TOPIC:

Hi all,

First off, the numbers:

EXHAUST (mm)
1 - .076
2 - .063
3 - .063
4 - .051

INTAKE (mm)
1 - .076
2 - .102
3 - .076
4 - .063

_____

My Clymer's tells me the correct valve clearance is 0.15mm. Are these too tight of clearances? Just to make sure, you want to be able to fit your feeler gauge all the way through right, with only a bit of resistance?

I'd rather avoid shimming if I don't have to. The cam lobes didn't look to have any obvious wear to them. Honestly, before I opened it up I thought they'd be loose, since I had a lot of valve chatter. I guess that's just what old bikes sound like!

Judging by how hard it was to take off the old gasket, I'd guess no one has been in there for a while. I already have a new gasket and am willing to shim if I have to. I think I need new rubber plugs as well because it was leaking from those areas on all sides.

Oh, and there were pools of oil under the camshaft.. is that normal?

-Stephen

Your feeler gauge should slide through with some slight drag.
Almost all of your clearances are on the tight side so you will need at least the next size thinner shim on them to avoid burning valves in the near future.
These engines do run fairly quietly so you chattering noise may well be a worn cam chain or piston slap etc depending on mileage.
The pools of oil under the cam are normal, The more the merrier.

Did you check the clearance by pointing the lobe away from the valve head (Clymer method), or did you position the cams in the way the factory Kawasaki manual specifies? If you used the former, your clearances are going to be different (greater clearance) than the Kawasaki specified method. Not a huge crisis, but you might want to rethink your method since performing valve adjust isn't trivial. With the Clymer method the adjacent valve pushes up on the cam and skews it within the journal clearance. The Kawasaki method placed the two adjacent valves both on the base circle so the measurement is more accurate.

The valves tighten with mileage, that's why neglected valve clearances result in a damaged engine. If it were just a matter of extra noise that wouldn't be a big deal, but that's not the case in reality. The Clymer method gives a false sense of security since the clearance will appear greater than it really is.

Clymer books are junk. The proper clearance is 0.08 - 0.18mm. Given that, all your exhaust valves are tight and intake valves 1, 3, &4 are tight.

HOWEVER - before you remove the cams to swap shims make VERY sure you are measuring the clearances correctly. If you are not, you may end up adjusting valve clearances that are already OK and putting them out of the correct range.

I suggest you get a Kawasaki Service Manual for your exact year / model bike before you try to adjust things. Also, ask for tips here first if you decide to swap shims. Ed

Nessism wrote: Did you check the clearance by pointing the lobe away from the valve head (Clymer method), or did you position the cams in the way the factory Kawasaki manual specifies? If you used the former, your clearances are going to be different (greater clearance) than the Kawasaki specified method. Not a huge crisis, but you might want to rethink your method since performing valve adjust isn't trivial. With the Clymer method the adjacent valve pushes up on the cam and skews it within the journal clearance. The Kawasaki method placed the two adjacent valves both on the base circle so the measurement is more accurate.

The valves tighten with mileage, that's why neglected valve clearances result in a damaged engine. If it were just a matter of extra noise that wouldn't be a big deal, but that's not the case in reality. The Clymer method gives a false sense of security since the clearance will appear greater than it really is.

I did it the Clymer method-- lobe pointing away from valve head.

I always thought that valves loosen with mileage because the metal wears down! Thanks for clarifying.

I'm not sure how tight it's supposed to be, but when I turn the engine over by hand the cam chain looks like it loosens and tightens through the stroke. It's not super loose, just a little bit looser than at other points in the stroke.

Thanks for the help!

650ed wrote: Clymer books are junk. The proper clearance is 0.08 - 0.18mm. Given that, all your exhaust valves are tight and intake valves 1, 3, &4 are tight.

HOWEVER - before you remove the cams to swap shims make VERY sure you are measuring the clearances correctly. If you are not, you may end up adjusting valve clearances that are already OK and putting them out of the correct range.

I suggest you get a Kawasaki Service Manual for your exact year / model bike before you try to adjust things. Also, ask for tips here first if you decide to swap shims. Ed

Thanks Ed! I will try the KSM method before I decide to shim.

Can anyone tell me if this is the Kawasaki service manual method?





If not,does anyone have the appropriate information handy? I'm looking for a KSM on ebay now..

My FSM says to check clearance with the cam lobe pointed directly away from the lifter.

picture

Here's the chart from the KZ650 Kawasaki Service Manual. Ed

bountyhunter wrote: picture

That may be the spec for the KZ750 twin, but the KZ650 spec is different. Ed

650ed wrote: Here's the chart from the KZ650 Kawasaki Service Manual. Ed

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What does it mean to "Align the sprocket mark with the cylinder head surface"? From what it looks like the cam lobe is just in a random position? I'm a bit confused by these instructions..

Just ordered a replica KSM on eBay!! Glad I made the right choice!