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Post Info TOPIC: Valve Clearances


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valve clearances
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hmm, this manual is from 2010, and clearly states to: check every 20,000km or 12,000 miles. 1,200 miles seems awfully often to me? 



-- Edited by davecambo on Saturday 23rd of February 2013 09:54:33 AM

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SEE HERE for a valve clearance checking and adjustment  guide

hey guys, my bike has just clocked over one thousand KM on her, and I notice that the owners manual says check valve clearances every 20,000km or 12,000 miles. Does this mean the first check of the valves is 20,000 or is it normally done at 1,000 then 20,000. I note there is not tick in the 1,000 box for this part of the maintenance though.



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Dave, if it's not broken then don't fix it unnecessarily. biggrin

If the performance, economy and sound of your bike doesn't cause concern then carry on riding and enjoy it.

On the other hand, if it's rattly, uneconomic, leaky or hot then adjust things back to normal.

The instruction manual is basically a guide for new owners on what to look for to keep things sweet. A new owner may not be as mechanically sympathetic.

If your guide tells you to check and adjust a setting at certain periods then it's based on the manufacturer's vast experience.

From new a bike has to be "run in" carefully to allow various components sufficient time to bed in and get to know each other.

The new owner is advised not to labour the engine or exceed specific engine revs/speed. Doing it gradually is the key.

As they wear together the original clearances quicky become wider and if they weren't adjusted back to normal they may get too sloppy and wear much more quickly. bleh

The advice is to initially check and adjust things after the first few km/miles and return to specification. Once readjusted then the period of check/adjust can be considerably extended - the initial wear has happened and the components will be bedded together better.

The TTR Service Manual (USA version 5GF-28197-E0) has a Periodic Servicing guide that specifies checking valve clearances every 1,200 miles (2,000 km) or every 12 months. It does not have any advice to check at the Initial 100 miles (150 km).
The distances/time may be vary for certain locations and the Handbooks, for example, show differences between Australian and American machines.

Martyn

 



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Touché, this is a copy I have:-

TTR.jpg



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And this is the Service Manual

Image2 ().jpg



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so which is it, my 20,000, your 40,000 or both of our service manuals 2,000.

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Dave, that's the $20,000 question! biggrin

In all honesty I have never had to adjust the vales on my TTR in over 5,000 miles that I've ridden it, and they are still not rattling! wink

Play it by ear. If they evidently need adjusting then do them. If they sound OK then leave them alone and do something else.

It's obviously a job that needs to be done as necessary, it's just that not everyone's necessary is the same. no

Martyn



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LRJ


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Wow! How can these numbers vary so much? 20,000 miles (let alone 24,000 miles) seems like a long time to go without checking valve clearances on manually adjustable valves. My owner's manual (North American, yr 2000) gives the 1200 mile/12 month figure. Do you think that time and experience allowed the manufacturer to reevaluate?

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im thinking 1,200 miles is too soon, and 12,000 is too far apart lol.

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To check every 1,200 miles seems OTT to me. I am pretty sure that most TTRs will reach 12,000 miles and still have valve clearances within specification.

Brian



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Hi

Just approaching the 12,000 mile stage , is there a pictorial service link, so i can carry out my Valve Clearances.



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Checking valve clearances is much the same on any bike. You should be able to use any of the links below and achieve this. However, the manual has a detailed version of this and you should have it sitting in front of you before doing anything.

Valve specs are .09mm-.17 intake and .19-.27mm exhaust. You need feeler gauges, preferably ones with a 45 degree bend.

http://www.thumpertalk.com/wiki/_/checking-adjust-valve-clearances-06-yamaha-yz250f-r306

http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/607999-adjusting-the-valves-ttr250/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNJ9Da2dF-Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lrH1U4FnRY

There are HEAPS more too.

Jarrah

 



-- Edited by TT-R250M on Tuesday 17th of December 2013 02:47:18 PM

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There are six pages in the TTR service manual detailing valve clearance adjustments.

Beware - it entails removal of the front head/frame steady AND the exhaust sytem, amongst other things. biggrinconfusebiggrin

This is page 3-6

Image1.jpg

This is page 3-7

Image2.jpg

This is page 3-8

Image3.jpg

 

This is page 3-9 which details the shim size requirements.

