Wilsons Sandbox

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "kusstj" wrote:

> > Guys, the old A16 has been great, runs like a top. Great therapy > for me with obsessive oil changes, synthetic blends, amsoil mc, > have also done the doohickey. I am at appr 7700 mi (memory??) I > know the valve clearances (right term??) were checked by my local > shop shortly after buying the bike new (1500 mi?) and one shim was > tweaked slightly. > > Do fellow listers have an opinion on when they need to be checked > again?? 10k miles?? less than that?? 15 k miles?? What should I > listen for?? I recall a quote by a esteemed lister that "slappy > valves are happy valves" (so what the hell should that sound > like ?? vs. listening to unhappy valves??) > > by the way my hearing isn't so good anymore. (so I've heard, . . . > I think . . .) > > For therapy sake I may dive in myself but am seeking guidance about > when I might place this project on my radar. > >

You are probably about due, according to the factory. Once they take an initial set, however, the valve clearances are usually pretty stable. I checked mine at 5k. 38,000 miles later, I'll be curious to see what they are. The bike is just beginning to inkle that an exhaust valve may be a little tight.

IIRC, the recommended valve check interval is 6k miles, check your owner's manual to confirm*. If you can hear a 'ticky-ticky-ticky' that increases with engine speed, you're probably hearing happy, tappy valves. But you can't be sure they're all happy, since tight valves don't talk and they're the ones that do the damage. It's not that hard to check the clearances for peace of mind; adjusting them takes more time and effort. __Arden *I've heard the '08 manual recommends something like 15k...that's way too long.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "kusstj" wrote: > > Guys, the old A16 has been great, runs like a top. Great therapy > for me with obsessive oil changes, synthetic blends, amsoil mc, > have also done the doohickey. I am at appr 7700 mi (memory??) I > know the valve clearances (right term??) were checked by my local > shop shortly after buying the bike new (1500 mi?) and one shim was > tweaked slightly. > > Do fellow listers have an opinion on when they need to be checked > again?? 10k miles?? less than that?? 15 k miles?? What should I > listen for?? I recall a quote by a esteemed lister that "slappy > valves are happy valves" (so what the hell should that sound > like ?? vs. listening to unhappy valves??) > > by the way my hearing isn't so good anymore. (so I've heard, . . . > I think . . .) > > For therapy sake I may dive in myself but am seeking guidance about > when I might place this project on my radar. > > > thanks as always guys (and gals) > > Todd > Chaska MN > 9f above this am, thawing this afternoon. >

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:04:45 -0000 "kusstj" writes:

> Guys, the old A16 has been great, runs like a top. Great therapy > for me with obsessive oil changes, synthetic blends, amsoil mc, > have also done the doohickey. I am at appr 7700 mi (memory??) I > know the valve clearances (right term??) were checked by my local > shop shortly after buying the bike new (1500 mi?) and one shim was > tweaked slightly. > > Do fellow listers have an opinion on when they need to be checked > again?? 10k miles?? less than that?? 15 k miles?? What should I > listen for?? I recall a quote by a esteemed lister that "slappy > valves are happy valves" (so what the hell should that sound > like ?? vs. listening to unhappy valves??)

SNIP

> thanks as always guys (and gals) > > Todd > Chaska MN

<><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><> Todd, One of the problems I see when folks allow the dealer or someone else to check/adjust valves is they often don't get any information back on what was found or done. You give a prime example of saying the shop did your valves and slightly tweaked one shim. But it sounds like you didn't get any information saying what shims were in place or what your clearances were set to. Since valve clearances have a range I think the shops often check the valves with a feeler gauge and if they are within the specified range leave them alone. Now that's just what I think with absolutely no facts or data to back it up. Just my belief. But what that means is if you have valves on the short end of the allowable range you'll need to adjust the valves sooner than if they were adjusted to the large end of the range. And without the information of what the clearances were at you'll have a tough time making a good decision on when to next check the clearances. When I check valves I like to adjust them at the large end of the range and record what they were at, what shim was in place and what shim was installed and what the final clearance is. Then I think a guy could go 10,000 miles since the clearance would have to tighten up about 0.004" before it was below the low end of the allowable range. It takes so much effort to get to the place where you can check the clearances it doesn't make sense to me to not adjust valves to the large end of the range and be done with it for a while. If you know what shims are in place it's easy to have a few shims on hand for the next valve adjustment. But the only way to know what shims are in the engine is to take it apart and look. Valve clearance is important for engine performance as it affects valve timing (when the valves open and close in relation to the rotation of the crankshaft), how long valves stay open (which is important for moving fuel/air mixture into the combustion chamber or removing exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber) and also heat transfer from the valve face to the valve seat in the head for heat removal by the cooling system. If the valves are tight the valves open sooner and close later. That will rob power by reducing the power stroke by a degree or two and also with the later closing of the intake valve reduce compression. And with the valves open longer they aren't in contact with the valve seats and they retain heat which results in reduced valve life. If the valves lose all clearance the first thing you'll notice is hard starting and poor or no idle. If you allow that to continue you'll get to a no run condition if you don't have a piston hit a valve first when you high rev the engine trying to keep it running and float a valve. If the valves are too loose they open later and close sooner. That will rob power by shortening the amount of time the fuel/air mixture can enter the combustion chamber and also the amount of time exhaust gasses can be removed from the combustion chamber. With the extra clearance the valve train will take more of a pounding and that will lead to reduced valve component life. Keeping the valves clearances within the allowable range is important. A few good notes on what has happened in the past will help predict future performance and maintenance requirements. I suggest you plan on checking your valves soon and learning exactly what your engine's situation is. Maybe it's fine and maybe it's not. Kind of like a stock doohickey. : ) Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT

Hi All........ I have not monitored the list for awhile as my Son took over my 2005 KLR. I have since acquired a 2008 also in Chick Magnet Red I have a cold start problem...It seems to me I had read someone or others also had this problem. Those that is not living under the equator. If you have had this problem I would like to hear what the solution was. I realize that it is under warranty but I would like to hear from you regardless. I have just over 150 miles on it. Best regards Pat Cassels [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]