Valve Shim Help

I finally got around to checking my valves (1978 KZ650 D1) and here are the numbers:

Exhaust:
#1 - 0.005" or 0.127mm
#2 - 0.004" or 0.102mm
#3 - 0.004" or 0.102mm
#4 - 0.006" or 0.152mm

Intake:
#5 - <0.002" or <0.127mm (0.002 was the smallest gauge I had)
#6 - 0.0025" or 0.0647mm
#7 - 0.0025" or 0.0647mm
#8 - 0.002" or 0.051mm

So, am I correct in saying that the acceptable range is 0.003 - 0.008"? If so, I guess the exhaust ones are alright and the intake will need adjustment?

If that's the case, I'm going to need some help deciding what shims to buy for the intake side. I'm not sure how to go about it. Is there an existing shim under the bucket and I'll have to replace it with a thinner one in order to get within the correct range? If so, what is the thickness of the stock one, or am I going to have to remove mine and measure them first.

Also, are there any special tools needed to swap the shims? Are the shims for this bike the 13mm ones that Z1 sell? Are these normally available from the dealer?

Sorry for all the questions but this is my first time doing this.

Thank you

I'm not sure if you have under bucket shims or not. But if you do, now that you have measured the valve clearance, you have to disassemble and measure your existing shims. Once you have that its just a quick calculation to figure out which ones you need. One thing to keep in mind when your doing this. The shims are measured in millimeters. The measurements you have taken so far are in thousandths of an inch.

Sometimes dealers have a program where you can exchange shims for a price or you can just outright buy them. I just bought one over bucket shim for my 1000 and the dealer charged me 14 dollars for one shim. He even gave me a deal. I think the after market ones sell for about 3 dollars.

If they are over bucket shims then you can just use a tool to remove the old ones. But I'm pretty sure they are under bucket.

Here's a pic of the two kinds and my home made tool for the over bucket shims.

The shims you need should be the 13mm that Z1 sells. Yes, you need to take it apart and measure the shims you have. The only special tool you will need might be a magnet to help you pull out the bucket (lifter), plus perhaps a vernier caliper or micrometer to measure the old shims (the numbers on them usually wear off).

Some dealers will exchange shims for you; some will tell you that they need to order in the shims you need. Personally, I have a hard time believing that there isn't a big box of spare shims floating around every Kawi repair shop out there (I know I keep a box of spares). In any case, start by taking it apart and getting the sizes of the ones you have and work from there.

If you don't have a manual, get one before you start. If I recall correctly (it's been a long time since I did this), you need to put a long bolt into the side of the cam chain adjuster to prevent it from taking up the slack when you remove the intake cam. As well, if the chain slips a notch during the process, you will have to re-time the engine - nothing you want to do without a manual. I think you can download the manual somewhere on this site or at www.repairmanualclub.com

Good luck

Thanks guys really appreciate the help, this is great info. I don't have a vernier caliper (not one to this accuracy anyway) so I'm going to put it back together as is until I can get one. Is is alright to ride the bike with these clearances?

Just wondering, what affect (if any) would these clearances have on power, etc?

I do have a manual but it's the Clymer one, not the official one. At least not for the D1. I have some factory manuals for other 650 models, just not the D1. I couldn't find a D1 one.

Thanks again

Deacon,
There is a chart at the 650 site www.kz650.info and a writeup on how to swap shims. The chart is great, it tells you what shim to use. You may be able to swap shims from one valve to another for the correct measurement.

Search this forum for RonKZ650's writeup on valve adjusting, he makes it pretty simple using just three metric feeler gauges, and a good tip on the cam chain as you adjust them.

Kent

I would like to point out that if you can rotate the bucket prior to assembly, there is SOME clearance. You might want to take a look at the clearances you wrote down. You wrote:

#5 - <0.002" or <0.127mm (0.002 was the smallest gauge I had)

I suspect you meant you had clearance of less than .002" which is less than .051mm (not .127mm). I only have metric feeler gauges but I think that is correct. Anyway, if you can spin the bucket, you have some clearance. I suspect further that you have no idea what shim is installed which gives you this less than .051mm value. At some point, you will need to buy some shims; perhaps you should buy a VALVE SHIM KIT from Z1Enterprises.com so you will have a 2.00 shim which will allow you to make a measurement and get a value to compute the actual shim thickness you need. Since you don't have a caliper, get a digital caliper ASAP as I am not sure the 13mm shims are stamped. You can pick a digital caliper up from Harbor Freight tools for under $10 and although they are not super accurate, they are fine for this and most other bike related applications. Get a 6 inch caliper. This will allow you measure your current shim and I would wait till I had replacements and the caliper on hand to do the swap otherwise you will be walking till then. wg

Thanks OKC, I always forget about checking out kz650.info, great resource. I'll do a search for Ron's writeup.

Yes George, you're right about the .002" on both counts. It was the smallest gauge I had and I made a typo when entering the question. I have it marked as .051 on my sheet, just entered it wrong. Thanks for pointing it out.

I'll pick up one of those digital ones. I'll also look into that shim kit you mentioned. Like you said, I'm going to wait until I have everything before starting the job.

I won't damage anything running with these intake clearances while I'm waiting to get the parts, will I?

Thanks

Like I have already mentioned, if you can rotate the bucket, although the clearance may not be in spec, there is SOME clearance. It likely won't hurt to ride the bike but I would get the stuff needed and fix the problem before riding the bike a lot. Valve clearance maintenance has likely been ignored for a long time as the clearance doesn't change quickly.

You rarely need to measure shims. Maybe 1 in 20 has the numbers worn off at most, and there's talk of mismarked shims, but I've never seen one yet. If you can't find where I wrote up how I do it I'll write it again. There are a lot of different ways to do it, and maybe some would rather not do it the way I believe in, but be sure and read how to remove the cams without disturbing valve timing. No one can dispute this is the best way to do it. Don't overtighten the camshaft caps either or they will strip, mostly the exhausts. If the bolts feel funny, stop. They won't come loose at 60"/lb.

With regard to lifting the buckets...I have a catfish in a tank in my living room and the heater element is secured to the side of the tank with a couple of those rubber sucker things.I found they're just the right size to grab the bucket and lift it out:)

wiredgeorge wrote:

I would like to point out that if you can rotate the bucket prior to assembly, there is SOME clearance. You might want to take a look at the clearances you wrote down. You wrote:

#5 - <0.002" or <0.127mm (0.002 was the smallest gauge I had)

You can get feelers down to .001". I found a set of low range gauges on the web a while back, they only cost maybe $6.