valve clearance too tight

so i just got my head back from having the valves and seats cut, and now I cant even get a .004" feeler through there. I was afraid of this but it needed to be done. How tall are the stock shims? and are the ones from z1 shorter or taller? how would I calculate what size I need if i cant fit anything in there? its an 82 kz1000 all stock. thanks!!

There is No "Stock Size". for the shim thickness. This is a selectable shim, so it comes in many different thicknesses so you can adjust the clearances.
So can you get any feeler gauge in there, or is .004" the thinnest gauge you have in your set?
See if you can rotate the shim/ bucket even though the feller won't fit. If the feeler won't go, but you can rotate it, then I would go two shim sizes thinner. So if it has a 270 now, then a 260 would be two sizes thinner. You may be able to swap a few shims around to get close, then just buy the few you need.
The only way to tell the shim sizes is to look at what is stamped on them, or/ also measure them with a micrometer or caliper.
z1 offers shims, and should have what you need in stock.

ok, thanks, I thought they would all be the same from the factory. I dont think this motor has ever had an adjustment. .004 is the smallest I have. it sucks they're $6 a piece for a shot in the "dim"

ok, so I was able to fit the .004 between only 2 of them, and they were tight. all the buckets spin freely except for one, it still spins it just takes a bit of effort. so theres no way to know what shim is in there unless I take it out? my book says .005-.15mm thats a huge acceptable range if you ask me

It's not a shot in the "dim" once you know what your existing clearances are and what size shim is present.

Guessing your motor is all back together now? I would think after having a valve job the clearances would all be too big. Seems like you would want to start fresh with a shim on the thicker end of the scale? Thinking that's what grinding the ends of the valve stem does? Then you will get more life out of the valves before running out of shims and having to start over. I'm just learning about this so I may be way off base.

Anyhows.....You need this to remove the shims.....(unless you want to remove the cams again)...

www.z1enterprises.com/ItemDetails.aspx?i...rket&item=ZSM001-113

I just bought this tool to check mine and is works great, very easy to use. Measure all your clearances, then pull the shims 1 at a time and see what size is in there. Then you know what you need to get back within spec. Shims come is .05mm increments from 2.00 - 3.20 Be sure to put the shims back in there with the numbers down so they wont wear off.

You really need to get the OEM shop manual if you don't have it. Spells the process out very well with plenty of good pics and a chart to calculate shim sizes.

chonus wrote: ok, so I was able to fit the .004 between only 2 of them, and they were tight. all the buckets spin freely except for one, it still spins it just takes a bit of effort. so theres no way to know what shim is in there unless I take it out? my book says .005-.15mm thats a huge acceptable range if you ask me

Is your .004 in inches (thousands) or metric MM? I think your book should say .05 - .15mm range, thats only a 4 thousands range. (.002" - .006") Must be a misprint?

If you cant turn the bucket the manual says to put 2 sizes smaller shim in there (just like Motor Head said) and remeasure the gap and go from there.

well i was thinking, you cut the valves and the seats, now the valve sits in the head a bit higher, which closes these clearances. And yea I have the manual, and Im just waiting for that tool to arrive. I just now looked at the chart and it makes sense now. i guess ill just have to wait. hurdle #456

sorry 74 i didnt see your last reply, ya sorry the book says .05 -.15mm and my .004 is metric. so either way my clearances are way too tight

Get a 2mm shim which is the thinnest available and insert it into each bucket and measure the gap to work out which shim you need in each.
Aim for 0.15mm clearance.
You can go as wide as 0.18 on fast motors and re-cut valves/seats tend to settle a bit anyway so the wider the better within recommended specs.
If you still have little or no clearance with the 2mm shim the valve stem and even the retainers and collets can be trimmed before resorting to trying new valves or having new seats fitted.
You should have the head work done by someone who knows KZ heads( Larry Cavanaugh or Pitstop etc )as you will get the head back in ready to go condition.

yea thanks zed, that seems like the best way to go. The guys who did mine work on kz's, mostly drag bikes tho, good work and theyre fast

Could you take the shim out of the bucket, measure the clearance, and get a shim to fit? I am having the same problem as the OP right now.

id say theoretically i would say yes. but in actuality, I think the ridge on the bucket would prevent you from getting a feeler i there flat. which would give a (possibly) incorrect reading. I think what zed said to do is the best, just get a 2.00 shim and measure from there.