[How To] Checking the valves

Coyote Chris

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Which COG National were you at, Chris? I've been at several of them, starting in 2000 when I went to Cedar Breaks and Mountain Home, but didn't make it to Natural Bridge. After that one I went to Klamath Falls, OR; Montrose, CO; Centralia, WA; Fortuna, NC; Hill City, SD; Frisco, CO; and Tomah, WI. if you were at those, we may have met before we met at Spearfish (in '12?).
Never went to one, but I heard the stories of wild women and hard liquor!;)
 
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Dumb question.....

per the 06 Manual - both cold

intake - 0.006 in (0.15mm) +/- .001 - So the clearance can be .005 to .007 ?

Exhaust - 0.008 in (0.20mm) +/- .001 ...and here the clearance can be .007 to.009?
 

junglejim

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per the 06 Manual - both cold

intake - 0.006 in (0.15mm) +/- .001 - So the clearance can be .005 to .007 ?

Exhaust - 0.008 in (0.20mm) +/- .001 ...and here the clearance can be .007 to.009?
Correct.
Always good to make sure you're doing it right.
It is too much trouble to do it over.
 
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Did the first check the other day.....at about 2200 miles....the rear cyl. intake was was tighter than the exhaust....the front cyl was perfect......

Observations..... the rear valve cover can be removed without removing the throttle body...not so for the front...adjusting the front cyl tappets is gonna be a real pain...
 

DirtFlier

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It's a common mistake for mechanical newbies to NOT have the cylinder being adjusted on TDC compression. I'm old school so I usually turn the crankshaft through several revolutions counting to myself...."intake-compression-power-exhaust"...then start looking for the marks as I approach TF or TR. Many thanks to Mr Watkins my Auto Shop teacher from high school when we still had wood burning cars!

Doing away with shop classes in jr high (middle school) and high school was and still is a crime!

ps. in regards to the throttle bodies, I remove them but leave all the wires & cables connected, then place the unit on the side side of frame. And If you've never done it previously, the band clamp for the front throttle body is a real joy because of space and being blocked from view.
 
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It's a common mistake for mechanical newbies to NOT have the cylinder being adjusted on TDC compression. I'm old school so I usually turn the crankshaft through several revolutions counting to myself...."intake-compression-power-exhaust"...then start looking for the marks as I approach TF or TR. Many thanks to Mr Watkins my Auto Shop teacher from high school when we still had wood burning cars!

Doing away with shop classes in jr high (middle school) and high school was and still is a crime!

ps. in regards to the throttle bodies, I remove them but leave all the wires & cables connected, then place the unit on the side side of frame. And If you've never done it previously, the band clamp for the front throttle body is a real joy because of space and being blocked from view.
Yep....I'm sure I was at TDC...tappets were loose....
 

mikesim

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Always look for the intake valves to go down and once they begin their upward journey, look for the timing mark.... gets TDC every time.

Mike
 
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It's time to check the valves. I paid the stealership last time and I'm planning on doing it myself this time, but never did valves before. The last bike was a PC800 with hydraulic valves, so no adjusting in the 100K miles. Is there anybody in Central Texas that is willing to help me for the first time? Either my place or yours, I'll supply the pizza and beverages, you supply the experience. If not, I will give it a go myself, I'm pretty mechanically minded and have done a lot of repairs in the past. Thanks.
 

Warren

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Its a pretty time consuming process. Are you sure you need to bother. Many of us are going 16-24K between adjustments.
 
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Looking at the rear valves, how do I determine which ones are intake and which are exhaust?? Honda manual does not show any information on this.

Thanks,

LeeU
 

Phil Tarman

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Lee, this might seem obvious, but on both front and rear cylinders, the exhausts are on the outside of the Vee, where the exhaust pipes are located, and the intakes are in the middle, where the airbox is. Hope this helps.
 
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Phil that is a very clear way to explain where the exhaust valves are and I am not sure I would have thought of it.

Very well done.

Seagrass
 
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I adjusted the valves last weekend and replaced the spark plugs/air filter, 24K between checks. The intakes were within tolerance, but the exhaust valves had tightened up. Especially the front cylinder, right valve. Makes me wonder if the Honda Tech got that one correct as it's such a PITA to access. I had to redo the front cover a few times to ensure no leaks. One thing I learned is the bike will run fairly well without the airbox in place, something the PC800 would never do. I loosened the cowl and rotated the coolant reservoir tank to get at that difficult clamp, was not too bad to access it that way with a long screwdriver.
Rear Cylinder
Intakes: Both .006
Exhaust: Both .007 - Set to .008
Front Cylinder
Intakes: Both .006
Exhaust: Left = 007, Right .0057 - Set to .008

Great tips in this thread, thank you to my predecessors.
 

DirtFlier

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[... I learned is the bike will run fairly well without the airbox in place, something the PC800 would never do.]

Carbs are much more sensitive to the level of atmospheric pressure in the airbox. Fuel injection doesn't seem to care.

