Valve clearances

Does anyone have any special tips or tricks to clearancing valves? I just put the ol girl back togther after replacing valves and cant seem to get the clearances right.
Also will it hurt the bike to ride it to the local honda shop (10 miles) to get the valves clearanced as long as the valves are not hitting the tops of the pistons?

Thanks!!!!!

 

This may be of help - a magazine article, from back in the day, on using Honda's Valve Adjusting Tool:

 

Thanks!! Do you know where I can find one of those tools??

 

I know that David Silver Spares has them – or - perhaps you can try your local dealer (to save on shipping) or online through Service Honda.

I checked this afternoon, before posting this, and Service Honda currently has this tool (‘Tappet Adjusting Special Tool’) listed as being available for $38.29 + shipping.


OEM valve adjusting tool - part no. 07979-MK30000

 

Ok thanks! I will check my local honda shop tomorrow and see if they have one. Also what do you set your valve clearances to? Clymer says 12mm intake and 13mm exhaust, honda says 16mm for both, those seem to be awful big differences. Right now I have it set at 16mm for both per honda spec.
I would go ahead and try the clymer spec, but I do not want to get it too close and have the valves hit the pistons. Any advice?

 

A bit more intel on V-4 valve adjustment techniques - see web link below

• Honda Tappet Adjusting Tool - used in the 'Robyn Lander's Method'
• Two Feeler Gauge Method
• Dave Dodge Method

ValveTrain/ValveClearanceAdjustment - SabMagFAQ

 

^^^ I like the tip to rotate the cams to where they are lifting the valves open to tighten the lock nuts. Never thought of that one!

 

thanks for the help!! seeing as how I only have one feeler gauge looks like I am diong it that way!! never knew that I could check it between the rocker arm and the cam thanks invisible!!

 

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16mm valve clearance?? Oh, dear !! Oh, dear !! That will never do !!

Perhaps worth mentioning again is that the adjusting screw bottoms, which were hemispherically round when new and smooth, are, after miles added up, now flattened, distorted, and in generally deplorably awful conditon.. Best to replace anything that looks bad and the locknuts too as insurance.

 

I'm HOPING he meant 0.16mm.

Good reminder on closely looking at the tips of the adjuster screws.

 

Is there a big difference between the valve adjustments on the 84-85 and the 86 VF500's?

 

The only thing your doing with that tool is raising the cam up tight against the top bearing(cap). You might be gaining .001" doing that. Which will only give you half of that dimention when running. Oil has to flow all around the bear. So instead of setting valve clearance at 12mm with tool, set it at 12.5 or 13mm without tool. Also use the two feeler gauge method. It keeps from twisting the forked rocker arm. Which is a problem that could exaggerate cam wear. Your better off a thou loose than tight.

 

Not sure where you are getting your specs - I do know that the '86 has different clearances (perhaps another owner of a '86 can confirm what these are).

For reference my '84 VF500F Factory Manual notes:

Intake: .12mm (.004in)
Exhaust: .13mm (.005in)

 

I wish I knew what the 86 valve clearance specs are supposed to be.

The fact that the specs are different for different years makes me terrified to bring my bike somewhere to get the valves checked.

 

I'd really recommend purchasing a Honda Factory Manual for your '86. You can always bring this along and hand off to the tech.

 

I have a honda factory manual for it and a clymer, the honda factory does reccomend .004in for the intake and .005 in for the exhaust for the 84-85, for the 86 it reccomends (.005 or .16mm) for both typo maybe????
I finally got them all but one straight, used a .002 in between the rocker and cam for all of them. I have a clicking noise on the intake valves on my number 4 cylinder that I cannot seem to get out, I clearanced it several times and just cant get it...checked the timing and for any loose bolts to see if that could be clicking but did not find anything, spark plug was not as tight as all the others but it still wasnt loose.

I purchased two spare low milage heads and have replaced all of my worn parts with those, so the rocker arm screws have fairly good looking tips. The marks on the cam gears line up good when timing but could it still be off one tooth or so and that be causing the loud tick for that one rocker? It seems to me if it was off the intake valves on cylinder 2 would be making noise as well.

Thanks for all your help!

 

I wasn't quite sure from reading your post - do you mean to say that the Factory Manual spec's .13mm for both the exhaust and intake valve lash on the '86? - .13mm = .005in.

Thx!

 

Actually no, my factory manual says .005in/.16mm, I thought the same thing when reading it because you are right, .13mm=.005 in but apparently they mistyped, is my manual the only one like that?

 

It will be good to get some feedback from other owners - I have an original manual (the one in the green binder) published in 1984 so I'm afraid that I won't be of help on the '86 spec.