Image4.jpg

This is page 3-10

Image5.jpg

 

And this is page 3-11

Image6.jpg

 

 

On the other hand - you could always take the bike to a mechanic and ask the professionals to do it. biggrinbiggrin

Martyn



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Thanks guys



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Cubber wrote:

 

Beware - it entails removal of the front head/frame steady AND the exhaust sytem, amongst other things. biggrinconfusebiggrin

 

Martyn


 Not sure why they say to remove the exhaust in this case and the other thing is that the engine should be absolutely cold before checking (3~4 hrs.).

If you need an offset feeler gauge set, see here- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/S0515-SEALEY-FEELER-GAUGE-26-BLADE-OFFSET-DUAL-MARKED-BRAND-NEW-SEALEY-TOOL-/400483990568?pt=UK_Baby_FeedingSets_RL&hash=item5d3eb4bc28

Jarrah



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Ive just checked mine earlier in the week and i struggled with my straight feeler gauge il have to get me a set like that

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Never had a problem with the straight feeler gauges. But check the sizes on any set you buy. The smallest of the Seeley gauges is 0.005in. Ideally you want a set that includes the individual sizes from 0.001" to 0.010" as well as the bigger ones.

I think these are the ones I use - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-02-to-1mm-17-Blade-Thickness-Gap-Metric-Filler-Feeler-Gauge-Measure-Tool-/390668465023?pt=UK_Measuring_Tools_Levels&hash=item5af5a7b37f

Brian



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TTRfan wrote:

Never had a problem with the straight feeler gauges. But check the sizes on any set you buy. The smallest of the Seeley gauges is 0.005in. Ideally you want a set that includes the individual sizes from 0.001" to 0.010" as well as the bigger ones.

I think these are the ones I use - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-02-to-1mm-17-Blade-Thickness-Gap-Metric-Filler-Feeler-Gauge-Measure-Tool-/390668465023?pt=UK_Measuring_Tools_Levels&hash=item5af5a7b37f

Brian


 

TT-R250M wrote:

 You need feeler gauges, preferably ones with a 45 degree bend.

 


 I didn't say that the offset gauges with a 45 degree bend are needed, just that they are preferable. The reason being that if using the usual gauges, you have to bend them to fit them in to check clearances. While doing this you must make sure that the feeler gauge does not go in on an angle as this will give you a false reading.

Jarrah



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Valve adjustment shim advice
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hi

ive just removed my exhaust can after measuring the valve clearances. 

Inlets were within spec but exhaust are .19 which is the minimum allowed clearance. 

Installed shim is a 186 

would I be right to replace the 186 with a 180 which would get my clearances to .25 (maximum allowed is .27). 

It soundos right but thought I'd ask to be sure biggrin I have to order the shims in so I'd like to get it right first time  Lol

thanks

dave

i have another question about the carb jets not being the standard size but I'll get first thing out the way smile

 



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Do you have the service manual? They explain it quite well there. Yes, I would go for an 180 in your case.

What km is your bike on now? First time doing shims on it?

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Hi 

I ended up buying 180 and 175 shims just incase. 180s done the trick so I'll have spares ready for next time

no idea about mileage. It says 2500 on clock but I doubt that's right 

mileage on mot only goes to 2011 so I'll probably never know for sure although I don't think it's been apart before today as there's no signs of scuffs to any bolts where tools have been used so it's probably it's first valve check. 

 



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RE: Valve Clearances
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I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I stripped my engine down, to replace rings and gaskets and a general re-fresh. But now my valve clearances are miles out. I'm pretty sure everything has gone back in the correct place again, but could be wrong. Anyone else ever experienced this? The valve clearances are so far out that the new pad number doesn't even fall onto the chart. I never checked the clearances before I took the engine apart, so they could have been out to begin with, but I doubt it would have ran as well as it did with it set-up this way.

I'm not sure what pads are on there, as you can't read the numbers, they've been worn away. But my vernier caliper said I had three 190's and a 185. My intake valve furthest from the cam chain has a 0.076 clearance, the other intake has 0.102. The furthest exhaust valve from the cam chain had a gap of 0.076 and the closest to the cam chain had 0.102. I think it's strange that the gaps should be the same on either side. In.1, far valve, has a 185, In.2 has a 190 and the two exhausts have a 190 each. this means that all of my valves are stretched completely out of spec according to that chart.

