service manual valve clearance measurement

Everyone talks about the method of valve clearance measurement described in the service manual.... But the one in the manual doesn't make much sense to me. I've always assumed that the manual was in error. What do you guys think?

The manual says to turn the crankshaft to 4 different positions. That part is straight forward.

Then it says, at position #1, measure the cylinder #1 and #2 exhaust valves.

Here's where it starts getting weird... Cylinder #1 and #2 exhaust valves are at completely different parts of their cycles. It seems to me that the measurement to be made here is the cylinder #1 exhaust valve and the cylinder #4 intake valve (or the reverse as the case may be, I'm not looking at it right now, but on the bike it's obvious because the cam lobes point directly perpendicular to the surface of the cylinder head [NOT 180 degrees to the shim as people say]).

All of the other stages of the process in the manual are like this, so there's no point in me repeating them. Is this how those of you who "go by the book" are really doing it? At the first step you check the clearance on cyl #1 and #2 exhaust valves? Or are you doing exhaust/intake on #1 and #4?

I've done it the 180 degree way before because that's basically what the Clymer books says. Now I'm trying to do it the Kawasaki way, but it doesn't seem to make much sense and I get lower clearance readings for all of the off-perpendicular lobes that way. When I do 1 & 4 and 2 & 3 together (following the same 4 camshaft positions as the manual but measuring the valves whose cam lobes are pependicular to the head surface) I seem to get more reasonable results. The difference is about 0.03mm so it probably doesn't matter that much. I just want to know who is crazy, me or Kawasaki.

Depends on what brand of motor oil is in the engine and on whether or not it has pod filters.

I do it by the book, you do as you please.

www.kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/598653-valve-adjustment

On the KZ650 the pairs should be 1&3 and 2&4. At least that how all 4 of my KZ650 Kawasaki Service Manuals say to do it, and the instructions work perfectly.

However, there a many different KZ models ranging from 2 cylinder KZ250's up to 6 cylinder KZ1300's, so not all instructions are the same. I believe the KZ1000 instructions show 1&2 and 3&4. What model motorcycle are you working on? Ed

The factory method puts two adjacent valves both on the base circle. When you do the 180 degree method the adjacent valve is pushing up on the cam and skewing it in the journal clearance. Checking the valves using the 180 degree method typically results in measuring more clearance than will be the case if using the factory method.

TexasKZ wrote: I do it by the book, you do as you please.

www.kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/598653-valve-adjustment

That doesn't really answer my question. I've already read all the threads I could find about this on kzrider. The problem is that people say "by the book" or the "fsm way", but nobody mentions how odd it is to measure e.g. #1 and #2 exhaust clearances in the same step. Do you do THAT part of what the book says?

650ed wrote: On the KZ650 the pairs should be 1&3 and 2&4. At least that how all 4 of my KZ650 Kawasaki Service Manuals say to do it, and the instructions work perfectly.

However, there a many different KZ models ranging from 2 cylinder KZ250's up to 6 cylinder KZ1300's, so not all instructions are the same. I believe the KZ1000 instructions show 1&2 and 3&4. What model motorcycle are you working on? Ed

Oops. I forgot to mention KZ1000 J motor...

jackleberry wrote:

TexasKZ wrote: I do it by the book, you do as you please.

www.kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/598653-valve-adjustment

That doesn't really answer my question. I've already read all the threads I could find about this on kzrider. The problem is that people say "by the book" or the "fsm way", but nobody mentions how odd it is to measure e.g. #1 and #2 exhaust clearances in the same step. Do you do THAT part of what the book says?

Why is it odd? I don't understand. The key thing is that the valve should be on the basecircle. It doesn't matter what part of the combustion process, just as long as the valve is on the basecircle.

Nessism wrote: The factory method puts two adjacent valves both on the base circle. When you do the 180 degree method the adjacent valve is pushing up on the cam and skewing it in the journal clearance. Checking the valves using the 180 degree method typically results in measuring more clearance than will be the case if using the factory method.

Just to be perfectly clear, doing it with the factory method results in taking measurements of some valves at one cam lobe orientation and others at a different orientation, and that's not a problem, because the whole point is just to have a measurement of the clearance at the base circle with minimum pressure on the cam?

Nessism wrote:

jackleberry wrote:

TexasKZ wrote: I do it by the book, you do as you please.

www.kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/598653-valve-adjustment

That doesn't really answer my question. I've already read all the threads I could find about this on kzrider. The problem is that people say "by the book" or the "fsm way", but nobody mentions how odd it is to measure e.g. #1 and #2 exhaust clearances in the same step. Do you do THAT part of what the book says?

Why is it odd? I don't understand. The key thing is that the valve should be on the basecircle. It doesn't matter what part of the combustion process, just as long as the valve is on the basecircle.

I get what you're saying. It seems odd to me because if you're trying to measure all of the valves by the same standard, you'd think you'd measure them in the same situation (cam lobe orientation).

I have a 79/650b3 so my FSM isn't the same. However i do suggest following the procedures outlined in the FSM for YOUR BIKE. I rotate the crankcase 4 times to check 4 sets of shims.

I've mention this before but Clymer is the Cliffs Notes version of the Kawasaki Factory Service Manual and if you are going to wrench the FSM is the single most important tool you can own. I got mine for under $20 bucks.

Before you get started on measuring valve clearance (shims). I would check that the cams are original to the engine and that the cam chain/cam shafts are correctly lined up. If the chain is off and the cams are not aligned at the proper timing marks, your efforts to measure will not be accurate.

So when you look in the FSM and what you have in front of you generates a red flag, it's time to step back an evaluate what you are doing. Measuring shims is an easy task, however making sure everything else is where it should be gets more involved. Take your time, take pictures and ask specific questions - you will receive answers.

"I believe the KZ1000 instructions show 1&2 and 3&4.... Ed" Are you certain you own a 1000 or have a 1000 engine?

Yes, I do it just the way the fsm describes, and I do not find it odd at all.

jackleberry wrote:

TexasKZ wrote: I do it by the book, you do as you please.

www.kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/598653-valve-adjustment

That doesn't really answer my question. I've already read all the threads I could find about this on kzrider. The problem is that people say "by the book" or the "fsm way", but nobody mentions how odd it is to measure e.g. #1 and #2 exhaust clearances in the same step. Do you do THAT part of what the book says?