Do i need to do a Valve Adjustment?

Greetings all,

I have been away from the site for awhile but its winter here and I have the bike in the basement doing some minor items to it. Its a 1999 VFR800 and I am just about too 18,000 miles. I have not really done any major maintenance to it up to this point besides battery, oil changes, new tires and some thorough cleanings. I am being told that its about time for a valve adjustment based on the miles as opposed to any engine issue. I did some quick searches while at work today and see many threads talking about that a valve change may need to be done but did not find any good how to threads, unless there quite old. I did not know if anyone has any suggestions to if this should be done and if so how it is done, as well if there is any other maintenance items I should be considering while i have it apart here for a month or so.

Thanks,

 

Apologies as while I was confirming this post did post, I noticed a sticky about it. Question still remains about what other services should I perform.

Thanks,

 

At that odometer reading I would ride it for another 30-40k before I gave it another thought and would let that thought go with a couple of beers. Your all good.

 

As Toe said have a few beers work on other items.
If it not ticking keep on riding :thumb:

 

"If it not ticking keep on riding"

I've heard this before, what is this ticking you talk of? To my understanding, as the valve clearances get tighter the bike should get even quieter? I'm on 72000Km (45000 miles) and have no idea if the valves were ever done in the past. Would be great if there was a symptom one could look for. Thanks.

 

I am in the understanding that that as parts wear the gap gets sloppier not tighter? Dont she how it would get tigher unless the valve seats themself wear out more then the shims and the cams.

 

Valves can slowly beat themselves into their seats which have the affect of reducing the clearance between the cam and the shim or the cam follower depending on what kind of valve train an engine has. It is my understanding that this kind of situation can be caused when valves that don't get cooled properly due to inadequate heat transfer through the guides or seat. It's possible but we haven't heard of issues such as this with the VFR 5th gen engine. Typically the owner pays a crap load of money for the technician to open her up only to find that everything is within spec. If it was running rough it would be another story.

 

Ya, I would swap out all fluids, maybe a PC3 and forget aboot it, if it ain't broke DON'T FIX IT my old man used to say. cheers

 

Measurement of valve clearances determines if more-complicated adjustment is needed. Measuring is easy and nearly klutz-proof, not much to foul up; but adjustment is challenging with no room for much error.


OK then, you've got the time. First be sure you've read and understood the service manual for the procedure. Remove the 2 valve covers and get out yer feelers. Easy job, few tools needed, and not much could go wrong. Measure each valve and record on a chart. Anything deviating more than about + or - .002" needs further attention and will require some accurate work to correct, work for a mechanic who's done that b4 ??

Set your worries to rest at least, without much trouble and all d-y-i.

Estimate 1 hour or 2 beers to get covers off, then another 2 beers to rotate the engine a few times measuring clearances and re-measuring once again, another hour to button up if nothing needs fixin. Just one evening's fun. Just a little manual work,then you can get back to yer blinkin 'lectronikkks.

 

quality time with your bike can not be under-estimated yah know! and besides, maybe it gets you oot of the house where you wont have to fold bath towels. :loco:

 

Well it wont get me out of the house since it is in the basement. But this is prolly a plus since its -12 outside at the moment. Squirrel man, when you say anything deviating more than about + or - .002" needs further attention. .002" from what?

 

Melec - I hate to break it to you, but the only reason people are paying attention to this thread is because of your avatar. Fact. I got nothing to offer, but I keep coming back. :smile:

 

Yes! Cheese-Cake sells bikes as much as attracting attention to threads :loco: Oot of the house is a figurative expression and should not be taken word for word. Basement counts, attatched garage/detached garage/guest bedroom/man-cave/pool-side; basically anywhere you can be with you yourself and your thoughts ALONE. ; )

 

I hate to say this but I will probably never check my valves. In my whole life I have only seen one truly burned valve and that was on an MGA. Old vintage Nortons and Triumphs used to drop valves, meaning the head would come off and do really bad things the the piston and head. This was because of crappy OEM valves and high spring pressures for big valves and not from clearance issues. The valves in a 4 valve head are very small and light. They do not, as a rule, beat themselves in the seats. (Modern valve and seat technology is amazing!) I have seen more badly set valves from ham handed home mechanics than anything else. Since I seem to have turned into a ham handed mechanic myself I tend to leave well enough alone.

I would pay more attention to chain and sprockets. A broken chain can break a case or cause an accident.

Melec's avatar? I didn't notice.

 

Sorry if it wasn't clear. Honda's almost universal valve clearance specifications for many models, VFRs included, are Intake=.005"/Ex=.007" + or- .001" Close to that is best, but there is some tolerance allowable if you recheck periodically.

Statistically, you could rely on a high probability that your valves were still OK, spend more computer time and not get hands dirty.

 

I know its been a while since I have been on this thread but hopefully I can get a quick answer here. According to the manual I have it is .006 IN and .012 EX. +-.001 for both. For example my cylinder #1 I measure .006 and .011. Meaning I can get the .006 to fit, but I cannot get the .007 to fit. And I can get the .011 to fit but I cannot get the .012 to fit. This means I am good to go right?

Secondly, the manual says i can use a little silicone to make the cover gasket stay in place but it does not say I have to replace it. So a I am planning to reuse it. However it appears there are a few spots where dry silicone is present. Mostly in and right next to half circles in the heads made for the cams to slide out when removing. Do i need to scrap away all this silicone before reassembly and add new if needed, or should it leave it untouched when I reassemble assuming all the groves will match up and will seal correctly. If i need to add new, will that black, gasket maker silicone work. Or do i need something special.

Thanks,
Mel

 

Nice avatar btw, Your first question aboot "go-no-go" is correct, they also have feeler gauges that are sold like this, there is a gradiant on them. You can never have too many of these tools and another tip: Put them away oily, clean feeler gauges set yourself up to buy new ones due to rust. So the adage aboot always cleaning your tools does not apply.

Your second question requires you to have some brake cleaner on hand and some shop rags. You must make the metal surface thats on the head "half-moons" clean as a whistle. Basically, you want that entire metal lip surface clean. You must also clean your gasket. I use my finger nail and maybe a rag soaked in solvent. As far as the glue goes, I used Yamabond, or Hondabond, they are tacky and have many uses, one of which is what you need it for. I generally use a little on the half moon area, plant the gasket, and then float the valve cover on by feel and vision, you kinda get a feel for it. Hope this helps. :thumbsup: Cheers.

 

If it's not ticking it could mean valve clearances are too tight, as was already said. I had my valves checked at 48k and 4 of the VTec valves were too tight. In my mind it's possible that they were tight even earlier check intervals because those checks were done where I bought the bike... for free by the place I bought it from, under their extended service agreement. The name of the shop is Ridenow, but we all call it RideNOT because their service,department has a bad rep, and I'm not even sure they actually checked my valves. When a REAL shop checked and let me stand there watching the entire time, they came up with 4 too tight. Normal valves were fine, but VTec valves were out. Since yours is not a VTec version, your chances may be better... if you use my case as an example. But if you have the time, I say check them. It will give you peace of mind, and help you bond with your bike...

 

Quality time with your two wheeled/four-wheeler cage can not be underestimated! Nuff Sed, she wont ask you to get ice-cream or watch sex-in-the-city either:wacko: :vtr2:

Old adage too, "if it aint broke, don't fix it!" gota chose your battles correctly. eace: