Adjusting valves...

I believe I need to adjust my valves but I want to check them first. My bike is a 78 kz1000 a2, I am pulling the valvecover anyway to replace the leaky gasket. I have feeler gauges. Where do I measure the clearance and what should it measure? Thanks, Ryan

Check out the thread titled "free electrontc repair manuals" click on the link use the login and select your bike then go to the maintenence sectionB)

Pro_window78 wrote:

I believe I need to adjust my valves but I want to check them first. My bike is a 78 kz1000 a2, I am pulling the valvecover anyway to replace the leaky gasket. I have feeler gauges. Where do I measure the clearance and what should it measure? Thanks, Ryan

0.05-0.10mm (.002-.004 inch) clearance between cam and shim (with cam lobe pointing away from shim).

Use 17mm "nut" to rotate crankshaft (not the 13mm bolt head at end of crankshaft). Okay to use kickstarter where so fitted.

Crankshaft rotation is easier with sparkplugs removed to prevent compression.

Good Luck!

Make sure you write everything down for the exhaust and intake. You will probably need to find some shims also. When you order the tool get the one that looks like a factory tool, they work a lot better.

don are you slagging my favorite tool that motion pro makes the old two piece adjusting tool i really don't know why people don't like that one it will only bark your knuckles the first few times you use then get the routine down . what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger right. :woohoo: :woohoo:

timebomb33 wrote:

don are you slagging my favorite tool that motion pro makes the old two piece adjusting tool i really don't know why people don't like that one it will only bark your knuckles the first few times you use then get the routine down . what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger right. :woohoo: :woohoo:

Gettin the routine down includes round-filing the lever piece and using only the batwing.

A little fiddling while holding the batwing in position with the cam lobe holding the bucket down, and carefully rotating the crankshaft (by hand with the 17mm "nut") will permit the batwing to catch the edge of the bucket and hold it down while the cam lobe turns away allowing removal/replacement of the shim.

Be extra careful when rotating the crankshaft to assure the other valve in the same cylinder is NOT opening so as to contact the valve being held down by the batwing. Don't want both valves open at the same time. In other words, assure the batwing isn't holding one valve open while the other cam is opening the other valve. The objective being to prevent bending a valve.

Good Luck!

awe come on real men can push down that valve spring are saying the your a wuss patton finding the easy way out.

timebomb33 wrote:

awe come on real men can push down that valve spring are saying the your a wuss patton finding the easy way out.

Must be thinking of somebody else! :laugh: :laugh:

now your picking on dave and he's not even here to defend him self,low buddy low :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Thanks guy's. I have a friend who's done it before, Maybe I'll get some help from him. I'd hate to bend a valve! He's only 2 hours away anyway. Thanks!

trust me unless you weigh 9000lbs you can't bend a valve checking them, it is very simple just get the cam lobes pointing away from each other, on the t mark on your ignition advancer do 1 then 3 then 2 then 4 and you can;'t go wrong. and like has been said before write all your clearances down for intake and exhaust it is on of the siplest things you can do with these bikes. it is very simple just give it a go and you can not bend the valves your not removing the cams just to check them. i always go .004" on the intakes and .006" on the exhaust and 1 shim size is the equivalent to .002" change up or down depending on which way your going. so don't freak just do it. it's always toughest the first time for everything if you watch some one else do it you will slap your self in the head and go dohh! it's that easy my freind i wouldn't lie to you .

Hey, I resemble that image... Oops! :blush:

I purchased and tried using that tool for about 10 minutes... Screw it, through it to the floor and since I already had my dimensions/new shims, loosened the cam caps to install...

Now with some finesse and some minor tweaking of the tool I'm sure it would work but so would my elbows if tweaked..... :huh:

Me personally have not found this tool to be worth a crap as is especially for those of us that went with heavy duty valve springs....