Are valves frequently out of adjustment?

I'm taking my bike to a mechanic this week for a good work over. First check since I bought it a couple of months ago. Braided brake line, thorough check of front/back brakes and carb check - clean/adjust if necessary. Carb work will be necessary because it began leaking gas a couple days ago.

Anyway, I asked about valves. He said that the valves rarely need adjustment. Unless they are obviously out of adjustment, e.g. noisy when idle (does that make sense?) , then he says an adjustment isn't necessary.
He also told me that if valves are out of whack then the bike would be more difficult to start. His strategy seems to be to address carb issues first and if it still is rough, then touch the valves.

I trust the guy, he's been recommended by other mechanics and several friends as the best mechanic in town for older bikes.

But from these forums, seems like a valve adjust is recommended to be done frequently?

My bike runs a little rough, idles a bit rough. But it starts right up. Takes a bit to warm up with choke on but once it's warm it doesn't die at stops, etc.

Anyway, from the gas leak, he'll need to at least check the pitcock and floats.

 

Per this site:

Valve clearances are checked 1st here.
Adjusted with new shims as needed.
Compression tested (if buying do this first).
Clean and rebuild carbs as needed, initial/dry balance/sync of carbs off bike then wet and other adjustments on the bike.

I may not remember the exact order/description/steps but there are MANY posts and seasoned XJ home mechanics here that have done multiple carbs many times over the years.

I think others recommend check valve clearances yearly or was it 5k miles?

Unless you REALLY trust the mechanic and have zero tools and mechanical know how, DON'T pay him $900 dollars and find out you need to do all the work your SELF the CORRECT way anyways. Been a few real horror stories on here!

FYI: Old school mechanics may no carbs/valves but they may not know the quirks of the XJ carbs. Find the tutorials and bring them to him. If he spits on them and tosses them away, find another mechanic...

 

Leaks is probably floats and/or petcock as the initial places to look.

The running rough symptoms are 100% typical of needing to PROPERLY clean, rebuild, clunk test and sync/balance the carbs. Also check for sticky/damaged choke/throttle/clutch/speedo cables.

FYI: If replacing the brake lines SHOULD clean and possibly rebuild the master cylinder at the same time (gotta bleed the brakes anyways).

There are alot of things to you can easily fix your self on these bikes, but some do require special tools sometimes (bought or homemade).

Keep my previous post in mind about not letting some mechanic rip you off and not even doing the job 1/2 right...

 

Oh, man, I bet some guys from here would like to talk to that mechanic! He's wrong on some of this. Valves first. Can't do carbs if valves are out of spec. Carbs are dependent on proper compression and compression is dependent on proper valve specs. The valves make a little more noise when they are in spec than they do when they are about to fry! Being a good mechanic on 'older motorcycles' doesn't mean you know the specifics of XJ's. The valves don't 'frequently need adjustment', nor do they 'rarely need adjustment'. They need to be checked, per Yamaha, every 5000 miles. But these XJ's, when they are 'new to you' usually need the service that has been neglected by previous owners.

How many miles on your bike? How many have you put on it? Are you willing to risk burning your valves when you don't know when (if ever) they have been checked? They get tighter and tighter until it's all over!

 

It makes PERFECT sense to someone who knows absolutely nothing about these engines. In automotive engines, valves that are loose will become noisy. Over time, valvetrains become "loose" in automotive engines due to wear (mechanical lifters) or damaged/worn parts/low oil pressure (hydraulic lifters).

This is exactly OPPOSITE of what happens in these engines; as wear occurs, the valve clearances get REDUCED (or "tight") and thus "no noise" occurs in the valvetrain. AND THAT'S WHEN ALL HELL IS ABOUT TO BREAK LOOSE......

Run, don't walk, but RUN in the other direction from this guy. Although he may be a swell enough fellow and knowledgeable about some types of engines/service work, he's not really up to speed on these engines or bikes, and as such, he will (hopefully) go through a learning curve WHICH YOU'LL PAY FOR.

 

Ya, sorry man but the worst thing you can do is to bring a 30 year old bike into a mechanic of today. I know first hand! It cost me more! I recommend to not do it because they do not know the YICS system at all and they are just going to make a mess of your bike. Sorry but this is how I learned the hard way!
Do not bring your bike to this guy because he really doesn't know what he is talking about when he told you the things that he did. He may be a great mechanic for today's systems but he isn't for 30 year old bikes.
You need to tackle this one yourself my friend.
If you bring it to him you are probably going to have even more issues to deal with in the end.
The valves must be done first before any carb syncing etc. He isn't even going to know how to sync the carbs. He won't even have a YICS tool. When you first get there ask him if he has a YICS tool to sync the bike and when he says, "what is that?" walk out the door. I'm telling you man mechanics of today do not know these systems at all.

 

It's your money, you can decide to invest it in some tools and learn to do it yourself, or you can finance his education while he experiments on your bike.

 

To answer your original question; yes, and THEN no.

The valve clearances were supposed to have been checked and adjusted if necessary at 3000 miles. Then every 5000 miles afterward.

The initial 3K check and the first subsequent 5K check (at 8K) were the most important, as most of the changes occur as the motor first breaks in.

THESE IMPORTANT INITIAL SERVICES WERE LIKELY IGNORED. The owners' manuals told the owner to take his bike to the dealer to get the valves adjusted. By the time the bike had 3000 miles on it, the warranty was up, and the dealer wanted real money to do something that the new owner didn't see a need for. The bike ran and started fine, and was nice and quiet; why take it in and pay a bunch of money for what???

