Valve Clearance Check for Tigers and Shim Tool Directions

[Mustang]

Wow ! that would be a lot of cash there is just too many variables to guess at what you need for shim sizes and enuff to do them would require considerable expense . $$$$$

from the triumph dealers they run anywhere from free , yes some will swap yours for theirs used ones and some shops make you buy new ....new are 5-7 bucks or so each depending where you get them
an average shim job will usually take 4-8 shims and sometimes you get lucky and one that was out of spec will work somewhere else , and sometimes you make the trip to the dealer for some shims .
1st time shim job usually requires a few 2.7 -2.75 shims and a couple of 2.6's
every time after that they usually start getting smaller until you run out of shim sizes .

BTW **** IF I find a valve that is out of spec with too much clearance (seldom hapens but it does ) I will leave it if it is only .05 high or less .

[curt]

I'm used to those thumpers. With only 4 valves, you need an assortment of 8-10 shims to cover most adjustments. Sometimes you can move them around.  
Guess I'll be taking it apart and order as needed. When I checked last winter, I didn't need any. Don't think that will happen again.
cheers

[EvilBetty]

I have all the cam cover bolts free but the cover won't budge.  I've popped it a few times with a rubber mallet and I dare not try to pry it away.

Any hints?

Ha!  Never mind... few more taps and it was loose.

[Mustang]

Hit it harder .....seriously .
The first time I had my valve cover off I thought it was welded on  :shock:

On the right hand side give it a good smack with a rubber hammer , hitting it like you want to knock it to go out  the left side .
you will know instantly when it let's go cuz the tone will change from the hit with the hammer .

Once it pops loose remove it out the right side of the bike

[EvilBetty]

That's exactly what happened.  Thanks!

[EvilBetty]

Well after running to wally world to get a 3/4 spark plug socket, I got the plugs pulled and shifted the bike into both 5th and 6th gear but it takes an awful lot of effort to turn the rear wheel.

Am I missing something?

Do I need to depress anything to get the feeler gauge under the cam lobe when it's pointed 180 or should it just slide under? I can't get my .10-.15 feeler under any of them, and the tips are .002" smaller than the rest of the blade.

[Mustang]

the spec of .10-.15mm is millimeter not inch .
Don't tell anyone  :D but for checking the clearances I just use the starter motor  :shock:
If the pointy end is straight up the .10 mm feeler should slip right under . If it is not keep trying smaller blades until you find the one that slips under . That will be what you have for clearance . If you have to go smaller than .10 mm to get it under the cam you need to replace shims to get the proper clearance .

I just did one of my tigers today and had to replace shims on 5 intakes . one was at only .001 of an inch and another was zero actually negative .
all of the exhausts were in spec .

I cheated and pulled the bumpstick (cam)  to change the shims

***TIP*** : if you cannot get the smallest feeler under a cam lobe see if the shim bucket will spin freely . if it does then you are not at zero but damn close . if it won't rotate you have a valve that is not closing all the way and usually will need a shim that is 4 to 5 sizes smaller to get back in spec

[EvilBetty]

Yeah I'm reading mm.  I was just saying my gauges have a the blade tip ground down .002"

Wild.  All 12 shim buckets are spinning freely.  But my gauges start at .004 - .006mm and it won't slip under any of them.

So I need to go find a feeler gauge set that goes down below .004?


As for turning the engine, I'm having to roll back the rear wheel then roll it forward with momentum to get it to flip to the next lobes, making a me a little nervous about doing this once I get the shim tool mounted.  There is danger of striking the lobes against the tool correct?

[Mustang]

Yeah I'm reading mm.  I was just saying my gauges have a the blade tip ground down .002"

Wild.  All 12 shim buckets are spinning freely.  But my gauges start at .004 - .006mm and it won't slip under any of them.

So I need to go find a feeler gauge set that goes down below .004?


As for turning the engine, I'm having to roll back the rear wheel then roll it forward with momentum to get it to flip to the next lobes, making a me a little nervous about doing this once I get the shim tool mounted.  There is danger of striking the lobes against the tool correct?

how many miles on the bike ?
yes ideally you want some feelers in the .001 .002 .004 range
keep trying till one slips under that's your clearance


as far as spinning the motor with the wheel practice practice practice , because yes you can strike the tool legs with the cam lobes .

if I have to shim a bunch of valves like today where I had to do 5 out of 6 intakes Ipull the cams it's quicer & easier . If I only need to shim 1 or two valves it is quicker and easier to use the tool. If you pull the cams  you do need to now what your doing when you put em bac on because it is real easy to screw up the valve timing

[EvilBetty]

22k miles.

From what I gather from the previous owner this would be the first time the valve clearances have been checked.

And... I am an idiot... in the sense that I assumed twice and checked once.  I tried to buy a wide range of feeler gauges, and apparently I bought one that only goes down to .102-.152mm (.004-.006").

Sorry and thank you Mustang.  I'll pickup some tighter gauges tomorrow on the way home from work!

[Mustang]

Sounds to me like you have some shims to replace .

When the clearances close up some more on the beast it will begin to be hard to start and also will run very poorly for the first 10 minutes or so .
You won't want to ride it like that though because You will burn the valves and be doing a valve job

[EvilBetty]

Correct gauges this time. Double checked each valve.

Exhaust:
.152 - .178 - .152 - .152 - .127 - .152

Intake:
.075 - .076 - .038 - .038 - .063 - .051

So I need one exhaust shim, and all six intake shims correct?

If I understand correctly, before I can even buy the new shims I have to pull the current shims in pairs, measure them (and put them back) so I know what size shim to buy.

So the next steps would be to buy the shim tool and pull each shim and record it's size with a micrometer.   Enter those numbers in the worksheet to get my new shim sizes.  Buy the new shims, then repeat the process to install the new shims?

[Mustang]

That is correct , or pull the cams  :shock:



look how much room there is when the cam is pulled .
you can get to each shim easily and record the size then go buy /get the right ones .

I have plenty of shims floating around my garage though so I don't usually have to buy many . Also you may be able to use a shim from one position to another , lot's of times you can .

the last bike I did a shim job on I only had to go buy 1 shim even though I replaced 7 of them .

Exhaust:
.152 - .178 - .152 - .152 - .127 - .152

Intake:
.075 - .076 - .038 - .038 - .063 - .051

I like to set the clearance towards the high side , gives you more time for riding and less wrenching between valve adjustments .

those exhausts that are at .152 will prolly be out of spec next time you open her up , and then again they might stay right there .

On my favorite steamer I have only had to shim 2 valves once on the exhausts , the exhaust valves are pretty stable , it's me intakes that always need shimming .

Look how clean that motor is inside ,56k , MOBIL 1 4T always for oil .

[EvilBetty]

Wow that does look easier!  Now to go thumb through the service manual and see if I want to to take lots of time with the tool, or with the cams!  I haven't yet read through the cam removal / installation procedures.

[Mustang]

the tool is awesome for when you only have a couple of shims to do ......but when you have the whole bank of em that need doing it's faster to pull the cam