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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ihlpa!animal
From: animal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr)
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: Re: Shims
Message-ID: <1202@ihlpa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Mar-86 15:45:08 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlpa.1202
Posted: Mon Mar 17 15:45:08 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Mar-86 04:52:37 EST
References: <8800034@uiucdcs>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 46

> 
> .
> Anybody have experience working on valves that use shims?  I'm thinking
> of getting a Kawasaki KZ750 and the valve adjustment on those uses
> shims.  But I don't want to have to bring it in to a dealership every
> 3000 or 6000 miles and pay them exorbitant amounts of money for a
> little work.  So can the average joe do it?  If I have to keep $20
> of spare shims around, no big deal.  I figure I'll make up the price
> after just a couple of tune ups by saving on labor.  What's the straight
> scoop?  Thanks for the help, as always!

Checking the valves is not all that difficult.  I'm not totally familiar with 
the KZ750 top end, but if it's like either the KZ900 I used to ride or the 
KZ650 I used to maintain for someone else, it's just time-consuming.  You
have to remove the gas tank (easy) and cam cover (many bolts but easy) and
gasket (difficult, but you only do it once--then you glue the new gasket to
the cover with weatherstrip cement and put silicone seal (easily separated
next time) on the other side) to get to the valves.  Then you just spin the
engine around (with the kickstarter or that big nut on the crankshaft) and
check the clearances when the valves are fully closed.  

The odds are that once you get out of initial break-in (say, 5000 miles)
the clearances will be fine.  These shim-type arrangements wear very slowly,
and I know lots of people who go 20000 miles before needing an adjustment.
So you may decide it's best at this point to check them yourself and go 
to the dealer for adjustments if you find them off.

If you decide to do the adjustment yourself, you'll probably have to remove
the camshafts (eight bolts each, and you need a torque wrench to reinstall).
There's a chance that the shims will be on top of the lifters, in which case
you can use a special tool to remove them without pulling the cams (is this
a 750 4-cylinder or the very non-current twin?), but I wouldn't bet on it.
The camshaft R&R's not all that difficult really, but there is a bit of work
needed to re-establish valve timing when you put them in (line up crank at
THIS mark, pull chain tight, line up one camshaft HERE and bolt it down, 
count so many links on the cam chain, line that up with THAT tooth on the
other cam, bolt it down and torque everything down in sequence).  By all
means get the FACTORY service manual for torque values, clearances and
timing marks.

In my experience with Kawasaki fours, the check takes about two hours the
first time and 45 minutes once you get the hang of it.  The adjustment
takes about half an hour more, not counting the trip to the dealer for
shims (and the trip to the other dealer when the first dealer you go to
doesn't have the one you need).  Add more time to this estimate if you've
got a lot of fiberglass junk surrouding the engine.