So the valves got ignored. Fast forward throught the last however many owners the bike's had; did any one of them look at the valves? ONLY if one of them was an enthusiast who knew his stuff.

So, are they often out of adjustment? YES, if you just got the bike they probably are.

However, once checked and adjusted; then checked and adjusted again 5K miles later, they tend to "settle down" and very slowly work their way out of spec again. If you stick to scheduled maintenance, you'll find yourself only replacing a shim now and then once the bike's got a few properly maintained miles on it.

The crew is right; your mechanic has his head were the sun don't shine.

 

Whoops.........never mind!

Not enuf coffee yet......

 

Len, a second time, quoting himself for emphasis!?

And, I hope we didn't scare the OP away, we're just tryin to help!

 

I hope we scared him away from his "knowledgeable" mechanic!

 

I only do that when I want to make darned sure that my voice is not lost amongst the many.......and when my IV coffee drip is malfunctioning.

 

Nope, I'm still here!

You guys are scaring me with all the burnt valve stuff.

Sigh... I really need the bike worked over. Who knows when I can track down another mechanic to do this work. The front brake is soft, I want that improved ASAP. Plus the gas leak is stinking up my entire house. I know, get it done right by someone who knows what they are doing.

It had 7700 miles on it when I bought it, from a dealer, in June. I've put about another 200 miles on it since. I can contact the original owner. He says he had it serviced on schedule, but wasn't specific. He's offered a scan of the last service receipt. That last service was back in 2001. He only put a few miles on it since that last service. I'll email him and ask about valves, carbs, etc.

I've read all the posts about getting stuff replaced for a bike that's been sitting. I plan to do all that work, either by taking it to a mechanic or doing it myself. I haven't spent a lot of time working on bikes, other than the easy stuff, oil change, etc. But I plan to learn to do a lot of the work, including valves and carbs.

I'm pretty much committed to have him do the braided line. He's measured for the line and it's been ordered. I guess I could back out, pay for the line and get it installed by someone else.

THANKS for all the reply's!! Keep them coming. I'll post an update when I figure all of this out.

 

Here is my 2 cents. As a noob more or less, most of the major/minor/routine maintenance things you could ever have to do on an XJ bike is most likely documented here. In some cases like checking/replacing valve shims there is a great how to done by Bigfitz with great pictures as well. The volumes of text here on how to really is something that no one mechanic has now days. Unless they are an XJ enthusiast and on this site. I was freaked out about doing a simple valve gasket swap. But with Bigfitz's how to it was pretty much a snap. Next I'll do the valves. Couldn't get it all done at once because I have to work outside and t-storms were rolling in. Bottom line ask, read and learn from here. Buy some tools yes they can be expensive but if you take care of them you'll only have to buy them once. Besides being able to do the work your self will save you a ton of money in the long run and make you even more proud of your bike!

 

Bought from a YAMAHA dealer?

regardless;

I got $5 that says the valves were never touched, ever.

You don't need to track down a mechanic; you need to track down a service manual (or two.) Most of the things that need to be done fall well within the skillset of most "shade tree" mechanics; for stuff you're not confident with, at least you can CHECK beforehand. But you need to be armed with some knowledge; this site alone won't be enough. Get yourself a manual. And don't trust a mechanic's "reputation" to be an accurate indicator of his knowledge of the Yamaha XJ series. This guy's already come right out and told us he has no clue.

 

I would imagine most Yamaha dealers don't have anyone there that remembers how to work on these bikes. Or knows about their quirks...

 

I don't think you understand what we are all trying to tell you so I am going to say it out right....
You will not find a mechanic that can work on your bike properly. No dealership has one. I did this same thing, brought it to a 5 star certified Yamaha mechanic (whatever that means) then when I got it back and $400 later, I ended up re-doing it myself. Except for the carbs. Rickomatic took care of those for me but he knows what he is doing with these bikes.
Get a manual and start reading. You can do it! Nothing is really that hard on these bikes. It is just a matter of learning the techniques to do everything yourself. After I learned, I then helped my son with his bike and then I helped his friend with his and now all 3 of us pretty well know what we are doing.
There are a lot of people here that are willing to help you with any problem you may run into. Just do it, should be your motto when it comes to these bikes.

 

"quote" Sigh... I really need the bike worked over. Who knows when I can track down another mechanic to do this work. The front brake is soft, I want that improved ASAP. Plus the gas leak is stinking up my entire house. I know, get it done right by someone who knows what they are doing.

Here's a couple easy ones - get a 12MM wrench, break loose the top banjo bolt, at your Master CYL, now use the bolt like a bleeder screw. Pump up, loose, then tighten. A little air bubble can hide there in the banjo. Wrap it with a rag to catch the brake fluid.

Temporary fix for dripping carbs - get a $5.00 fuel cut-off from Briggs & Stratton, install between Petcock and carbs. Deal with the real problem when you can. No more drips for now.

Rear brake check !!!

 

No, not a yamaha dealer. A used motorcycle dealer. The owner had it listed in craigslist. When I contacted him he had sold it to this used bike dealer. I bought it from that dealer.

I'll see check with the owner regarding previous valve adjustments and then get back you regarding that $5.

 

Unless you have a receipt to prove it, you can't trust what anyone TELLS you.

I highly doubt anybody's touched the valves. You're gonna get the "I didn't need to because they're fine" story. THEY'RE NOT; they needed to be checked at 3K.