I might have been better to wait and get the 1.825mm shim but I'm still withing spec and since the clearances tend to tighten up I'm not really worried about it. So you can see if you think you can run to the dealer on the weekend to get the shims you need you might have to make these kinds of decisions on whether to order the .025 shim you need or settle for the one the dealer has. Now the service department might have some used .025 and that's ok but measure them to be sure.
This is in the manual but shims are marked in the following fashion:
Actual Size = Shim Marking
1.800mm = 180
1.825mm = 182
1.850mm = 185
1.875mm = 188
1.900mm = 190
So if you are looking at used shims then realize they are marked in this fashion and use a micrometer or digital calipers to make sure it's the size you expect it to be.
Ok enough on over anal-yzing shims.
When putting everything back together we had some issues. One was the cam chain tensioner. There is a release mechanism for each bank. The left bank one is located on the lower left of the engine. The right one however is located on top of the engine just forward of the throttle body assembly and is very hard to get to but you can get to it with a 10" x 3/16" wide screwdriver after you remove the 8mm bolt and sealing washer that cover the hole (Here's a link to the 8" version which would probably work. There is a slot in there to turn the release so that you can put slack in the cam chain enough to remove it. If you're going to use a screwdriver to do this you'll need someone to hold it so the chain stays slack. You should also have one other person help hold the chain while you remove the cams. There is a special tool to hold the cam chain in place but it costs $40 and it tends to fall out on the left side and is impossible to get into the right side release without removing the throttle bodies and coolant tubes on the top of the engine. So you're best bet is to have someone use a screwdriver and hold it while you and another person removes the cams.
The other hard part came when we went to put cam holder A back in. There are two cam holders (A and B) and then both have finely machined guide pins. If you are just a little off it will cause one side to go in before the other and then jam so that you can't get the other side down which causes you to pull it out and start over. After trying to do it by hand several times we finally decided to make sure the cover was aligned by setting the guide pins into their holes and then slowly worked each of the 8 bolts in a criss cross pattern until the cover seated itself. This method seem to work very well. You just have to turn one a quarter turn and then make sure to snug up all the other ones. Then turn the next bolt in the pattern a quarter turn and snug up the rest again. We also did this for the B holder but that one was a little easier. What you want to make sure of is that you do NOT get is cocked-eyed in there while you're doing that or you'll jam it up good and it will be very hard to get out.
After everything was back in we measured everything again. Some of the values definitely changed even on the ones that we didn't touch so it is important to check all of the clearances again just make sure you didn't do something like put a shim in the wrong place or forget to actually put a shim in. Like who would ever do that.
Ok that's some notes for people that want to consider tackling this.
Later,
Curt
Well time to do a brain dump. This isn't a step by step. It's things I learned after I knew the procedurs on how to properly check the valve clearance. RTFM!!! Checking valve clearances is one of those chores that not a lot of riders tackle on their own but I've now done them twice with assistance and may be going solo the next time around. However I wanted to at least put some notes down so someone can point me to my own post, again, the next time I do this.
Taking the side cowlings off is always a chore. You don't need to remove the airbox if you're not pulling the right bank so hold off until you've done the measurements.
You can't rush this job and it took me took weeks because I had to order some of my shims. Some dealers will trade shims with you so call around and you might get lucky. I found a dealer that would but they only had shims in .050 increments. I think you will find this with most kits also. Honda however has them in .025 increments. This is important because you want to center the clearance if you can and .050 could push you out of tolerance. I had two that valves that I needed a 1.475mm shim so I ordered them. They are pricey at $9/each but if you ordered online you could get cheaper but then there's shipping.
Checking the clearances is an art more than a science. Using an angled feeler gauge helps for me but you can do it with the straight ones if they are long enough. I bought the angled feeler gauge set they sell at Sears however it only goes to .005in which is the lower limit on the intakes so I wanted one below that in case the intake was really tight. I bought their straight set also and removed the .004 and bent it myself. Not perfect but good enough. The other part about measuring the clearance is that you only have 3 feeler gauges to measure your clearances (intakes, .005in, .006in, .007in and exhausts .009in, .010in, .011in). However the shims come in millimeters so you have to convert everything to metric. The feeler gauges also have millimeters on them but I try to guess the clearance in .005mm increments. I'm not explaining this well at all but I'll continue.
So if you're measuring and looking at the millimeters on the feeler gauge and trying to ballpark the clearance between two feeler gauges you can have up to 5 measurements. The example would be measuring an intake that seems to be between the .005in feeler gauge and the .006in feeler gauge. .001in is .0254mm so if you're trying to get it within .005mm there's 5 possible readings between those two. .127mm to .152mm is the range you're looking at there with the .005in an .006in feeler gauges. I would estimate and use these values (.125, .130, .135, .140, .145, .150mm). Now if you put in the feeler gauge and it goes in with some drag what is the clearance? If it's a very light drag I might go closer to .125 but if there's more I'll go more towards the .150 value. The intake can go from .130mm to .190mm. You have to guess and sticking to the .005 increments will make it easier. This will be important if you have to replace the shim because you don't want to overshoot the clearance. Ideally you would like shims to come in .005mm increments but the come in .025mm increments. Here's an example of one of my intakes.
Intake 4-1 (first intake valve on cylinder 4)
Measured Clearance: 0.130mm (this is the lower limit so I decided to change it)
Original Shim: 1.850mm (this was the size of the shim that was on that valve but you don't know that until you pull it and you can't calculate your new shim value until you know the old one)
Now I needed to calculate the new shim size. This formula is in the service manual. A = (B - C) + D
A = New Shim Size
B = Measured Clearance (.130mm)
C = Nominal Clearance from Spec (for intake .160mm)
D = Original Shim Size (1.850mm)
A = (.130 - .160) + 1.850mm = 1.820mm
So if I replaced the 1.850mm shim with a 1.820mm shim the clearance should then measure out to .160mm which is exactly in spec. However you can only get shims in .025 increments so we have to choose a shim using those increments and then recalculate the new clearance with that shim size to make sure we're still within spec and hopefully a little more than nominal since the valves tend to tighten up over time. So here's the run down:
.160mm clearance if shim is at 1.820mm
1.850mm = .130 (edge of lower spec and original shim)
1.825mm = .155 (pretty good and maybe the best choice)
1.820mm = .160 (perfect but can't get a shim in this size)
1.800mm = .180 (this is still good but getting towards upper spec of .190)
1.775mm = .205 (out of spec)
This math crap is for the birds. If you search for valve clearance spreadsheet you'll find a spreadsheet I've set up to do all this pretty much for you with color coding to tell you when something is out of spec or getting close.
So it appears like you would probably go with 1.825mm because that puts you within .005 of nominal and I would have except that I was wanted to get this job finished so I had to settle for what the dealer had. Since they only have shims in .050 increments I only had one choice (unless I wanted to keep the original shim in) which was the 1.800mm shim. I put that one in and then remeasured after I was all done. It actually measured out to .185mm or maybe even .190mm so you can see that I might have been better to wait and get the 1.825mm shim but I'm still withing spec and since the clearances tend to tighten up I'm not really worried about it. So you can see if you think you can run to the dealer on the weekend to get the shims you need you might have to make these kinds of decisions on whether to order the .025 shim you need or settle for the one the dealer has. Now the service department might have some used .025 and that's ok but measure them to be sure.
This is in the manual but shims are marked in the following fashion:
Actual Size = Shim Marking
1.800mm = 180
1.825mm = 182
1.850mm = 185
1.875mm = 188
1.900mm = 190
So if you are looking at used shims then realize they are marked in this fashion and use a micrometer or digital calipers to make sure it's the size you expect it to be.
Ok enough on over anal-yzing shims.
When putting everything back together we had some issues. One was the cam chain tensioner. There is a release mechanism for each bank. The left bank one is located on the lower left of the engine. The right one however is located on top of the engine just forward of the throttle body assembly and is very hard to get to but you can get to it with a 10" x 3/16" wide screwdriver after you remove the 8mm bolt and sealing washer that cover the hole (Here's a link to the 8" version which would probably work. There is a slot in there to turn the release so that you can put slack in the cam chain enough to remove it. If you're going to use a screwdriver to do this you'll need someone to hold it so the chain stays slack. You should also have one other person help hold the chain while you remove the cams. There is a special tool to hold the cam chain in place but it costs $40 and it tends to fall out on the left side and is impossible to get into the right side release without removing the throttle bodies and coolant tubes on the top of the engine. So you're best bet is to have someone use a screwdriver and hold it while you and another person removes the cams.
The other hard part came when we went to put cam holder A back in. There are two cam holders (A and B) and then both have finely machined guide pins. If you are just a little off it will cause one side to go in before the other and then jam so that you can't get the other side down which causes you to pull it out and start over. After trying to do it by hand several times we finally decided to make sure the cover was aligned by setting the guide pins into their holes and then slowly worked each of the 8 bolts in a criss cross pattern until the cover seated itself. This method seem to work very well. You just have to turn one a quarter turn and then make sure to snug up all the other ones. Then turn the next bolt in the pattern a quarter turn and snug up the rest again. We also did this for the B holder but that one was a little easier. What you want to make sure of is that you do NOT get is cocked-eyed in there while you're doing that or you'll jam it up good and it will be very hard to get out.
After everything was back in we measured everything again. Some of the values definitely changed even on the ones that we didn't touch so it is important to check all of the clearances again just make sure you didn't do something like put a shim in the wrong place or forget to actually put a shim in. Like who would ever do that.
Ok that's some notes for people that want to consider tackling this.
Later,
Curt
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