Valve Adjustment

[Chucksklrst]

My 1986 VT1100C Shadow had a form of hydraulic lifters. No valve adjust. Just make sure oil, gas and tires are good and GO RIDE. Was a great bike if you liked cruisers. I owned it for 11 years and used it as a commuter to and from work.

I believe the PC800 also had the same type of set up.

 

[RedLdr1]

Actually, a lot of the car manufacturers are going BACK to solid lifters.

True, but isn't that usually with computer control VVT not periodic manual valve adjustments? Seems the hydraulics can't meet the ever tightening emission requirements from what I have read...

If you still had your 65 A-H, and I still had my 68 Triumph Spitfire, would we be on our bikes?

Nope, and to be honest some nice days my current daily driver convertible, or our 1980 Corvette T-Top, keeps me off the bikes... There is a lot to be said for a nice top down mountain drive with the wife and without ATGATT and not caring if bad weather comes up... :smile:

 

[ARKNT]

but you have to move pretty far into OCD territory to actually think about it

I confess of OCD. I have checked/adjusted valves on a couple of Honda Accords (early 90s to 2000) I have owned. Of course access to them was easy and the job may have taken me (slow) an hour and a half total.

Brad

 

[elizilla]

I confess of OCD. I have checked/adjusted valves on a couple of Honda Accords (early 90s to 2000) I have owned. Of course access to them was easy and the job may have taken me (slow) an hour and a half total.

Did you have to change any of them?
Are they screw type, or shim under, or shim over?
Do they wear loose or wear tight?
Does Honda spec a valve adjust interval for the Accords, and if so what is it?

I guess I have some OCD tendencies too, because I am suddenly intensely curious about this. My parents have put 200K+ on any number of Accords, and I doubt they've ever had the valves adjusted - they wouldn't even know what this means. But I've never heard that they had any trouble due to unadjusted valves. (Note, I wouldn't say they set a a good vehicle maintenance example. They believe it's normal to always have the check engine light on.)

 

[suvcw04]

When I was a kid, I used to like watching my father, who was a mechanic (and a darn good one) adjust valves with what he called his "nervous screwdriver". It had a spring in the handle that allowed the bit to move up and down so he could adjust valves while the engine was running. Took him about 5 minutes on a straight six because he didn't have to keep finding TDC on each cylinder.
He would also time an engine by putting just his fingertips on the fender and adjusting the distributor. He would then hook up a timing light just to be sure. He seldom had to make any adjustments.
Luckily I "inherited" a fraction of his skills. He passed these on by refusing to touch our cars when we turned 16 and got our license. He would supervise, but would do no work. I found that irritating at the time, but now I remember every time I touch a wrench where the ability came from.

 

[ARKNT]

Are they screw type, or shim under, or shim over?

I still had some records from a 2000 Honda Accord with 4 cyl engine. I adjusted 4 of 16 valves at 37,000 miles and 2 of 16 at 90,000 miles. The adjusters were screw type. I think they recomended checks every 30,000 miles but I don't know for sure. I don't recall if they wore loose or tight but the first adjust was all intake and the second adjust were both exhaust. I got rid of the car at about 150,000 but it was good for a lot more.
I had a 92 model before that that I think had similar adjustments. I know I had adjusted a few in about 120,000 miles.
I think they have changed the valve train since and gone to some variable valve timing and such but I haven't owned one since the 2000 model.
Those cars with 4 cyl engines sure had easier access to the adjustments than bikes but not all the maint was easy. I looked at changing the timing belt myself but looked hard at it and farmed it out. It would have been very difficult to do myself.
Brad

 

[pcrider]

My 1986 VT1100C Shadow had a form of hydraulic lifters. No valve adjust. Just make sure oil, gas and tires are good and GO RIDE. Was a great bike if you liked cruisers. I owned it for 11 years and used it as a commuter to and from work.

I believe the PC800 also had the same type of set up.

Yes, the PC used the engine from the 800 Shadow with hydraulic lifters. Never had a problem with mine in 14 years and 130,000 miles.

 

[stevebaxter]

I had an 85 VN700A Vulcon that had hydraulic lash adjusters.
That worked very well. Never had to mess with them.
Just the stator about every 2 years.

 

[tawilke46]

I am lucky I guess, to have a pretty good local Honda dealer, Friendly Honda & Yamaha, here in Baton Rouge,La.
Still not convinced of the quality in the service dept. Have to do that before I let them do a valve adjust!
Need to have a heart to heart talk with my sales guy, who rides a FJR daily to work. See what he thinks. After all he gets his Yamaha serviced there.
I can always pound on him if things don't go right.:chair1: