60 pounds compression

well here's the story, I was checking for an engine miss when I realized that when I pulled one of the spark plug wires the engine didn't sound any different or rev down. so i checked the plug it was getting good spark. so i threw on my compression gauge and discovered i was only getting 80 ft/lbs of compression on the cylinder and almost 120 out of all the others.

the engine has been making a loud ticking sound since the last time i got the valves adjusted, so I am wondering if the mechanic shimmed one of the valves wrong or something?

My confidence in this mechanic is waning since I discovered upon pulling the valve covers that one of the cam saddles, I discovered that there was a saddle missing a bolt, its not broken off, or missing down inside the engine its just not there.

dosent sound good, put a feeler gauge under the cyl in question, may be a simple fix

I have to wonder why the cam cap was removed in the FIRST place(if it was)?
Something else...and I've always wondered this...when You DO take Your bike into a shop for valve adjustments...how do You know that they actually HAVE the proper shim sizes?Do They carry a good assortment ALL of the time,and how MUCH of an assortment DO They have in the shop??
I'd say that the Mechanic just went ahead and used what He had,because YA...You have too much gap on that valve,if it's ticking

I would for sure,get in there and check them all with a feeler gauge,Bud.

when I asked the guy when I picked it up why it was ticking he said that over time it would stop, but that didnt make much sense to me at the time.

I am more concerned that the misadjustment may be causing my compression problem, at least i hope its the problem because I dont have the money for rings new valves etc.

and how to you add shims without removing the cams>?

dustinleavitt wrote:

and how to you add shims without removing the cams>?

The easy-to-use "best" one
GenuineKaw
Also works, but tricky to use
MotionPro

Dustin:

See this link. Although your bike has a J style engine, checking clearances and adjusting clearances by changing shims is the same process as for the older 903/1015 engines. The shims are the same as is the tool used.

Link

Getting back to your original issue, lack of valve clearance will cause a valve to hang open when it is supposed to be closed causing compression loss. Before checking clearances, make sure the cam cap bolts are torqued properly as clearances WILL change if they are not. There was no reason to remove the cam caps or cams unless the mechanic did NOT have the proper tool (see our write up above) to change the shims. Using the proper tools, it takes me about 1.5 hours to adjust (change) every shim. If the mechanic had to remove the cams, it could take hours. If there was insufficient clearance to get a feeler gauge between the shim and cam lobe, the cam would have to be removed, a thinner shim inserted, then the clearance checked, and the cam removed to be replaced with the proper shim. If the cam caps were torqued (only way to get correct clearance measurements) every time, this process would be extremely time consuming.

Post edited by: wiredgeorge, at: 2007/03/20 08:04

Post edited by: steell, at: 2007/03/20 10:14