1986 XJ700XS Valve Adjustment-how to check adjustment

Could someone explain how to check the valve adjustment on an 86 XJ700XS? The manual says to line up the pointer with the "T" on the rotor. I did that and find that it does not put cylinder one at the lowest point of the cam lobe.

 

All you need to do is be certain the valve's fully closed, and completely off the cam lobe's opening/closing ramps.

Just eyeball the cam lobe you're checking...if the nose of the cam is pointing directly away from its' bucket, as in this picture, you're OK to measure.

 

Lining up the pointer with the "T" puts cylinder #1 at top dead center and is used for adjusting the timing, not the valve clearance.

To check valve clearance you need to manually rotate the crank for each valve you're checking as bosozoku said.

Great cut a way by the way bosozoku!

 

Yeah that is great picture!

In the picture above are you checking the right or left side? I have always farmed out my valves but will start doing it this year...

 

Doesn't matter, as the picture is only to illustrate the direction your cam's nose should point when checking valve clearances. All you need to do is be certain that the valve is completely closed, and the heel of the cam lobe is toward the bucket.

As long as you follw procedure, these engines are very easy to set valve clearances. They tend to hold the adjusted clearance for a long time, and the valves generally tighten up very slowly. Most scheduled valve adjustments result in maybe changing one or two shims.

When I pulled out my 650's engine at ~60K miles, it had only seen two valve adjustments since I bought it at ~11K miles...and I know that the original owner never peeked under the valve cover.

 

Checking the valve clearance is fairly easy, although with 20 valves tightly packed you need a thickness (feeler) gauge with a narrow blade to fit in between the cam and the top of the valve bucket.

Adjusting the clearance is a bit more complex, as you have to remove the camshafts so that you can replace the pad (NOTE it is not a shim on the Maxim X) which sits on top of the valve stem and under the bucket.

To calculate the correct 'new' pad thickness (size stamped on the side of pad) you must record the existing gap accurately before you remove the camshafts.

The pads are around 5 to 6 usd each.

 

Eek. So I've checked my clearance on my XJ700XN (first time) and most are out of spec (tight). I thought I was a hero for getting this far... now I have to pull the camshafts to get the pads out, record the numbers, and order replacements?

Any tips on how to pull the camshaft and guarantee my timing is right when I get it back together?

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=16298.html

I don't know if it will help but here is my post on it with a few pics. Start with the mark on the T. Then proceed to measure. When putting the gears back on the shafts read the manual carefully I I didn't and fought it. There is a tiny punchmark on the cam gears That is what you need to line up not THe small holes like I tried lol..

 

Thanks for the link! I remember seeing it before but hadn't bookmarked it.

The problem I have with the manual is that it seems to assume you're tearing your engine down completely and building it back up again. I didn't see steps just for clearance check/pad replacement.

I did check my reprint manual today and found the part about reinstalling the cam shafts.

Thanks again for the great post.