Valve Adjustment on KZ1000 Police. Two Questions.

So after a few months of psyching myself up, I finally felt ready to take on the task of adjusting my valves. I got the valve cover off and noticed that the #1 exhaust valve cavity was filled with oil.




When I had removed the cover, I noticed a gap in the gasket right at that point. The gasket was a brittle mess.

Oil had also been leaking past the cylinder head cover plugs when the bike was being used. (The rubber was also brittle on those so I bought replacements.)

My question is: How did all that oil get in there and what should I do about it?

My second question has to do with adjusting the valves. I followed the instructions in the shop manual and checked the clearance between the shim and cam for all eight valves.

On Intakes #2,#3, & #4 the gapping was within the suggested tolerances (#2 - 0.055 mm, #3 - 0.055 mm, & #4 - 0.125mm). The manual recommends between 0.05 mm and 0.15 mm.

The problem is that on Intake #1, nothing would fit in between the cam and the shim. (0.04 mm was the thinnest blade I had.)

I had the same problem on Exhaust #1 & #2 -- not enough clearance for even a piece of paper. (The gaps for #3 & #4 were good at 0.085 mm & 0.055 mm.)

What can be done about this? Thanks!

You want oil in there. Did you measure with them at TDC? I check them using thousands not millimeters.
Steve

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I did check them all at TDC as per the manual.



I just thought it was weird that that one was full of oil but none of the rest were. The bike has been sitting for a couple of months.

What should I do for the cam and shims that are too close together?

Thanks for the video, watching it now.

bl_francis wrote: . . . What should I do for the cam and shims that are too close together? . . .

Replace existing "too tight" shims with thinner shims of size needed to produce clearance within specs.

If clearance is still too tight with the thinnest factory produced shim, may be feasible to "tip" the valve stem in order to once again accommodate a thicker shim.

Never grind a shim in an effort to make it thinner, because the modified shim will fail (crack or shatter) and likely result in engine damage.
I believe the shims have a "hardened" surface that's removed by grinding.

Good Fortune!

If the lifter cup spins freely I'd put in the next size down. and check it again. At least on these motors you don't have to remove the cams to change them.
Steve

QUOTE: "Replace existing "too tight" shims with thinner shims of size needed to produce clearance within specs.

If clearance is still too tight with the thinnest factory produced shim, may be feasible to "tip" the valve stem in order to once again accommodate a thicker shim.

Never grind a shim in an effort to make it thinner, because the modified shim will fail (crack or shatter) and likely result in engine damage.
I believe the shims have a "hardened" surface that's removed by grinding."


"Tip" the valve stem? By which you mean removing it and grinding the thin end down a bit?

But I can get away with just a thinner shim? So remove the shims that are too tight, check their thickness, and then order ones that will make the gap within specs?

NO grinding of shims! Got it!

Thanks!

SWest wrote: If the lifter cup spins freely I'd put in the next size down. and check it again. At least on these motors you don't have to remove the cams to change them.
Steve

Great! I will do that. Thanks for your help!

Numbers are etched on the back. If worn off measure them. I alway buy the next size down too when I order shims. I have a complete set now. "Tipping" the valves is only for a very worn engine or a damaged one.
Steve

SWest wrote: Numbers are etched on the back. If worn off measure them. I alway buy the next size down too when I order shims. I have a complete set now. "Tipping" the valves is only for a very worn engine or a damaged one.
Steve

Will do. Thanks!

I measure valve clearance in thousands too. I pull the minimum and maximum clearance feeler gauges out of the set. I do this because it's easier to feel with one gauge at a time.

Ebay can be a good source of used shims. I've bought a couple of lots and have a pretty good selection.

Oil in the areas you pointed out is a good thing . Makes for a messy valve check but ya need oil in there too.

Valve cover gasket gets old and stiff from heat as do the rubber end caps. If the rubber end cap stays in place it can be left there and used with a new valve cover gasket. If the rubber end cap falls out then it will need to be replaced to avoid oil leakage.

I used to automatically replace the rubber end caps on every valve check. But now for some reason they have gotten expensive. So if it doesn't come out I leave it there. don't be tempted to buy used ones off ebay. They are no different than the old ones already on your motor.

Kawasaki has a tool used to keep the bucket down. Works good but be very careful with it because you can bend a valve easily. Good luck. Won't be long before a valve check is old hat.

Z1Driver wrote: I measure valve clearance in thousands too. I pull the minimum and maximum clearance feeler gauges out of the set. I do this because it's easier to feel with one gauge at a time.

Ebay can be a good source of used shims. I've bought a couple of lots and have a pretty good selection.

Oil in the areas you pointed out is a good thing . Makes for a messy valve check but ya need oil in there too.

Valve cover gasket gets old and stiff from heat as do the rubber end caps. If the rubber end cap stays in place it can be left there and used with a new valve cover gasket. If the rubber end cap falls out then it will need to be replaced to avoid oil leakage.

I used to automatically replace the rubber end caps on every valve check. But now for some reason they have gotten expensive. So if it doesn't come out I leave it there. don't be tempted to buy used ones off ebay. They are no different than the old ones already on your motor.

Kawasaki has a tool used to keep the bucket down. Works good but be very careful with it because you can bend a valve easily. Good luck. Won't be long before a valve check is old hat.

I just use metric because that was the info the manual had. I got my valve end covers from Z1, the old ones are pretty stiff. Will need a new gasket too. I bought a tool from motion pro to keep the bucket down, but may try the zip-tie method.

Thanks!

I have one of the thinnest shims I use when the clearance is too tight. I think it is a 2.00. Anyway, slip that one in so you can ,measure the clearance and it should provide you with a gap that will tell you what size shim you need. Just do the math.
If it is still too tight with a 2.00 it's time to get your valves tipped
Everyone has a favorite method for putting shims in and out but I've actually gotten pretty good with the batwing tool.