Although having thought about it, I could be using all my equipment wrong and reading the chart incorrectly. It's driving me barmy and I don't want to move on with other parts of the bike until I can get this sorted. If I do it the other way, my maths says I need a 175 for In.1, a 170 for Ex.1 and another 175 for Ex.2 and that In.2, closest to cam chain, doesn't need another pad, but you can just get the 0.102mm feeler in the gap, meaning it's right on the borderline of being too tight, does it not? In which case, would a 185 pad in that gap bring it closer to the 0.17mm gap, or over? Is it better to be on the tighter side of within tolerance or looser side? Actually, I could test the theory by swapping pads between intake valves to see where the valve clearance ends up. I understand that too tight and the valve won't close correctly, or on time, and connect with the piston, but too loose and the valve doesn't open enough to allow maximum air-flow.

God, you'd think after studying motorsport engineering for two years and now with a traineeship at a Honda dealership, I wouldn't need to ask such daft questions.

Thanks.

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Hi there

Did you clean up and lap the valves in when you did your refresh? If so, that can alter the clearances, usually by reducing them. Otherwise, unless you are very careful it is possible to swap the valves or camshafts over.

I find that it is worth turning the engine over a few times to settle the valve gear in before doing the measurements.

It is also possible that the exhaust shims aren't seated properly which will give those tight readings.

I started to look at the shim sizes but my brain isn't functioning properly so I am off to bed. Hopefully someone will step in to fill the gap wink

 



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Fladdem, for what its worth, I get the same suggested pad sizes as you when I plug your measurements into the chart.

I would have thought your measured clearances not far enough out of spec to represent anything other than normal wear - not that I am any expert on this.

In fact, I would not be surprised if a brand new bike might have clearances appearing slightly out of spec, as it is hard to get a super precise exact measurement.

With your 0.076 and 0.102 measurements, obviously you are using an imperial feeler gauge (ie 3 thou and 4 thou), but maybe the ideal way would be to use metric feeler gauges and stack two blades if needed to get a "go" for the minimum (eg 0.19 for the recommended clearance range) and "no go" for the minimum of the next range (eg 0.28 for that same range).

The range intervals in the chart are all pretty small (and maybe hard to choose between two adjacent ranges when measuring) so it would seem hardly necessary to "second guess" the chart for edge cases.

By the way, the chart shows pads with numbers going up by 005, but maybe someone else knows whether the original installed pads can actually have numbers such as 186 (ie not multiples of 5) , even though you cannot get a 186 replacement pad?

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I use a laminated guide with the cam lobe positions and clearance ranges written on it along with an essential bit of kit - a set of metric feeler gauges with individual gauges from 0.02mm to 0.10mm and then in stages of 0.05mm.

Valve_clearances_4.jpg

 

As brindabella says, stack two blades where necessary.

Mr Yamaha had his own special supply of shims that increment in units of 1 that aren't available to us mere mortals no



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Correct, I am using Imperial feeler gauges, they were my granddads, he left me a load of tools. How do I know if I have put the wrong camshafts on? Is there a distinguishable way of picking them apart, i.e. if I measured cam lobes, what are the measurements for them? When I took them off, I just put them in the box of bits, assuming that the exhaust had E on the sprocket and Intake had I, but both sprockets are the same, which I didn't notice taking them off. disbelief


I will investigate the shims, to check they are square on the exhaust valves, I was turning the engine over a few times before measuring clearances. With regards to grinding the valves, I did a bit of grinding on the exhausts, considering they looked like this:



I looked at my notes today when I was less tired and got the same results, so I should have the valve clearance table reading sorted. Before I order some valve shims, I'm going to have to double check they're sitting correctly.

Thanks a lot!



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Fladdem wrote:

How do I know if I have put the wrong camshafts on? Is there a distinguishable way of picking them apart, i.e. if I measured cam lobes, what are the measurements for them? When I took them off, I just put them in the box of bits, assuming that the exhaust had E on the sprocket and Intake had I, but both sprockets are the same, which I didn't notice taking them off. disbelief


Both camshafts have the same part number so the way to tell which goes where is to mark them as you take them off. It would be interesting to know if the clearances are nearer what you expected if you swapped them around wink

Brian



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I have updated the "How To" web page and hope it is an improvement but, as always, I appreciate feedback, criticism or suggestions for improvement!

See here



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