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From: john@pbpra.UUCP (John D. Carmichael)
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: Re: Shims
Message-ID: <111@pbpra.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Mar-86 19:26:59 EST
Article-I.D.: pbpra.111
Posted: Mon Mar 24 19:26:59 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Mar-86 04:49:31 EST
References: <8800034@uiucdcs>
Reply-To: john@pbpra.UUCP (John D. Carmichael)
Organization: Pacific * Bell PROMIS, Concord
Lines: 79
Keywords: shims, dealers

In article <8800034@uiucdcs> schwager@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU writes:
>
>.
>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.
   
     I got fed up with dealer service on my Yamaha FJ1100 too.  Expensive
and shoddy for the most part.  I decided to adjust the valves myself,
although I'd never done it before.

	The toughest part (on my FJ) is getting all the little pieces off
so you can get to the valve covers. The tank is also a bear (next time
I'll make sure it's empty...it weighs a ton).  You should have the
mechanics manual on your bike,  as it will tell you where to position
the crank to measure the valve clearance and you need the lookup chart
for the shim sizes.  

	Tools/supplies required: screw driver, feeler guage, assorted wrenches,
special tool to hold down valves (see your dealer, cost ~$16), magnetic
probe to grab the shims, mechanics manual.  You may also need a new valve cover 
gasket (~$19 on my FJ, aayeeee!).  Shims at ~$4.00 (buy these last). 
Gasket sealer to keep oil from leaking.
	
	On my FJ there are 16 of the little mothers, but note 
that the shims for exhaust and intake are identical (they 
come in various sizes however).  For the most part,
these shims do not wear out.  The dealer even offered to take
my old ones in exchange for the new sizes I needed, but I didn't have
time to do the job in one day.

	You measure the present valve clearance (jot down the present
clearance , and if it's out of spec, you take out the shim.  There is 
a trick to taking out the shim that my manual didn't tell me. 
Before you tighten the special tool to hold down the valves, you 
rotate the shim and the gizmo it's seated in until a notch about 4mm wide 
by 2 mm deep is visible. Use a screw driver to rotate this (the cam 
lobe should not be contacting the shim, or it will be difficult to 
rotate). It is IMPORTANT to have this notch in position (as I found out), 
because otherwise it is virtually impossible to pry the shim out!

Once you have the shim out you look at the number on the bottom of 
the shim (states the thickness), and look in a chart in your mechanics
manual.  This chart will then tell you the size of the shim that should
go in there.  Do not rotate the cam shaft lobes onto the valves unless
a shim is present.

	From the factory, my FJ had several different size shims in it,
Since some of the shims that were the wrong size at one valve location
were also the right size for a different valve, I was able to swap
them around and avoid buying new ones.  This is why you measure everything
first and then go buy the shims you need.  It might be easier to
have a few extra at the start, since you can't take them all out and
rotate the camshaft. 

	Once you've got the new shims in, check the clearances again.
Occasionally, you'll have to get a slightly larger or smaller shim than
you originally estimated.  Save any left over shims for next time.

	When replacing the valve cover, I recommend some gasket
sealer on the rubber seals surrounding the mounting bolts.  This is
where most of the oil leaks from.  The actual valve cover doesn't
leak perceptibly.  The gasket should only have gasket sealer on one 
side (the side next to the cover).  I was able to reuse my 
gasket, so I'm stuck with an extra one...oh well.

	The end result: one weekend (1-3 hours for you experts),
one $16 tool, and two $4 shims later and everything works great!

	I had the dealer do the adustment at 600 miles ($105 on my FJ), 
but after that it's cheaper and more satisfying to do most work myself.
I do better work than they do anyway!




			John D. Carmichael, PacBell
			dual!ptsfa!pbmnms!john or dual!ptsfa!pbpra!john
			voice: (415)-823-2822