| Author | Message | ||
     D_adams |
/rant on== !#$!#$%$#@%^!@$ /rant off. Every one of the valves are out of adjustment on the tight side.  Rotating the motor is a pain, wish I woulda just went ahead and pulled the frame now, especially with having to pull every damn shim, measure, swap shims and still make a trip to the dealer. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!! | ||
| Justa4banger |
Duelly noted, for when i get to your point... Pull the engine from the frame...  Have a beer on me  | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Easier to pull the frame from the engine. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I had to do an engine swap on a Gixxer 600 and it was surprisingly easy. The only hard part was getting the engine back in. | ||
| D_adams |
I think that another 1/2 hour or maybe a bit more and I could pull the frame off, but I have the bike facing the wrong way to strap it to the anchors I have in the floor of the garage. I guess I'll lift it back up, slip in a bolt, spin the bike around and then pull the frame off. I think there's only a few more wires to disconnect. The main harness doesn't leave a lot of wriggle room to play with. | ||
| Mountainstorm |
How many miles have you got on there D? | ||
| 1_mike |
D - Fun...is it...mine was the same way. I hope you are doing ONE cylinder at a time.... You DO NOT want to rotate the crank with any shims out. The follower will dig into the spring retainer and possibly do damage. Be careful / go slow with the front exhaust shim replacement. Mike | ||
| Metalrabbit |
which way is normal running rotation of "the crank",, Toward the back or does it rotate forward? | ||
| Blackflash |
well ya might as well order a set of cams now adams. | ||
| Cataract2 |
D_Adams. For getting those from exhaust shims back in I recommend this tool. You can find it at any Sears with a tool section. Look around automotive. Or just ask where they keep their magnet tools. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_009469480 00P?vName=Tools&keyword=pick+up+magnet I got one of these and it made my job 20x easier. Got those shims in the first try. Just use the tool in combination with a flat head screw driver and it's cake. | ||
| D_adams |
Metalrabbit -- The crank will turn clockwise via the alternator side (left side if you were sitting on the bike) and is relatively easy to turn, even with just a 3/8th's ratchet, as long as you take the spark plugs out. It's a 17 mm nut behind the small plug. Pry off the pegasus emblem with a small flat blade screwdriver, use pliers to remove the next plug by pulling straight out, maybe wiggle it just a bit. There's a small amount of oil behind that plug though. | ||
| D_adams |
Blackflash -- why on earth would I want to order a new set of cams? Have you had a bad experience with a valve adjustment that required purchasing a new set of cams? I've personally never had the opportunity to trash a bike bad enough to justify just ordering stuff at random to fix a problem. All of the valves were out of spec by .001-.003" on the tight side so far. I can't see a reason to order cams because of this. (Message edited by d_adams on January 14, 2010) | ||
| Blackflash |
The Top dead center plug is at the bottom of the case.When I checked mine I made sure it was at tdc on both banks as well.I pulled that plug and got a flashlight and lined the notches in the middle of the sight hole and checked each cylinders valves for gap. | ||
| 1_mike |
Question...why do more work thAn necessary? Rather than messing with the case plug, having another chance of getting crud into the engine.... Just use the fastener that holds the front pulley on to turn the engine... Put the trans. in high gear, pull the spark plugs...it turns very easily, either direction. Mike | ||
| Johnnys999 |
Any special tools required for the valve adjustment procedure? Are there any tutorials or factory manuals regarding the valve clearance check and/or adjustment? Appreciate any help here. | ||
| D_adams |
No, other than being a pita because of the lack of room, it's pretty straight-forward. Feeler gauges, basic hand tools, torx wrenches (t27 and t30) and a way to hold the bike and also jack the motor up/down is all. The shims are pretty small, so use caution not to drop any. A good slim magnet is handy for this. Also, pick up a set of spark plugs ( CR9EKB ) before you start. Mine look fine, but since you're going to be in there, change them anyway. Intake clearance on the base circle is .010-.013" and the exhaust is .006-.009" so just have the lobes pointing away from the follower and you'll be fine. Being on TDC is not required, but you can get both valve sets at the same time. Do one cylinder at a time. I'd recommend buying the factory manual. There's a lot of crap to remove just to do the valve adjustment. Took me 2 hours to get it to the point where I was actually checking the valves. Take your time, take pics so you don't forget where stuff goes, DO NOT GET IN A HURRY. I set a couple of days aside to do mine. Yesterday I took it apart, today was run around getting shims, etc. and then put it back together. I might get it buttoned up tomorrow. Maybe. It all depends on what else happens in the meantime. | ||
