Valve adjustments

I know, I know i've probably posted similar threads before. Im sorry for that. I need advise on finding the proper valve shims for my 1981 KZ1000LTD. Still have the same problem. I have lots of valve chatter above cylinders 3 and 4 and cylinder 3 spark plug tends to get fowled by oil after being parked over night. Im also way overdue on a valve cover gasket replacement. I have at least 20 different oil stains i my garage from parking it after a good ride and oil seeping out of one of the cam end caps. Still runs like a beast but im tired of feeling sick to my stomach listening to the valve chatter every time i hit a red light. I know how to pull the shims out, i just dont know how to determine which new ones to get. Do i measure the old shims with a caliper and just get new ones of the same size because the old ones are worn out?

Thanks for everything guys,
KT

Get the spec for your valve clearnace. Stick some feeler gauges in between the bucket an the cam with the old valves still in. Cams should be pointed away from the valves, you want to be measuring the base circle.

Then you can figure out how much bigger of a shim you need. You can measure the old ones, but they really shouldn't wear down, they're typically made of a hard material, so other stuff is what wears down. You should be able to grab feeler gauges for like $5 from an autoparts store. But I'm guessing from your other adventures you already have some somewhere.

Ok guys... *pulls out gun* IM GONNA DO IT.. IM ACTUALLY GONNA DO IT.. Since it should be warm tomorrow im gonna go rock the hell out of my bike one last time for the year. Then ill be pulling the valve cover off tomorrow night hopefully after i fix our pickup. I find out what fits tightest with the feeler gauges and post what i get on here. The spec in my Clymer said .002-.006 on both intake and exhaust. Was it exhaust valves were supposed to be on the loose side of that spectrum, or is it the intake valves?

Thanks guys,
KT

Set the exhuast 1-2 sizes looser than the intakes and see if it helps

Well right now i think there is too much valve lash and they chatter like crazy. Im sure both intake and exhaust sides need done but ill set the exhaust side more loose when i do get the shims. Could this actually make my bike run better? It runs awesome already but it does seem to run lean.. and rich at the same time it pops like crazy and smells like unburnt gas so i dont know what the hell

Yes it could definately raise compression/smooth motor out if theyre tight

oh hell yes. It starts pretty hard too. I got at least 130 psi on all cylinders but it can always be better.

So heres what i got checking the clearances with my feeler gauges.

Cylinder 1 Valve lash
INTAKE- .003 (no .004 gauge on hand)
EXHAUST- .0025 (.003 doesnt fit)

Cylinder 2 Valve lash
INTAKE- .002 (.0025 doesn't fit)
EXHAUST- .005 (.006 doesn't fit)

Cylinder 3 Valve lash
INTAKE- .0025 (.003 doesn't fit)
EXHAUST- .005 (.006 doesn't fit)

Cylinder 4 Valve lash
INTAKE- .005 (.006 doesnt fit)
EXHAUST- Not even my smallest gauge would fit.


None of my gauges would fit Exhaust on cylinder 4. I have done nothing with adjusting the valves on this bike and i do not know why the clearance is so tight. If anything was wrong you would think the clearance would be loose (due to carbon holding a valve open or the valve being bent. I also noticed a wear mark on the heel of that cam lobe (the side that is pointing towards the valve when the valve is closed) not a groove or scratch, just a line where the metal is darker than the rest of the lobe. Also, the nose of the intake cam lobe on cylinder 2 looks to be kinda blue like it got hot. I have seen this on other engines before so im not stressing that really.

I checked all these clearances with the lobe facing away from the valve on each cylinder. I did not do them in any order, just checked each one till they were all done, rotating the motor accordingly to check them.

Also, cylinder 1 is on the left side of the bike while your sitting on it, cylinder 2 is right next to that, and so on. Just making sure i had that right.

Kitten Tooth wrote: i do not know why the clearance is so tight. If anything was wrong you would think the clearance would be loose (due to carbon holding a valve open or the valve being bent.

In most cases they get a shade tighter over time as the valve seats deeper into the head. That's why you have to check them frequently, a tight valve will burn out a valve seat as well as cause poor running.

If you are fouling a plug with oil that means a valve seal is toast. Compression of 130 isn't great (I thought the fours ran higher). Sounds like the engine could use a valve job.

FYI: on these kind:

EXHAUST- Not even my smallest gauge would fit.

You should reach in and see if you can rotate the lifter without binding. If so, you likely have a little clearance which means it's less than the feeler gauge size but more than 0. That lets you calculate the shim you need to fix it.

Damnit, why does everything point towards a valve job!? I just went and spun that lifter around and it did not bind up. Heres a video of the lobe wear.



With the clearances i listed, how do i know what shim sizes to get? If the valves tighten up, how come they chatter so much? I do have the new valve stem seals but i dont have the money for the new headgaskets as im sure i gotta remove the heads to replace it...