Kawasaki Vulcan 800 ~Valve Clearance Adjustment~ EVERY 6000 MILES! (VN800B/C/A/Drifter/Classic),)
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- čas přidán 8. 10. 2014
- Check Your Valve Clearance Every 6000 Miles, or You WILL End up with Problems!! Here is the Valve Adjustment Video:
~~~Tools You Will Need To Check Your Valve Clearance:
~~Valve Shim Kit:
~~Feeler Gauges (Offset/Angled Makes it Easy)
~~Digital Caliper:
~See The Video Review Here:
• Digital Caliper Round-...
~~Telescoping Neo-Mag
~~~Links to The Service Manual & Forum Guide~~~
~~Service Manual:
www.werder.ee/Manual/VN800.pdf
~~Valve Adjustment Guide:
www.chicago106miles.com/Zen/80...
I'm fairly sure this video saved my bike. I had no idea this was necessary. Thank you! Nice clear, easy to follow instructions.
Nice job on this! One of, if not *the* best how-to video out there! Well shot, well lit, well explained... even great links in the description to boot!
Really nice video. I've got my shim kit and I'm waiting on warm weather so I can do it. It looks simpler than I thought. Thanks so much.
Thank you for the link to manual!!! Saved me $10 on a download. Much appreciated !!!! Great video also:)
Thanks a lot for the link to the Manual that's Awesome. Also all the videos you've done, much appreciated.
Glad to help!
Thank you so much for the video. I have a 97 vulcan 800 Clissic, my first bike. She wasn't properly taken care of by her previous owners, I've had to do a lot of maintance. Unfortunately no one in my area will work on the bike so now I'm teaching myself. My bike has over 37,000 miles on it, 5,400 I put on this season and it developed what I'll discribe as a clanging noise. I think I found my problem. Thanks again!
What a pleasure to watch your video and learn from it. You are knowledgeable and have a nice presentation style....
Thank You!
VERY HELPFUL !! In understanding how this is measured.
im an aussie and found your video very good will do the job myself now same as everyone else had no idea ps we are not all rude pricks thanks for the vid
Thanks!
Thanks for the great video I had no idea
i have never checked my valve clearance and i have 62,000 miles on the bike and it runs great. 27 yrs. old
excellent video mi amigo i found it very useful and. educational. im a vn800 loyalist.
what fluids need to be drained to do this with the engine in the frame? just the coolant? or oil too perhaps? The reason I'm asking is I noticed the two o-rings on the inspection window...
Nice video. I have 3 vn800,'s. Thanks for the heads up.
Glad to help! If they have never been checked, make sure you do it. Can be done in-frame
@@CruiserDayz Have you done a vn800 carburetor overhaul?My one vn800 only has 900 miles, one has 3500 miles. My other has 43000. Miles. But! I think the main rod is knocking.
Thank you for doing this. Just what I'm going to have to do! 1996 Vulcan Classic 800 42K miles.
BoysBarn You're Welcome. Let me know if you run into any snags.
I've got a vn800 and got it when it had 32000 on it and I'm now at 47000. Beat the living dog piss and ride it hard, rev limiter and all. I run mobile full synthetic oil in it use 93 octane fuel and run my treatments through it religiously. Have never ever touched my valves and the bike still runs as good as it did the day I bought it 3 years ago. I've had kawi tech's tell me evry 15000-30000.
Nice video brother
Nice Video ❤
Hola, me ha pasado casi lo mismo, o lo mismo porque ha salido la valvula por el tubo de escape y trozos de esta, al final reparastes ese motor o fue imposible? Gracias.
Excelent video!
Thanks!
Interestingly I've discovered a difference between my first edition paper 1995 Vulcan V800A manual dated April 28, 1995 and your updated manual that you kindly referenced in the video description, date unknown. Your manual is clearly more recent, including later supplement chapters 17-19 for up to the 2004 editions. Evidently Kawasaki changed the target exhaust clearance from 0.25-0.30mm (old) to 0.20-0.25mm (new). This caused a subtle but noteworthy change in the tables. I never came across a TSB about this, but the weakness of paper manuals is they cannot be updated. So, for future reference I'll go with your updated guidelines. Thank you.
Wow! That will be great info for other owners. Thanks for pointing that out!
Hey thanks for the good videos, I just checked and adjusted my valves and your video and link for the service manual came in big time handy!!! I also replaced my clutch disks and springs, I was just curious what kind of oil you run in your bike cause I've heard some of the synthetic oils raise havoc with a wet style clutch, thanks again for your videos they are very very helpful
Rotella Diesel Synthetic (blue bottle at Walmart) is the best thing you can use.
josh geister: Just stay away from oils offering friction reducing additives and honor the other manufactures request. Often these "bad" additives can be the hidden same with claims of higher fuel mileage or being energy efficient/conserving, etc. These additives are being placed in conventional to full synthetic, so be careful.
thanx gadgetclass
so whyyy dindt they made some adjustable screw, im my country is almost impossible to find this shims to buy, what can i do?
sr cool video thanx for share tht important maintenace of vulcan i have 98 with 13 k and i will do the valve check soon cause i don't think previus owner ever check that how dificult is with the engine on bike
Not hard. just download the written walk through in the video decription
Great advice! Did you put something in the gasket, like a sealant or just use the gasket ant tight it? Thank you.
The valve cover gasket is reusable.
Nice work, clearly explained as well as demonstrated. Just out of curiosity, would a 900 cc engine fit an 800 bike? From a casual look see, they seem quite similar.
All can fit, but sure that you need a fiew mods, supports and welding
Vn900 is set up for belt drive, the 800 is a chain.
I know this is an older vid, but your right! Mine blew out the rear cylinder.
Question: The front Cylinder has the white line marked in the chain sprocket. Does the rear jug has any marks to follow other than the R at the flywheel?
Sebastian Farias The line on the cam sprocket will line up with the top of the jug.
Hello, it's me again. Where can I download the manual service file? My engine is vulcan vn400. I would appreciate it if you could help.
Can you do this whilst the engine is still in the bike?? As mines now rattling and i think it needs doing but ive never done big jobs myself....
Matt Clark Yes, it is easily done without taking out the engine, it's just easier to make a video with the engine out. Follow the links in the video description for a full walk-through. It is not hard if you know how to turn a wrench.
7:52 “Just barely in compliance”
You sound like my parole officer 😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
I know this is an old video but, I might be picking one up for my dad this weekend for cheap, and it just needs a tune up but I figured I'd do valves as well. (has just under 42k miles). Do you (or anyone) know what the mileage replacement interval for the cam chains are?
I wouldn't worry about the cam chains. You can replace the tensioner, if your looking for things to throw at it.
Valve shims should be #1
Can you do this without pulling motor or dropping motor down
If you're still wondering, yes lol
Does your back fender move up and down when driving it? like continuously or only when you hit a bump?
It does on mine. The suspension is a little loose on my bike.
great vid!i liked it. agree w Danny, 6k intervals, that wld cost 500-750$ a pop, y bother, let em' clatter! i got a 900, some dont need new shims till 50k mayb....cheers mate!
It only costs a couple hours of time max. Better than a blown engine, which is what happened to me.
@@CruiserDayz was that an hi maintence issue for the 800s, what do you know about vn900 that need that regularly?
@@mml1224 Ahh. I missed that 900. Still not a big job and should always be done within the first couple thousand miles.
@@CruiserDayz wouldn't the oil light and coolant light come on if valves were heating up? got only 4k on the 900, nvr got valves inspected (labor to pull tank2check is 400$min), they do clatter noise a bit, but mechanic said kawasaki's are usually loud
@@mml1224 If you have a solid mechanic, trust them. They have "the feel" to know when something is off.
Is it necessary to remove the engine from the frame or it could be done without it?
Definitely! I just had the engine out already.
VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR YOUR VIEWERS, THE EXHAUST SIDE HAS BEEN UPDATED BY KAWASAKI CORPORATION, IT IS NOT I REPEAT IT IS NOT BETWEEN .25 AND , 30, IT HAS BEEN UPDATED SOME YEARS BACK TO BE BETWEEN .20 AND .25. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS GET NOTED ON YOUR VIDEO.
Is this for the entire year range, or just the later models?
I am puzzled: Bought my bike with 8,000 kms. Took bike to Kawasaki specialist for valve adjustment at 30,000 kms. All within spec, no shims changed. Cost: AU$400. Just to tell me that all is good. I asked him what next? He said to see him at 48,000 kms.... Bike runs beautiful, running on semi synth oil changed every 5000 kms...however I did notice that the engine has less valve noise as it had at the beginning, probably because of the valves getting tight... Any thoughts?
ex, 0.2 - 0.25 using only the 0.25 measurement tool? if the 0.2 fits and 0.25 not then it is between specs right? so why you went over the spec more than 0.25 clearance?
stefaan A. I just did my clearances and I’m this scared me for a sec like I did it wrong. Had to check the manual yes .2- .25. I thought the same thing like why is he using .3?
Well everything worked according to your video, until I couldn't get the rear engine's exhaust rocker arm to move at all. I forced it, SNAP both shims flew somewhere and one of the valve keepers on the rear right came out but I found them. Question, Now do I need to pull the engine to put those valve keepers back on? Can I buy a spring compressor tool and do it with that?
Seriously??!! Was this engine running before you started? Were you turning the engine counter-clockwise?
GadgetClass yes I followed the instructions in the Clymer book. All went well until I got to the last valves. I don't know what I did or what if the rocker arm has an issue.
RandyClose69 The bike ran fine. I was glad I got the other shims done, because there was no clearance. The bike only has 10,000 miles on it. I am thinking I will have to pull the engine. I don'ts see a way to compress the valve while it is in the frame and I need to inspect the rocker arm.
so i am confused...you said on the intake you did not want the high side to slide in .15, but on the exhaust you said ok for the high side, the .25 to slide in freely? and you adjusted them to slide in easy. did i miss something?> help!
Keller123: You didn't miss anything. The table in the video says it's 0.20-0.25. His info source for this engine tells him it is 0.25-0.30. I don't know which one is correct. Even so, the "How to do it" points are still excellent including being able to use the table.
Hey man great video! Very helpful!
But I made a mistake and I’m hoping you can give me some
I made an ID-10t error and turned the crankbolt clockwise about 90 degrees
Checked the manual and realized I messed up.
How bad is it??
Ron Pistachio You're fine... Most likely. At wrench speed you aren't going to do any damage. They just want you to turn it the way the engine turns due to the shape of the cam lobes.
CruiserDayz thanks that’s provides me with some peace of mind
Hey man!! ITS ALIVE!!! valve adjustment went just fine!
Ron Pistachio sweet! How many shims did you have to change?
Good for you dude. This is one of my winter project and this video came right on time. All I need now is to buy the Clymer service manual and give it a shot...@@georgepaquette5568
I think the feeler gauge you have listed is wrong, can you double check
+Laurie Shapiro My service manual says exhaust side is 0.20-0.25.
I think I need to do this with mine, at around 13K and no clue when and if this was ever done. getting a bit of knocking too.
DO ITTTTT!!!
The first 20K are the most crucial.
Do you have the specs for the rear valves?
www.werder.ee/Manual/VN800.pdf
Doe's the engine need to be out of the bike?
no. do it in the frame.
You will have to remove the motor. No clearance to remove covers.
+Sondra Austin Motor does not have to be removed. There is a write-up on how to do it in frame in the video description
What to check if you are buying a 800 and it has 5,000 miles on it? Should I be looking at an 800 at all or something else that is less maintenance intensive. I had a Mach 3 cow as a kid and it never needed a thing even with hard use. What happened Kawasaki?
For sure what happened! I just bought a 97 and this is retarded to find an engine that needs this much attention, not impressed with this
@@normanbaril8024 Exactly I have a buell and I never had to do such a meticulous job. No way I would pay for this type of bike, unless it's given to me for like 100 bucks lol. I want to be on the road or dirt, more then work on it.
