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So my questions are:
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I am pretty confident I can do it, but just want to make sure I cover ALL the bases
Thanks in advance
Thanks LatherI think you do want it flush with the engine. Mine once released as I was torquing the bolts, the other time it did not release until I turned the crank.
So for the tensioner, Do I want it to bolt all the way down before it releases (IE it will release when I turn the motor) or should it release as I am tightening it down?
No way you will find the shims in stock. Don't even hope for it. The shims I found at several dealers were only hotcam shims, they skip every other size, so you won't be able to make do with them. The specs for this engine are tight--only .05 mm between the high and low measurement. If you use hotcam shims, you have .05 mm between sizes. So you might get one to fit in there, but out of the 16 valves some will hit right at the high or low measurement and when the cams are put back in, the feeler gauge will show you are out of spec. I like to hit the middle, and not do this labor intensive job just to leave a valve right at the edge of being out of spec.This is all true but where do you find metric gauges in .01 increments beyond .15? I have searched extensively with no luck. Every metric set I have found skips to .05 increments after .15 Considering the tight working room, at least for my large handes, layering two guages is not an a good solution for me.
The critical factor you will need to prepare for, is stick to metric measurements for everything. Don't use an inch feeler gauge, the gaps are huge. You need a metric set of gauges that are in increments of .01 mm MAXIMUM. They will be .04, .05, .06, .07, .08, .09, etc. Even in Fred's videos he uses inch feelers and everything seemed to work out fine. But mathematically if you use gaps that large on your feeler gauge, you will have about one out of four out of spec when you put the cams back in and recheck it. Most guys are tired of the job after waiting for ordered shims the first time and just skip the rechecking after reassembling the cams, or they hamfist the feeler gauge to make it appear to work. I had to pull the cams and reorder the shims. Also, I had most of my valves needing adjustment, and several shims two sizes off after 24,000 miles.
You guys are serious that dealers don't have the shims in stock? I find that hard to comprehend that they would not given that they fit several bikes. Thanks for the heads up as that will be the first question I ask when I look for a dealer to do it. I don't want my bike sitting there for a day or two before they get to it, then a day to check them, then a couple more days to wait for shims to come in, then a couple of more days to get to the bike and put it back together. Sounds pretty lame to me.There are a lot of little parts that the service manual calls for replacement of, that you can add to the "I thought that would be in stock" list. Washers for drain plugs, my favorite is the radiator drain washer/gasket. Never found them at the dealer, always order and wait--usually wait for a week. My friend McDonald that worked on my bike for free in high school, he never replaced any washers, hell half the time he just left them off completely...
You guys are serious that dealers don't have the shims in stock? I find that hard to comprehend that they would not given that they fit several bikes. Thanks for the heads up as that will be the first question I ask when I look for a dealer to do it. I don't want my bike sitting there for a day or two before they get to it, then a day to check them, then a couple more days to wait for shims to come in, then a couple of more days to get to the bike and put it back together. Sounds pretty lame to me.I should clarify: Most dealer service departments have a supply of shims in stock for use by their mechanics but these are not for sale. I have heard reports of service managers willing to trade shims but that was not the case for my dealer.
No way you will find the shims in stock. Don't even hope for it. The shims I found at several dealers were only hotcam shims, they skip every other size, so you won't be able to make do with them. The specs for this engine are tight--only .05 mm between the high and low measurement. If you use hotcam shims, you have .05 mm between sizes. So you might get one to fit in there, but out of the 16 valves some will hit right at the high or low measurement and when the cams are put back in, the feeler gauge will show you are out of spec. I like to hit the middle, and not do this labor intensive job just to leave a valve right at the edge of being out of spec.
The critical factor you will need to prepare for, is stick to metric measurements for everything. Don't use an inch feeler gauge, the gaps are huge. You need a metric set of gauges that are in increments of .01 mm MAXIMUM. They will be .04, .05, .06, .07, .08, .09, etc. Even in Fred's videos he uses inch feelers and everything seemed to work out fine. But mathematically if you use gaps that large on your feeler gauge, you will have about one out of four out of spec when you put the cams back in and recheck it. Most guys are tired of the job after waiting for ordered shims the first time and just skip the rechecking after reassembling the cams, or they hamfist the feeler gauge to make it appear to work. I had to pull the cams and reorder the shims. Also, I had most of my valves needing adjustment, and several shims two sizes off after 24,000 miles.
......... I like to hit the middle, and not do this labor intensive job just to leave a valve right at the edge of being out of spec.
The critical factor you will need to prepare for, is stick to metric measurements for everything. Don't use an inch feeler gauge, the gaps are huge. You need a metric set of gauges that are in increments of .01 mm MAXIMUM. They will be .04, .05, .06, .07, .08, .09, etc. Even in Fred's videos he uses inch feelers and everything seemed to work out fine. But mathematically if you use gaps that large on your feeler gauge, you will have about one out of four out of spec when you put the cams back in and recheck it. .........
I should clarify: Most dealer service departments have a supply of shims in stock for use by their mechanics but these are not for sale. I have heard reports of service managers willing to trade shims but that was not the case for my dealer.
OK, hereis aare some questions for the feeler gauge experts. BENT or STRAIGHT? I feel like working a straight feeler around obstacles puts pressure on the gauge that influences the "feel". Do y'all use a bent gauge to avoid this or am I worrying too much? If you use bent guages do you buy them or bend your own?