Tips, tricks, or suggestions on getting value shims out?

I am follow the guide here:

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html

(Thank you for this Fritz)

I am using the valve shim tool purchased through this site and I am still having a bear of a time popping the sims out.

Are there any tricks or suggestions the more experienced mechanics might have?

Thank you

 

Get a can of compressed air from your local office supply. put a rag over your (engine) head and aim the tube from the can into the little slot on your shim bucket. Pull the trigger, then have a "why didn't I think of that" moment.

 

Pop the shim up with a small screwdriver that has been ground into a chisel shape, then extract the shim with a magnetic device like this:



Despite the usual claim, merely touching a shim with a magnet for extraction will not magnetize the shim (they are not made from the sort of steel that magnetizes easily, or permanently)

 

I thought you weren't supposed to use anything magnetic on the valves??

 

O I didn't see the bottom line. 8O

 

I used a piece of 18G wire. They wouldn't come out one way, so I pushed them out the other. Doing valves on the bike wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

 

It just sounds scary "doing the valves"

 

Yeah, I thought the valves would be scary, but this project has been less overwhelming than I thought it would be. Sure, it's claimed some blood (scrapped a finger turning crankshaft) but I consider that a good sign.

Now the carbs, which is my next project after the valves, those seem a little overwhelming.

And to be clear, getting them out once they are popped is not the issue. I have a set of needle nose pliers which seem to have worked well on the two shims I was able to get out. It's the popping them up enough to get to them with the pliers is where where I am having the difficulty.

I've give the above suggestions a shot on Monday after I rest of from my Sunday 24 hour shift.

 

The buckets have a little spot to slip Little screw driver and pop the shim out, tkealook and you can spin the bucket with the screwdriver u til you get it in the right place.

 

In the slot Ecologito referred to, I use the largest Jewelers Screwdriver and a pair of angled forceps that clamp. Sometimes I had to gently tap the screwdriver with a small hammer to "pop" the shim up. Just remember brute force will equal new problems that it creates. Take you time, don't get frustrated.

Hope this helps...

 

Yup, right there!

 

Sable,

Sometimes the shims ARE really tight in the bucket (not the clearance, the diameter.....) and so you just have to work at it. Others pop very easily.

I use a very thing screwdriver that fits the slot and the gap under the shim edge and then tap it with a hammer til it pops.

Sometimes there just isnt enough clearance, so I have to tap the shim back down a bit and rotate the cam to push the bucket back down. I do that to get the the zip-tie in a bit farther to hold the bucket down a bit farther. That gives me the added clearance to get the shim to pry up far enough.

You just gotta work at it......I haven't had one I couldn't remove yet......

dave

 

if someone put a ding in the edge of the bucket trying to get the shim out they can get stuck half way out, use a bigger tapper.
make sure you don't put any dings in it, all the prying and tapping is done at the notch only

 

Sable,
Dave's suggestion is valid for using the 'zip tie' method of holding the bucket down.

Use EXTREME caution if you are rotating your cams with the 'valve shim tool' attached to the head.
If you rotate your cam into the tool there is a good chance of cracking your head . . :cry:

 

Just a reminder, as he doesn't say what bike he has, if he has an X, none of these good suggestions will do him any good. Changing shims in an X is an all day process at best.

 

Stuff the cam chain tunnel with rags to prevent a freak accident that includes a shim down the hole. Might try a old pair of tweezers to remove the shims (works for me).

Gary H.

 

being that he is following fitz' guide, I am pretty sure it is an xj. good point though.

CN

 

Got them. Thank you all for the suggestions.

Oh yeah, XJ550. and yeah, it was an all day project. But that's okay.