XJ 550 valve clearances measured.

Spent the afternoon tuning the bike and decided to check the valve clearances for the first time since I bought the bike.
Inlet specs are 0.11 - 0.15
Exhaust specs are 0.16 - 0.20

Below is a table showing the results.



Given that the manual recommends working to the minimum clearance most of these bar one could be classed as acceptable given that I couldn't find a feeler guage that went in exact mm increments.

I don't know what shim's are in it at the moment but given the shim's change at 0.05 increments what are the chances I'll get some top end rattles develop if I go up a size on inlet 2,3 and 4

Worth doing or best left alone. Bear in mind I have no shim removal tool so if I do it I will be pulling the cams.(and recording all shims)

Cheers
HG

 

Hired_Goon, You don't need a special tool and you don't need to pull the cams to remove the shims.
I'm trying to find the link now to a homemade tool made out of a plastic tie strap. I did mine this way and it works great. I'd take a pic of mine but I left my camera at work.
If someone knows the link I'm talking about, help us out.
You take a plastic tie strap double over the end and tape it . then make a bend in the end. remove the spark plug for the valve to be adjusted.Remove the left engine cover to have accsess to the nut to turn the engine. turn the valve open that you want to adjust, insert the plastic tie through the spark plug hole between the valve and seat and rotate the engine back over, the tie will keep the valve open so you can remove the shim.
I'll try to find the link.
Hope you understand what I'm trying to say.

 

There's a picture of it in Baz666's gallery.

Tie Strap Trick

 

Thanks Mac,
Heres a pic of the one I used , it worked great.

 

Beware!
I tried the zip tie method and the valve pressure snipped the zip tie off in the cylinder!!!!!
I spent two hours cylinder fishing with a paper clip.
Use a big and strong zip tie if your going to try this!

 

Holy Crap! THat worked like a charm! I bought a shim bucket holder tool and it DID NOT WORK for the right hand side exhaust buckets. I read that I may have to apply heat and hammer the tool to get it too work...one problem...I'm an apartment dweller and I just couldn't seem to find space for my acetalyne and oxegen equipment in my 4x4 storage space (along with all the other crap)...Not to mention the fact that I waited 2 weeks and paid 27.00 for the peice of s%^t that was supposed to be MADE for the job...Ya...I'm a bit pissed off about that.

On the other hand, one thing that helped my job (and proved to be 10x easier to use than the said tool I purchased) was the nylon zip tie technique, but unfortunately, that simply added to my anger pile for purchasing the so-called "special tool" that left me in the parking lot looking around at all the crap I had to put away after getting it all out to do this job, only to have to go back out and do it again after finally finding this forums entry about this tool. Thank you!!!!!! Wow! Why couldn't I think of that? I would buy you a pitcher of beer if you were in the Lansing, mi area!

 

I just checked the valve clearances of my XJ650J and 7 out of 8 where perfectly within the given specifications.

I only have to replace one of the exhaust shims.
The tip about using the 'tie strap' (I used a piece of powercord instead) worked perfect for me.
It just took about 3 minutes to remove the shim.

I'll exchange it for a thinner one at my former, local BMW-dealer.

I don't know it was mentioned in any previous topic: the shims used in our Yamaha's are the same BMW applied in their K-series.... :idea:

 

I'm trying to do my first valve clearance check on my XJ700 N.

First off, I appreciate all the info posted in this forum by everyone...

Here's my question.
If I measure with the "T mark on the crankshaft aligned with the stationary point" like the service manual shows, I measure .152 mm on #1 intake.

If I measure with the "lobe of the cam pointing directly away from the bucket/shim" like this forum suggests, I get .102mm on the #1 intake.

I rotated the crankshaft a few times and the lobe of the cam is never pointing directly away from the bucket when the T mark is near the stationary point the book shows. The lobe points directly away from the bucket when the T mark on the crankshaft is next to one of the "distributor" points. (May not have the right word...) The "stationary point" the book shows is a little metal bracket located 90 degrees between the two distributor points.

I'm not sure which method to use.

Suggestions?

 

For measuring the valve shim clearances, the T-mark on the ignition timing pointer is not relevant. Just rotate the camshaft so that the lobe is pointing 180-degrees away from the angle of the shim bucket........in other words, at the point where the shim-to-cam clearance is GREATEST, that is when you measure the clearance. This clearance will be greatest when the lobe is pointed directly away from the shim bucket (imagine a straight line running thru the lobe, thru the bucjet, thru the valve stem in the head).

 

Not true on the later K engines. Possibly on the K75 or K100 models but the K1200's are adjusted by removing the cams and replacing the "buckets" which are manufactured with the shims internal to the buckets. They do not come apart.

I know this 'cuz I got one!

Loren