Just to be sure: did you allow the motor to cool overnight before checking clearances? Valve measurements must be done on a dead cold engine; if your motor wasn't cold, that could account for the difference.

Otherwise, I would go ahead & go back in. It may be only .02mm out, but there's only a .05mm range that's considered acceptable...

Cheers, HTH,
-Kit

 

Thanks Kit,

Yes the bike was left overnight before I started the next day. I agree with you that the tolerance is very fine and there's a reason for in being 0.05mm.

Is there any easy way to get the shims out of the buckets using a shim bucket compression, as although the cam lobe was pointing away from the shim / bucket and plenty of room to extract the shim, I just couldn't seperate the shim from it's bucket and I didn't want to use excess force and end-up having to replace the bucket due to a burr ?

cheers
Steve

 

I know there's a special tool for it, but it seems like about half the people who get the tool decide that it's easier to take the cams out. Otherwise, perhaps someone else will speak up here, as I've only done it cams out myself.

Cheers,
-Kit

 

A metal tooth pic or the like in the bucket cut out and a magnetic pick up tool are used to free and lift the shim away from the bucket...

But it is a complete pain and access to some makes it even harder...so it's cams out for me too, I would say as you have the cover off and get back in there adjust those out of spec. That way you then know you can bolt it all back together and not have to worry for the next 6-12K..

Cams out would be the same for shim under bucket on a lot more modern stuff...the more you do it the easier it gets.

Good luck
Mot

 

I have done the valves on my 1200 and my 900 useing the special
tool which works a treat but as you found out getting the shim out
is a pain .The reason being theres a layer of oil betrean the bucket
and shim causeing a suction i use a magnet and a dental type
scraper/pick as mentioned by MOT.
It take,s a bit of time but i don,t like to disturb the cams.
I find the 1200 although haveing more valves to check is easier
to do as there seems to be more room .


reguards
bj biker

 

For me it's cams out also. But, either way, you want to set your valve clearance to as close to the outside range as possable(.15 int, .2 exh). The valve clearences tighten with wear, not loosen. I would rather be .01-.02 over than under.

Erv
Deep in the Heart of Texas!!

 

burnt intakes?

I find it interesting that there is a noticeable growth to the valve shims during opperation of the engine. I was unaware that they experienced the kind of growth that new heads do during break-in periods, as the metal grows slightly with intense heat, but as far as burned out intake valves, I would have to disagree. There is a lot of cool vapor behind them keeping intake temperatures lower than the exhaust valve's temp. In fact, the big concern to me is valve-float keeping an intake from fully seating and causing ignition through in intake porting. I have always adjusted the exhaust to be a little more loose because of the heat and the fact that I like to run low back pressure exhaust. Without those normally present exhaust fumes keeping the exhaust side temps lower, there is a risk of overheating the normally super-hot exhaust valves without the back pressure and cooking the seats, while beginning the pop-pop-pop sounds of the open exhaust cycles mostly during trailing throttle for the scavanging factors of race exhaust. I'll bet you that if you removed the head, any build-up would be found only on the intake valves, but ultimately the valve clearance will increase and tap as material is being removed from a relationship between heat friction and lubrication. I've never heard of burned intake valves, but then again that bike probably being running on the raod. I do hear the Harley guys doing pop-pop stop from those drag pipes and the close tolerances that get set for those machines. Another big concern for me is what happens to the valves when a bike sits for a while. One of those valves is fully compressed all the time, and that has to prematurely wear-out the spring strength. I'd spin it every few weeks or so to quote Sam from the Lord of the Rings, "share the load...", right?

 

Hi,

Can anybody offer any hints / tips on adjusting valve clearances on my 97 Trident ?

Steve

This article may help if you have not read it: http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/valves/

 

Thanks to all for the good advice and help. The web link was very useful. I agree the tolerance really demands that these are kept in-check and I’ll go back in and re-adjust my two inlets that are 0.02 out.

One final question to the forum, for those that pull the cams rather than use an in situ adjustment tool; has anybody ever experienced a clearance that was originally inside tolerance limits (before pulling the cams) that has later changed to outside tolerance limits (after re-fitting the cams)?

I have and I’m wondering that I may have applied a little too much (or too little) torque to the cam bearing support covers (especially the centre ones on the inlet cam where there’s almost no room to get a Allen key in let alone a torque spanner)?

Cheers
Steve

 

Steve,
I havn't had any probs with that. Just make SURE all the parts(buckets and caps) go back in their original positions and that all the caps are fully seated before torqueing. Also, make sure all the shims are fully seated(you should be able to spin them in the bucket). Torque for the caps is pretty low(10 Nm/7 ftlbs), you allmost don't need a torque wrench for them.

Erv
Deep in the Heart of Texas!!

 

intakes with no tolerance !

Two years ago my bike become to start difficult when the engine is cold. So I check the valves. 5 of intakes was with 0 (zero) tolerance. Odometer shows 77000km. Exhaust valves was just fine.
I remove intace camshaft and change the shims. Whit all valves at corect tolerance, the bike run nice, with not problems at all. The intakes are not burn out.
Now I have 114600km on my odometer. Last week I have little problem starting the cold engine. First thing that come to my mind is "not the valves again". But after short ride, I figured out poor behavior in low rpm and in acseleration from low rpm.
I believe that this time I must check the carbs, because i have covered 90000km on my bike, since I have it, and I never check the carbs...

 

Two years ago my bike become to start difficult when the engine is cold. So I check the valves. 5 of intakes was with 0 (zero) tolerance. Odometer shows 77000km. Exhaust valves was just fine.
I remove intake camshaft and change the shims. Whit all valves at corect tolerance, the bike run nice, with not problems at all. The intakes are not burn out.
Now I have 114600km on my odometer. Last week I have little problem starting the cold engine. First thing that come to my mind is "not the valves again". But after short ride, I figured out poor behavior in low rpm and in acceleration from low rpm.
I believe that this time I must check the carbs, because i have covered 90000km on my bike, since I have it, and I never check the carbs...

No it's not the carbs. I check the valves. Again intake valves with no tolerance - 4 of all 6. I replace the shims. The bike run well, but I'm not happy. One of the shims is 2.20 after this second adjustment (2.70mm when was new). Dropping 0.50mm just in two adjustments.
I believe I must change the valves after Year or two. Any other suggestions ?

 

Regarding the shims and clearances, you may have gotten bad ones from the dealer. I bought a micrometer for the change, which was crap, but at least consistent. When I brought home the three allegedly 2.65 shims I had purchased. One was at least three hundredths thinner than the other two. I suspect the others were actually in the 2.64 range as well. My intake clearances are a little excessive now but since I was correcting for tightness, I am OK with it until I get some other stuff done. BTW, the tool worked great for me and that was the first time I have been in the engine case of a motorcycle. The comment about getting picks was dead on. I used something similar to break the oil tension and they came right out.

 

Ahhhhh - Help

Guys,

Thanks for all of the responses and advice, but disaster has struck...

Now that I've got all of the valve cleareneces spot-on, I've found after replacing the cam cover for the final time that two of the cam cover bolts no longer tighten correctly ...

After inspection two threads (in the two cam caps furtherest from the cam sprockets) on exhaust and inlet cam caps has sheered, even though I only torqued them to 8 NM (2 NM less than the manual)!!

What's my options:

1. Heli-coil the damaged threads (if so does anybody know the correct size, i.e. M6 1.75) ?

2. Replace the two damaged cam caps. Not sure if anybody has done this or can advise if this is possible?

I recall reading somewhere that the cam bearings, both in the cyclinder head and in the cam caps are machined for each specific cyclinder head. Therefore, if any damage occurs to a camshaft cap, the whole cyclinder head needs to be replaced - can anybody confirm this or is Triumph being a little over cautious ?

Any help / gudience appreciated here, as I'm now off the road and keen to get this fixed a.s.a.p.

Cheers
Steve

 

Steve through no fault of my own I too had to drill & helicoil 2 cam caps that threaded..!! I did a little write up on my site under "Helicoil" once removed you could do them or easily drop them in somewhere for them to work on...? They are M6 1.0 pitch & yes better to repair the existing ones as they pair with your cams ;-)

All the best with it..oh and needless to say clean out any chaff etc V carefully too

 

Thanks MotT3 for the sound advice, especially the thread size. I'll get them heli-coiled a.s.a.p.

Cheers
Steve

 

Reagrding the valve clearances being different after putting the cams back in:
I just did my clearances today on my speedmaster, and one of the things you have to remember, when you have your new shims in, is to turn the crankshaft a few revolutions before you check the clearances. That gets everything well seated. All my clearances were smack-dab-on the first time and I had changed 7 out of the 8.