Do I NEED to remove the engine to do this?
Yes
No, you absolutely do not need to remove the engine. Read the repair manual. It was a major oversight in the video to not mention this.
I have 48,000mi on my 97 VN800 classic. Is there any point in doing this now? Never been done before, been in the family since new.
Definitely! The bike I'm working on in the video blew it's engine at 50,000
@@CruiserDayz I guess that'll be the next project after I figure out why all the gas is in the oil 🤣 Thanks!
What is the product number for the shim kit?
Just search valve shim kit on Amazon.
Isn’t the exhaust side clearance supposed to be .2 - .25. Not between .25 and .3
LOL if i have any tight valves, im just gonna sand the shim on a piece of glass lol
Take it to the SHOP! Sit back and have a Beer!
That's not bad advice. Especially since most won't even do the valve adjustment themselves otherwise.
Omfg--- I'll just take mine to a mechanic, this is too much! Wow
It can be done in-frame, but it should be done.
Pulled the engine- now is there anyone looking for a used motorcycle frame? J/K.
RandyClose69 Sorry I've been busy this weekend. My thoughts are that you may have had the crank rotated 180degrees off and those valves were still under compression. That would cause things to go flying, but it would have take a lot of force. I'm having trouble imagining this happening under any normal procedure. You can actually rent a top side valve spring compressor from autozone or Oriely's.
CruiserDayz I kept turning it counter clockwise trying to get it to move, however it wouldn't budge no matter where I moved the crank bolt. It was the last two to shim also! Anyway pulled the engine. Now I'm going to clean the valves and buy a gasket kit and put it back together. Any videos on Cleaning the carb while I have it out? Thanks
RandyClose69 wow you must have been about to drop a valve then. You may have caught it just in the nick of time . Don't have any carb cleaning vids.
RandyClose69 Since I am inexperienced at motorcycle repair, it took me several days to figure out why the rear exhaust rocker arm wouldn't move. Turns out the retainer clips had worked themselves lose, thus adding more height to the spring. I couldn't even get the thinnest feeler gauge in it. Now, in all my effort to figure it out, I hope I didn't put it out of timing with the front section of the v twin. Book says it has to be 305 degrees apart. Do you have any tricks for a shade tree mechanic to help determine the 305 degrees. Thanks
RandyClose69 Did you have the cam chains off? The timing should still be fine unless you messed with the chains.
I had my valves checked at 28k and the tech said they were still in specs don't know whether to believe him or not.
I mean, that is his JOB, and your motor is still running...
Send it!!!
EVERY 6,000 MILES!!! what a joke, i would not even entertain buying a bike that needed that kind of work done so often. I have a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 classic and here in Australia the recommended valve clearance check is every 42,000km (26,000 miles). In the U.S its every 15,000 miles, which is an indication of how crap your fuel is over there because the bike is exactly the same!! But every 6,000 is basically every oil change and thats a bullshit amount of hard work and hassle!!
My 1999 800classic has 32.000 km and never been opened, just basic maintenance. Purrs like a kitten, no noises, no ticking, and very cold blooded.
Wow! Are you ever cocky.......... Try using your words to make peace mate
A lot wrong when you have to do this adjustment at 576 miles on the engine. Seems to me that on this "new" engine the adjustments would be at an acceptable level.
But thank you for this well done and informative video.
Kane Kelvera New engine is when you are going to have the most change. Beyond that the clearance will change little over the years. First 1000 miles is probably the most important one.
every 6,000 miles lol no way I am doing that, rather not and wait ten years and let it blow up and buy a new one, I would spend half my life doing this lmao not going to happen.
OK, but it should be done at least once after initial engine break-in. Valves require regular adjusting as part of a tune up on pretty much all motorcycles.
Lol you CAN'T take this measurements with a caliper.
This MUST be done with a Micrometer!!!
I'm afraid that isn't right... not even close to be (Im talking about your measurements on the shims)