Checking Valve Lash/changing Shims

[spize909]

My wife's Z was getting a tad hard to start so I figured I'd better check the valves. there was a recent post where the guy stated that he had never done it and did not know how so I figured I'd snap some pictures as I went and maybe help somebody out.

Here's the quad-2004 400. It's a great quad and my wife loves it.

The first step is to remove the front plastics and fuel tank.

Then pull the plug wire and breather hoses. This is also where the $9.99 Harbor Freight allen socket set comes in handy. There will be 4 different size allen bolts to deal with. Remove the plugs from the side. Then remove the valve cover. Make sure it's clean or you'll get dirt in your top-end when you fanagle it out of there.

Then use a 17mm socket to rotate the engine to TDC. There is a line with a "T" next to it in the inpection hole.

The cam lobes will look like this if it is correct. This is TDC on the compression stroke. Also tak a look at exactly how the sprokets look on the other side. Take a picture so you can remember how those arrows went.

Then use an angled (preferred, I've used a flat and it seems to be fine) feeler gauge to check the "lash". That's the little gap between the top of the tappet and the cam lobe.

UH-oh one of the intake valves is out and only has a hair of a gap. The other is just barely within spec. Now I have to remove the cam chain tensioner (uh-oh again...almost out of adjustment, need to order a DID for this one!). I moved the black box out of the way to get at the cam chain tensioner. Remove the bolt and spring in the middle first then the whole thing by removing the two allen bolts.

Now you need to remove the allen bolts holding the cam journals on. I loosened the exhaust side a bit cause the one that has the chain cover has to come out all the way. The two bolts on the chain side of the exhaust cam are longer...
With the four bolts hoding the intake cam journal removed you can then remove the journal and the cam. Do not move the timing or exhaust cam and just lift out the intake cam without disturbing the chain on the exaust cam sprocket. If removing both you'll want to wire that chain up so that it can't fall down inside the engine.
Now I use my 99 cent telescoping magnet (Harbor Freight again ) to remove the tappet bucket.

Watch out for the shim, it is probably stuck inside the bucket.

So this one is a 2.75 and I have less then .04 gap so using the chart

in the service manual I know that I need to install a 2.65.

Like I said the other side is barely in spec so I drop down to the next smaller size shim on that one while I'm in there.
I couldn't read the size.......I guess I must have put it in with the markins down, so I use my $12.99 micrometer (yep you guessed it, Harbor Freight) to check what shim this is.

So I know that I want a 2.85 in place of that one.
Good to go now. At this point it's pretty much everything in reverse. Use plenty of assembly lube on all moving parts.


There are obviously some holes in this little narrative. It's just meant to help those with no clue (like me) and supplement what's not explained too well in the service manual.
Hope it helps. Maybe it could get pinned.

[Quad82]

NICE! You did a nice job of keeping it simple and clear. Great pictures too!
There is a little more to it than this for those of you who haven't done it. Get a manual so you know the specs. Be sure you get yourself a 1/4" torque wrench to tighten the bolts back up.

[camaro1976]

good for newbs. just fyi, you don't need to wire up the chain because there is a bolt in the right side of the head that goes through the chain so it can't fall more than about an inch

[spize909]

QUOTE (Quad82 @ Jan 9 2010, 08:33 PM)

NICE! You did a nice job of keeping it simple and clear. Great pictures too!
There is a little more to it than this for those of you who haven't done it. Get a manual so you know the specs. Be sure you get yourself a 1/4" torque wrench to tighten the bolts back up.[/b]

You're right, and I was actually going to point that out. 7 lbs on the cam journal bolts. I'm sure you noticed my "disclaimer" at the bottom


QUOTE (Camaro1976 @ Jan 9 2010, 10:18 PM)

good for newbs. just fyi, you don't need to wire up the chain because there is a bolt in the right side of the head that goes through the chain so it can't fall more than about an inch [/b]

Right again. I still tend to wire mine up though. I just don't feel comfortable letting it get all wadded up down there.

By the way, I got my Harbor Freight add this morning and they have those digital calipers on sale for $9.99. I use to borrow my nieghbor's (Matco Tool salesman) that went for over $100.00 bucks and I'm hard stretched to find much difference except the Harbor Freight will actually take inside (like checking the bore on a cylinder) measurements and the Matco didn't do that.

[MUDDIN]

nice post good pics. for those that dont know how at all. between this post and the manuel anyone should be able to handle it. good job.

[87 s10]

when u change springs do you need a special tool

[Quad82]

MANUAL!
Are you talking of changing the valve springs? If so, you don't really need any special tools other than a bought or home-made valve spring compressor tool. Other than a torque wrench and feeler gauges, basic metric hand tools will do the job. If you are going into the bottom end, you will need special tools depending on the repair.

[spize909]

I think the spring compressor would qualify as a special tool in my garage

[Clint1395kfx400]

i just adjusted my valves, and its a little hard to get it to start. im not too sure if i got the exhaust valves gapped correctly. are the exhaust valves different from the intake valves?

[spize909]

Intake lash is, 0.10-0.20

Exhaust lash, 0.20-0.30

Manual????

[spize909]

Just opened up mama's quad again. Left side intake = .000 so I will be in the market for some intake valves if anybody has some they want to part with. I don't care if they are stock.......these lasted 6 years.
I'm going to shim it into spec and cross my fingers for our New Year's at Glamis. I'll pull the head before we go out again after that..

[tonyz400]

This really helps me out for the hotcams Install i'm gonna be doing in a few weeks here.

[spize909]

thanks, I don't know why it isn't sticky'd. I don't think anybody can do it anymore.

[dtfm33]

Stickiy'd!

Thanks for the write up.

Dan

[markw]

Both Lisle tool and Valvemaster have spring retainer removal tools that will let you pull the springs in the head and on the engine. There are plenty of youtube videos showing the tools in use. They work great for small engines.

Lisle is pn 36200