[Tater]

My odo indicates 35K. I may get brave and check them myself but would prefer this be done by a pro. The last engine that I set valves on soon had burned valves so I am not thrilled at doing this myself. My son is in college so my funds are very short now.

I know people that have gone 100K without checking the valves. Most times the lash will widen but sometimes it goes the other way. What is my risk of burned valves if the check is delayed?

 

[Jim Ciampi]

Delayed valve check

I have only checked my valves once,so I am certainly not an expert,but it is very easy to check the valves on the 1800.It is not as easy to swap out shims,but not anything that should intimidate anyone.I had just about what you have on milage,and it didn't need any ajustment.I would certainly check them,but you probably won't need any ajustment either.I have heard of people with twice that milage that didn't need ajustment.I have a friend that is a head mechanic at a Honda dealer and he says he hasn't had to ajust an 1800 yet. The manual is very easy to follow....Jim

 

[Hazle]

Think of it as a car motor, When was the last time you worried about valve lash on a latemodel car or truck with 35k on it?

 

[MotorcycleBoy]

Think of it as a car motor, When was the last time you worried about valve lash on a latemodel car or truck with 35k on it?

Most cars have hydraulic lifters that do not need adjustment. The GL1800 has solid lifters that require adjustment as the related parts wear out

 

[Jack D]

When I had my ST1100 I belonged to STOC (ST Owners Club). They would have annual meetings in the west (WESTSTOC) in the east (EASTSTOC) etc. The members would help each other by teaching members how to do certain maintenance or bigger tasks. SYNCSTOC for carb synchronization, VALVESTOC for valve adjustments, even alternator upgrades were done this way. This would be done at a members house and all were welcome to come and learn. It might be something that coud be done here as well. I have seen on this list people volunteering to help other individuals, perhaps stating that the door is also open to observers would take the fear and mystery out of some of these tasks that many of us look at as very basic. I certainly am not going to do free valve adjustments for every GL rider but if I am going to do one for myself or a friend I certainly welcome observers.

 

[TxGoldWing]

Re: Delayed valve check

....I have a friend that is a head mechanic at a Honda dealer and he says he hasn't had to ajust an 1800 yet. T...

That's what worried me about taking it to a dealer. Mine needed adjustment. ('02, 34,000 miles). 2 were out of spec.

 

[Jim Ciampi]

Delayed valve check

Not to cast any doubts on Dealerships........And I'm not saying the Dealer would tell you,you need an ajustment when you don't ..........But the only way you can be sure if you really need an ajustment is to check it yourself.If you are unsure of how to ajust them,Or if you don't have the ability, you can then take them to a dealer to have it done.It is so simple to check the gap.,My belief is that you are just wasting time and money if you don't do it yourself.If the dealer tells you the same as you found out,It would go a long way toward trusting him the next time....Jim

 

[Pigeon Roost]

Hey Ho Tater!

Gots me two young students in college, so I know how it is to be so broke you can't even pay attention. :lol:

The likely-hood that your valves are tight enough to do any harm are pretty slim. The lash we measure will typically get smaller as the valve faces recede into the seats with wear. If the lash increases I would be supicious of a leaky valve stem seal or consistent use of high test fuel, either contributing to excessive carbon build-up. I think I have seen some folks reporting excessive carbon build-up on this bike with faulty valve stem seals; but, if so, it seems to be rare. You need the manual, detensioning tools, feeler gague set, a torque wrench for re-assembly, and a tiny bit of sensor safe RTV. A good flash light helps and colored Sharpie markers make the timing marks easy to track. Fred's video is very helpful and entertaining too (neat foot work).

prs

The valve inspection is not dfficult, but it is tedious.
prs

 

[Bob in B'ham]

Hey Tater,

I just got two of the detensioning tools in the mail and you are welcome to borrow them at you leisure. Mine isn't due for a few miles yet.

Bob

 

[Son of Thunder]

Another alternative is to find someone in your area that works on Wings who isn't a dealer. I know of two in So. Cal. who will do the work at a fraction of what a dealer charges, and they are both reputable. The higher of the two charges less than half of what a dealer charges. The difference in price makes it worth it to me to shell out the gas money and go see some of my Wing-riding friends in California!

 

[Tater]

Thanks Guys. I may get brave as winter sets in.

 

[Alabama IronButt]

Jim,

Hurry and get up the nerves to do yours. Mine can be your second

 

[Guest]

Ok Guys, one word here......WARRENTY........
For us that have the extended warrenty, what happens if we do the valve adjustments ourselves,
or choose to forget about it completely and there's engine trouble down the road and no record of the valve adjustments being performed with Honda??

 

[Hazle]

How many are out of tolerance when checked at 35k miles.?
Hazle

 

[Jim Ciampi]

Late valve check

Even Honda agrees you can do your own maintainance.If you have engine problems in the future and it is due to not checking your valves,it will be readily apparent by whatever damage there is,whether it was due to neglect or not....My advice would be to check the valves and save yourself a lot of potential grief in the future.Just checking the gap is not a very big job.More involved if you need to swap shims...Jim