Valve Clearance help

[audijunky]

Ok I know there are a billion posts on this BUT, I have a question. Is it possible to overtighten your cam bearing caps causing your clearances to be too low? I used one of those Great Neck(or something like that) torque wrenchs when putting my cams back in. The ones with the bar indicator. I tightened them to the spec. in Clymers. Heres what I measured for clearances last night.

Intake then Exhaust
#1 .127mm/.005" // .152mm/.006"
#2 .127mm/.005" // .178mm/.007"
#3 .127mm/.005" // .127mm/.005"
#4 <.127mm/.005" // .203mm/.008"

All are low, Could I loosen them up and retorque with a better torque wrench and possibly get a better neasurement?

[red bandit]

Is it possible to overtighten your cam bearing caps causing your clearances to be too low?

No. Most likely all over tightening will do is strip the nut or stud. Maybe mess up the cap.

[randy]

I seriously doubt you could overtorque the caps enough to crush the caps, the cap stud threads would fail first. I assume that you checked the clearances right after changing shims? If so, you need to rotate the motor a couple of times to fully seat the shims in the buckets, then do a clearance check.

Is it possible that you calculated wrong when you selected the new shims?

[trbig]

As you may already know, these valve clearances get TIGHTER over time. The valve face gets pulled a bit deeper into the seat over time. So... looks like you need to stop by the valve shim library! But yes, do rotate things a bit after installation to make sure.


Tod

[audijunky]

I have never changed out the shims. this is the first time I have checked clearances. In hindsight(20/20) I should have checked them, but I didn't . I also dont know what size shims I have now so that will have to be done tonight. Out come the cams again I shouldn't have to completely romove them should I. Just make sure the sprockets dont skip any teeth on the chain.
I was hoping I could just retorque

thanks guys

[audijunky]

trbig, As soon as I know what I have and what sizes I need I'll send ya a PM.

[randy]

Well, that's a horse of a different color.

[audijunky]

Where? what horse?

[prometheus578]

&quot;My kingdom for a horse...!&quot;

I, like Randy, first assumed that you had adjusted your valve clearance and when checking the clearance after putting the cams back in, found that they had changed.
I seem to understand now that you put cams in.. without checking where the valve clearances were till after you were finished....
Sort of "putting the horse before the cart".
You need to get off your high horse, quit horsing around, show a little horse sense and do the job right.
Borrow shims from the Shim Library, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
You can lead TRBIG to water, but he'd much prefer beer.

[audijunky]

Nope never checked. I tore the engine apart (top end) just to clean it up, paint, new gaskets when I first bought it. Just recently noticed some seems like extra valve noise coming from the top end. decided to check clearances.

You guys got to remember I am as old as this bike so some of these idioms and cliches you use sail straight over my uninformed head

[audijunky]

why can't you look a gift horse in the mouth??

[DiverRay]

Because you will then notice the bad teeth! The horse cannot eat, and so cannot work!

[red bandit]

You guys got to remember I am as old as this bike

Well... that means that you are a young kid compared to some of us!!

[81xsproject]

If I had a 78, I'd be the same age .

[prometheus578]

"Beware of any man that owns a pig farm"

This... from the guy who says he doesn't understand old adages.
I always though his pig farm reference was to that biker guy in Canada... killed local whores and feed them to his pigs. (also, it seems, sold sausages made out of the tastier ones. I need to re read the articles to see if that referred to the pigs or the people.)
The Trojan Horse was also a gift horse, but that's more for "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts", I suppose.
Yes, Ray... but a horse's age is also noted by it's teeth.

If I had a 78, I'd be the same age

Are we to understand you're a denture wearer? I didn't think you were that old.
Some people with big teeth are said to have a "Horse Face".
Of course, there's also people who do drugs and are said to have a Crack-"whores face".
Ok, I'm out of ideas...
time to go see a man about a horse.