| D_adams |
Here's some pics of it.        These are parts taken off, just a bit messy.    | ||
| Moosestang |
Argghhhh! I think i'll start riding less. That looks like a pain in the butt. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Eh, it's time consuming the first time. Though, not to horrible. | ||
| Bcrawf68 |
Yup, that's how I pictured it. That's why I paid the dealer to do it... | ||
| Daggar |
I thought the valve check was fun. Am I the only one? | ||
| Duphuckincati |
So what is the charge from a dealership to do this? How many hours do they call for? And I thought my two-valve Ducati was a bother... | ||
| D_adams |
I think the labor is 5 hours. Figure $90/hr on average in the St Louis area, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I know it's close to that though, maybe $88/hr. I do know that I'll remove the frame next time. I just wish there was a master connection off the engine harness to disconnect. It would make servicing a lot easier. Pull either one or two master harness plugs, disconnect the radiators, 4 bolts from the frame and it's off. I guess the only other problem would be is the starter cable. Kinda big for a quick disconnect really. I guess I'm at about 3-3.5 hours now, need to go get some shims in the morning, put them in and reassemble the rest. I'll probably get it done in 5.5-6 hrs total, which isn't bad for the first go at it. Overall, its not difficult, just a pain in the rear with lack of room to work. I couldn't really work on it much today, essentially just looked at it in passing and went on about some other business. Tomorrow will get messed up for working on it too, need to pick up kids from grandma's place sometime before noon. I need more hours in the day to get stuff done. | ||
| 1_mike |
Agree with D- D- Before you put it back together...now is a great time to put some "real" frame/gas insulation from the engine/exhaust heat. Remove the two silly little pieces that Buell so kindly put in. This is what i used to cover the "entire" inside of the frame.. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/THE-13590/ Self adhesive, thin (like Buells), by Thermo-Tec Mike | ||
| Metalrabbit |
Hey Dean, thanks for all logging on here, it's a big help. Are you replacing the belt too? and Gawd! I can't believe the size of that muffler, It don't look quite that large on the bike. | ||
| D_adams |
Mike, believe it or not, mine has never really had a heat problem, so I wasn't planning on installing any heat shields. Thanks for the link though. If I need it, I know where to get it now. Metalrabbit, np, I try to do stuff not only for myself, but for others as well. I don't think the belt needs replacement at this time, it seems to be in pretty decent shape. The muffler weighs about 21 lbs or thereabouts and the cross-section is about 8 inches. I figured for my project exhaust, I'd keep it at that or under. I'm hoping to have it all buttoned up this weekend if I can. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Mike, I believe that is the same stuff (heat barrier) that I got from American Sport Bike. Though, American Sport Bike sells it for much less. Like D_adams, I also have not had any issues with heat on this bike. I'm just putting it on for piece of mind. Maybe it will help. | ||
| D_adams |
Had to buy 7 shims, and 2 spark plugs, came out to just under $50 for them all. Not bad I guess, coulda been worse. I'll try to remember to measure the shim diameter to see if there's an alternative. Ran out of time today swapping shims, need to do 4 more and then button it all up. | ||
| 1_mike |
For what it's worth... Warm..hot fuel not only messes with the mixture of fuel...it also reduces power. Cheap insurance, especially in the summer. Mike | ||
| Johnnys999 |
Thanks for the info. Difinitely more advantageous owning a Ducati and doing your own service. I put together a valve clearance/shim replacement and belt install seminar last year. This was for the Testastretta motor. Way easier to get at over the older Desmoquattros (916-996) and from the looks in your pictures, much easier than the Buell. There aren't many Buell owners running around and I would venture to say a minority of them do their own service. I'm amazed no one has come up with a picture presentation that covers this service in detail. | ||
| Blackflash |
Has anyone decided to contact erik on race cams ? | ||
| D_adams |
It's pretty well documented in the service manual. What it doesn't say about the motor rotation is, you have to move it up and down a few times to get at different stuff. The cam follower retainer (small brown plastic part) is not easy to get to on the front intake side. Lower it down to check clearances, raise it to remove the retainer, lower again to remove/measure shims, etc. Plan on giving your jack a workout. | ||
| Volkswjetta3 |
"Intake clearance on the base circle is .010-.013" and the exhaust is .006-.009" so just have the lobes pointing away from the follower and you'll be fine." are these the manufacturers specs? |
