[ShrunkenHead]

alrighty, so I'm doin my first valve job on my 2000 S3. I tore the top end off and started measuring with the feeler gauge and now I'm a little confused. Most of the exhaust side was about .008mm (spec is .15-.2mm) and most of the intakes were about .006 mm (spec is .1-.15mm). Now i'm not an engine guy and don't know much, but I thought going in there that the gap would increase over time rather than decrease. So what happens to close the gap over time?

I haven't taken out the shims and measured them with the micrometer yet but when I do, do I have to put them back in before I take the valve tool off? or can I go through and remove them all first, then go buy new ones, and then replace them all?

-Thanks
-Tony

 

[Chewie.]

So what happens to close the gap over time?

-Thanks
-Tony

The valves settle deeper into the head over time, thus reducing the gap. That is very normal

 

[HarryD]

Tony,
I am still researching the purchase of an S3, but from what I have already learned, you SHOULD NOT rotate the cams without the shims in place. Doing so would damage the cam lobes.
It is my understanding that you should remove and them replace each shim after measuring them, "mapping" out the thicknesses as well as location so that you can determine which shims you can move to other locations and which will need replacing with new ones.

 

[J-Pip]

Just a note about the shims, they do not measure up exactly to the number marked on the shim. I was told there may be a tolerance at the factory, I just went by the marking. But yes pull the shim, note the size and put it back.

 

[dr_gallup]

alrighty, so I'm doin my first valve job on my 2000 S3. I tore the top end off and started measuring with the feeler gauge and now I'm a little confused. Most of the exhaust side was about .008mm (spec is .15-.2mm) and most of the intakes were about .006 mm (spec is .1-.15mm). Now i'm not an engine guy and don't know much, but I thought going in there that the gap would increase over time rather than decrease. So what happens to close the gap over time?

I haven't taken out the shims and measured them with the micrometer yet but when I do, do I have to put them back in before I take the valve tool off? or can I go through and remove them all first, then go buy new ones, and then replace them all?

-Thanks
-Tony

Tony - Are you mixing units there? Are you sure the exhaust clearance is .008 mm? That is 8 microns and incredibly tight. I suspect you are using imperial feeler gauges and it is .008 inches which is .20 mm. Similarly your intakes are .006 inches = .15 mm

 

[Jaket]

if the valvesystem is made with shims it usually never increases the clearance, only situation is if the valves get lot of carbon deposit and are not seating well.

during actions the valves hammer deeper into head and valve clearance get tighter. Some people say they can hear if the valves are off, that is bullshit, because the thighter they get, the more silent they become. When they go too tight and cam lobes start to wear out. That is the point then the sound changes. and that is too late.

actually many bikes that I have adjusted was lightly more noisy after the adjustment, because the caps where bigger after the adjustment.

If the cap goes looser, then there can be something wrong with the valve(bent or lot of carbon on it).

that is also the reason that if the adjustment is at .15 minimum, i would not adjust it. I would just drive 10k more and check it again.

Jaket.

 

[AlaskaS3]

Little help please. I've never actually used feeler gauges before. How much resistance am I to expect? I know there should be some, but obviously I shouldn't need to cram the feeler in there correct? If I'm doing this right, then all of my exhaust valves are @ .006", just a few thousandths tight. Intake was all @ .006" also.

 

[J-Pip]

When I did mine I first read it in inches and not mm. I was shocked. make sure you're reading the clearances with a metric feeler. You may have but you posted in inches with .006"

 

[APtech77]

You should feel a slight drag in the blade of the feeler gauges as you move it in and out. NOT tight and NOT sloppy loose. It's all in the feel, no pun intended.

 

[Martin_R]

if the valvesystem is made with shims it usually never increases the clearance, only situation is if the valves get lot of carbon deposit and are not seating well.

Aside from this general observation, does anyone have any first hand experience on 1050 valves. Which direction the clearances travel over time?

Just measured mine. A 1050 with a bit over 20000km + Wayne's dyno_49 tune. Worth noting that the bike has recently had 20000km service and service guy said that valves were checked and within spec. Obviously they did not even lift the valve cover. :finger:

0.33 0.33 0.33 0.33 0.33 0.38 <-EXT (SPEC 0.20-0.30)
0.18 0.18 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.20 <-IN (SPEC 0.10-0.20)

What's up with exhaust valve #6?
???

Any idea in just removing exhaust cam to avoid confusion with the chain position?

 

[Guest]

I'd leave 'em alone. they get tighter with miles. just my 02

 

[Martin_R]

I'd leave 'em alone. they get tighter with miles. just my 02

That's what I thought at first but the 0.38 exhaust valve looks a bit too much out of spec for comfort and if I am going to do that, I might as well do them all.

Also I doubt the exhaust valves are getting tighter over time. They would have had to be way out of spec from factory as they have not yet even fallen in spec range during 20000km+.

 

[premier]

Quit touching your valve!

 

[Martin_R]

0.33 0.33 0.33 0.33 0.33 0.38 <-EXT (SPEC 0.20-0.30)
0.18 0.18 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.20 <-IN (SPEC 0.10-0.20)

Finally buttoning her back up. Exhaust valves now at ~0.27 and intakes at ~0.17.

While doing reassembly, I noticed that the service bible says "Use new fixing" on the cam chain top pad to head torx bolt torque specs. So 1 out of the 19 bolts is some stretching jobbie? Did you guys reuse the old bolt? And it handled the 10Nm torque fine?

I am itching to fire her up, and hunting/ordering 1 tiny bolt might be more than my patience can handle at this point.
;D

 

[HarriS]

Checked the valves at 19500km and all were on the upper end of the tolerance. That is intakes at ~0.2mm and exhausts ~0.3mm.

 

[Jaket]

factory probably adjust them to the maximum.

Of course there may be little tuning to be made. it you adjust them all to min, you get more lift, but the difference is so minimal, that it probably doesn't help shit.

Couple of years ago I was doing the first adjustment for TL1000S valves. some of them needed adjusting, but what was amazing is that when I looked the factory shims I noticed that all of them where the same. I think the factory tolerances are so exact that they don't need to adjust them at all. they just build every part so exactly that the engine can be assembled with one size shims?

But it's probably possible, because modern machining can easily reach tolerance of 0.01mm or even 0.001mm, so targetin between 0.10 to 0.20 is not that hard.?

 

[Martin_R]

Couple of years ago I was doing the first adjustment for TL1000S valves. some of them needed adjusting, but what was amazing is that when I looked the factory shims I noticed that all of them where the same. I think the factory tolerances are so exact that they don't need to adjust them at all. they just build every part so exactly that the engine can be assembled with one size shims?

That may be true at the Suzi factory, but my 1050 had a mixed bag of 245 to 286 shims from Hinckley. All intake and all exhaust clearances were roughly in the same ballpark, except the rightmost pot's rightmost intake and exhaust which were more out than others.

 

[HarriS]

I am not truly sure how they do it in the factory but certainly they do not asseble it, then measure, disassemble and adjust. Most likely they measure the valve height or something and pick the shims accordinly.

 

[DirtMcGirt]

You should feel a slight drag in the blade of the feeler gauges as you move it in and out. NOT tight and NOT sloppy loose. It's all in the feel, no pun intended.

alright slow it WAY down and use that sexy voice :jerkoff:

:slap:

:fingure: