Valve Job

I learned today that my 1982 GPz750 needs a valve job. I heard it's the biggest pain out of any valves ever. After I get the cams out, how do I check and adjust the clearance? Also, how do I keep the cam timing correct?

Thank you!

You need to get your hands on a copy of the Kawasaki Service Manual for your bike. Usually they can be found on eBay; just be sure to get one for your exact year/model bike. They are worth their weight in gold and no owner should be without one. It contains everything you need to know about your bike, maintenance, diagnosing problems, etc.

When you say "valve job" do you mean refurbing the cylinder head or just adjusting the valve clearances? I ask because performing an actual valve job requires a lot of special equipment and know-how. If you are just talking about checking and, if needed, adjusting valve clearances you can do it yourself if you have the manual, an appropriate torque wrench (calibrated in INCH pounds), and some feeler gauges. But don't even start the task without the manual. Ed

First step is to get a factory service manual. A haynes or chiltons manual will work theyre usually just not as comprehensive. It will cover everything step by step. If u are mechanically able, it willl not be a hard job to adjust your valves and test their seats/ lap them. Just be sure to order your gaskets b4 u start. Its a good idea to adjust them, but out of curiosity, what symptoms is this the solution to?

Just an FYI, this is how Kawasaki did their factory service manuals for the 750s:
They baselined the 1980 KZ750E1 & H1 (standard and cruiser, respectively).
Then each succeeding year, they wrote an addendum. For example, in 1981 there was the 1980 model baseline manual with a 1981 addendum, documenting only the changes. For 1982, your year, there was the baseline, 1981 addendum, and a 1982 addendum. And so on. So any manual that covers 1982-1984 will have everything you need. It is kind of a PITA, because you have to figure out whether the things you want to look at are in the baseline or some addendum after 1980. For example, what you currently have on your plate is covered in the baseline section of the manual. Pages 55 & 59, mostly.
You will want at least the 1982 version, because that was the year they made the first GPz, which had some significant differences from the standard KZ models. But a 1983 or 1984 version of the manual would be fine as well.

When I say "valve job", I mean my inside cylinders (2 and 3) have no clearance on the intake valves, and that needs to be fixed. The problem was that when I was riding, one or two cylinders would cut out and the bike would die.

All I know is what the mechanic told me, about shims and all sorts of fun and expensive stuff. I can't afford to have him fix it, nor do I want him to, I would like to do it myself. But if this job is too hard, then I'm at a loss.

edit: The intake valves on #2 and #3 have ZERO clearance. Nothing at all. They're getting about 30lbs of pressure :blink:

freakinbike wrote: When I say "valve job", I mean my inside cylinders (2 and 3) have no clearance on the intake valves, and that needs to be fixed. The problem was that when I was riding, one or two cylinders would cut out and the bike would die.

All I know is what the mechanic told me, about shims and all sorts of fun and expensive stuff. I can't afford to have him fix it, nor do I want him to, I would like to do it myself. But if this job is too hard, then I'm at a loss.

edit: The intake valves on #2 and #3 have ZERO clearance. Nothing at all. They're getting about 30lbs of pressure :blink:

In that case is sounds like all you need to do is adjust the valves. Not a bad job if you have the manual, torque wrench, feeler gauges, and can afford to have the bike out of service while you get the correct shims for the job. The manual gives step-by-step instructions. One hint that's not in the manual - do 1 cam at a time rather then removing both at the same time; this makes life easier. Ed