[Kaylee Tambourne]

Hello all,


We began checking valve clearances and most were 0.001" tight at worst. But one inlet is very large 0.061"and was causing a light ticking noise at idle.


Should we be thinking of removing the head for a look see? A drastic move.


Or, just pull the camshaft off and get a big packet of shims?



We pushed down on the cup with a tapered piece of wood and it goes up and down freely with valve spring pressure.



Thank you.

 

[Farmguy]

Bike year and mileage. Mileage since last check?

 

[weengers]

You need to find out why, that is way too much to shim.

 

[JW.]

You need to find out why, that is way too much to shim.

I agree. It's very odd to have such a wide clearance. It needs properly checking out.

I'd check the compression on that cylinder before considering removing the head. If it checks out OK then be looking at the valve train. I guess it's possible it's always been like that if the only symptom is a light ticking.

I'd be interested to know what you find.

 

[Fluke189]

Feeler guages generally only go to .025". I doubt you are measuring .061". Be sure to not mess up mm vs inches or whatever. Operator error somewhere in readings.

 

[MaynardGKrebbs]

Use a dial indicator to check lifter travel, cam lobe could be worn down.

 

[Ozone1]

Feeler guages generally only go to .025". I doubt you are measuring .061". Be sure to not mess up mm vs inches or whatever. Operator error somewhere in readings.

My feeler blades go down to 0.0015” and up to 0.035” in 0.001” increments. The OP would have to stack a couple of blades to get to 0.061”. But, that is a LOT of clearance! ?

 

[Bluehighways]

A fairly easy and accurate way to determine if there is a problem with your Inlet Camshaft Lobe is to simply measure the Inlet Lobe in question with the other two Inlet Lobes on that Camshaft. All three should be nearly identical. At least nothing even remotely close to a 0.061" difference. More like maybe 0.000 to 0.005" at the most.

Take a look at the attached image and measure dimensions "B" and "C". Use a Micrometer or a Vernier Caliper. Harbor Freight is your friend if you do not have one of these tools. You do not need an expensive version of these tools. Less than $20 will get you exactly what is needed for this application. Finally dimension "A" will be the difference between measurements "B" and "C". The dimensions you want to compare from one Intake Camshaft Lobe to another are "B" and "C".

The other components that can fail in the sort of a valve train, that our Goldwings use, will be fairly low cost. The other components (parts) that could be at fault might be: 1.) A missing or wildly inaccurate Shim thickness. The Shim Thickness should be fairly easy to measure. It should not be wildly different, say along the lines of 0.060" from the other Intake Valve Shims. 2.) A worn or damaged Shim Bucket (What the Camshaft Lobe directly contacts and pushes against to open the Valve). Compare the Shim Bucket visually with the other Shim Buckets. The Shim Buckets should all appear identical, with no wear marks that you can feel when you rub your fingernail across them. 3.) A Broken Valve Spring. This is rather unlikely as the measurement error you say you are reading would be many times 0.061" if the Valve Spring were broken. In any case you should be able to see this on a close visual inspection. A broken Valve Spring will be readily apparent.

Problems with the Cylinder Head or the Valve will NOT cause excessive clearance. They can fail, but if/when they do, the problem will be to little clearance. They are the expensive parts. Take a deep breath, you do not need either of these nor do you need to pull the cylinder head. Worst case scenario? Even if you need a Camshaft it will not be a big deal to replace it.

:nerd:

 

[Fluke189]

It would be so clicky at .061" beyond 1.5mm clearance. Impossible. Operator error in checking. If in reality, that I doubt, bent valve from all those drag racing days and 10,000 RPM

 

[DillTm]

Feeler guages generally only go to .025". I doubt you are measuring .061". Be sure to not mess up mm vs inches or whatever. Operator error somewhere in readings.

I think you mean shims are .025 differences from one to the next. That is if I remember correctly. I have feeler gauges bigger than .025

 

[weengers]

I think you mean shims are .025 differences from one to the next. That is if I remember correctly. I have feeler gauges bigger than .025

Nope.

 

[JW.]

As I said earlier, check the compression on that cylinder first. A bent valve that won't shut properly is a possibility. Go from there with your decisions.

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Hello all,


We began checking valve clearances and most were 0.001" tight at worst. But one inlet is very large 0.061"and was causing a light ticking noise at idle.


Should we be thinking of removing the head for a look see? A drastic move.


Or, just pull the camshaft off and get a big packet of shims?



We pushed down on the cup with a tapered piece of wood and it goes up and down freely with valve spring pressure.



Thank you.

5 questions ...

Was the shim still in place or is it now missing ???
Was this Wing sitting for a while ???
Any idea if it was stored with a gas additive ???
Are the valve keepers all in place ???
Was the bike stored in a hot humid climate ... what state ???

 

[andrewmr]

Camshafts don't usually wear down on the base, they usually wipe out the ramp.

If the clearance really opened up that much it's gonna be something else worn, a missing shim (or however the clearance is adjusted) or as someone else mentioned, a bent valve or something between the valve and the seat holding it partialy open.

Do a compression test and or a leakdown test to see how well the cylinder is sealing.

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Camshafts don't usually wear down on the base, they usually wipe out the ramp.

Unless this Wing has been in an accident, I doubt this is a cam problem.

 

[Fred H.]

My guess is that when you remove the bucket, you'll find there isn't a shim under it at all.

 

[GLblinded]

You’d need a spark plug gauge to go to 65 thousandth’s normally. I hope he share’s with us what he find’s. Haven’t had a missing shim in a bike yet. Cars yes.

 

[techdude2000]

Camshafts don't usually wear down on the base, they usually wipe out the ramp.

If the clearance really opened up that much it's gonna be something else worn, a missing shim (or however the clearance is adjusted) or as someone else mentioned, a bent valve or something between the valve and the seat holding it partialy open.

Do a compression test and or a leakdown test to see how well the cylinder is sealing.

:agree: a compression test is needed.

 

[20 20 vision]

this issue has really got me curious - eager to see the solution.

 

[Kaylee Tambourne]

Bike year and mileage. Mileage since last check?

2003, no idea only had it a few weeks 32,028 miles, 28 by us.