In regards to the front cylinder's right side exhaust rocker, I added an long extension to my feeler gauge and came in from the side of the bike. With the side vent removed, if you look in just above the spark plug you can clearly see that rocker arm. :)
 
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I made this tool in case the gauge slipped out of my hand. Worked great with the offset tips on the feeler gauges.

20170929_175033.jpg
 
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After adjusting the valves, but before installing the front cover, rotate the crank until the front exhaust valves are in the fully open position. The front cover will slip right into place, without the gasket snagging the adjusters.

Brad
 
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Here is a post I made in the other forum, last winter, about my first valve check:

So I just finished the first valve check.

The bodywork came off quickly, and went back on quickly. Familiarity made a huge difference here. I didn't take the tank altogether off - I just lifted it and propped it with a piece of wood. The tank was only about a third full so it wasn't even heavy. No problems there.

Next, the airbox comes off. First you take off the lid. Then, inside the airbox there are two snorkel-like things, one for each throttle body. They are each held in place by two screws. The screws come off and the snorkels come out. There is a white sensor on the front left side that I found easier to unscrew from the airbox, than to get the electrical connector loose. There is a fitting with a sensor and three hoses, that snaps into a hook on the rear left corner of the airbox. Unhook the hose that goes to the airbox, and then just pop this assembly out of the hook. There's a sensor on the middle right that unplugs easily, and a small hose behind it that comes off easily. And there's a fuel hose that snaps into a clamp at the rear right, that just pulls out (you don't have to unhook this hose, just pull it out of the clamp on the corner of the airbox. And a hose at the back, undo this one last. Once all these things are off, the bottom half of the airbox lifts out.

There's a plastic shield that snaps in place on top of the rear cylinder. Pull this off, and the cylinder cover is now accessible. Two screws and it's off.

There are two ports on the alternator cover that you open, the center one turns the motor and the upper one is a porthole to see where it's at. Turn it to the right spot and check the valves in the rear cylinder. Mine were all in spec. Then put the cover back on the rear cylinder.

Disconnect the throttle cables, and the two hose clamps, and the throttle bodies lift out (well, they kinda rock out - but they did come loose without too much difficulty). The screw for the clamp on the front intake is VERY hard to reach. Here's a picture of the front cylinder, open:



You can see this problem screw in the picture, just to the right of the valves, on the intake. I couldn't photograph it with the throttle body in place; the camera wouldn't be able to see it. I went in from the right side with this tool:



This ratcheting screwdriver came with shorter bits. The longer bit that I used and pictured here, was from a box I had bought to use with my cordless drill, but it fit the screwdriver handle, thank goodness! It was a slow job, ratcheting the screwdriver one click at a time, forever. I think the skin is going to peel off my thumb from holding it in place. But I got it loose.

I didn't disconnect any of the fuel lines. I just moved the throttle bodies back and set them on top of the rear cylinder.

The front cylinder has a plastic shield on top of it as well. The trick to removing this shield is to look in from the front of the bike, and disconnect the two tabs that hold it in place on the top edge of the radiator. Once these tabs are popped loose, go back to the under-tank side and pull it out.

The front cylinder cover was not hard to pull out. But the space underneath is very confined. I was glad the valves were in spec, because it would have been a pain to adjust them in there.

Putting it back together was the reverse of taking it apart. The most difficult part was dealing with all the small hoses that run across the top of the throttle bodies, with T connectors, and if you don't get them all into place perfectly, the airbox doesn't want to fit back on correctly.

It took me several hours to do all this on Sunday. I think this will go much quicker, next time, though, since I will know more about what's in there. Note to self: Don't forget to put the plastic heat shields back in, because if you do you'll have to go in again. Also, careful of the tiny hose that goes into the right hand side of the airbox - if it's not routed correctly it won't stay on, and the bike doesn't run worth a darn if that hose pops off!

I also did the first oil change. As has already been reported, it was a pain to get the oil filter off. The centerstand blocks access, whether it's up or down. Here are the tools I used to get it off:



Usually I use this filter wrench with a socket, but there wasn't room for a socket in there, so I was glad that it also had a hex fitting so I could use that ratcheting box wrench. There wasn't a lot of room to swing the wrench, so the ratcheting was handy.

The oil that came out was pretty nasty looking, so I'm glad I didn't put off changing it. It shifts so nicely with the fresh oil!
Thanks for the pics and info! My bike is getting not easy to start in cold mornings. Once engine warms up, it's just one touch fire up. I'm assuming tight intake valve clearance?? However, I'm dreading over doing the valve adjustment. You make it sound like simple process but I'm sure it can get difficult especially if you don't have the right tools
 

mikesim

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Just take your time and follow the instructions in the service manual and you will be OK. When removing the tupperware pay close attention to the fasteners and their proper location.

Mike
 
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I would add that you should get your phone out and take LOTS of pictures. It sure helps give you that warm fuzzy feeling that everything is right when you reassemble.

Cliff
 
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