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Where to buy individual valve shims?

18K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  MorrowDeath 
#1 ·
I need a few shims and paying 80 bucks for a kit of 50 shims seems a little steep. I tried search and only found kits. Any place I can buy a individual ones?

Thanks
 
#5 ·
Alright cool.

now 2 more questions.
So say the shim is a .155 and my clearance is .13. I want the clearance a lil more so I would need a .150 shim correct.

And while I'm doing this is their anything else I should replace like piston rings, cam chain, or tensioner
 
#6 ·
Is that exhaust or intake clearance? Intake spec is .12-.19 mm, Exhaust spec is .16-.23mm. If it is intake, it is in spec (the lower end but in spec)

But to answer your question, if the shim says 155, then it is 1.55 mm thick. If you measured .13 mm, then a 150 (1.50 mm) shim would give you another .05 mm clearance theoretically so .18 mm. I say theoretically because worn shims are rarely the thickness they say, because......well, they are worn. So measure it with a set of digital calipers. I would guess that your 155 might actually be 1.53 thick. In which case putting a 150 in it would give you .16 mm clearance.

As to what else you should replace (Assuming you are around 20-25K miles). Piston rings would require tearing down the engine. Cam chain on some engines can be fished out without splitting cases, but it is a bitch and I don't know if it can be done on the R6....never tried it. Replacing the cam chain tensioner with a manual one would not be a bad idea, but not necessary.
 
#8 ·
Ok thanks man. My intake are all at .13 so I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and shim those. The exhaust are .15 so barely out of spec.

Also the cam lobe on cylinder 4 looks a lil worn compared to the rest, so that worries me a bit. Idk If I should replace it or if its fine. Kinda just looks like the coating on the lobe has wore off.

I don't mind pulling the head and doing the rings if its a good idea. This is my first street bike and I'm not sure how long a top end last. I know when I would do valves on my mx bikes I would do rings and cam chain also.
 
#9 ·
Download the service manual (if you don't have it already). It gives you the measurements to check the cam lobe. You will need to remove it anyways to replace the shims.

How many are out or close to out of spec? If you need more than 10, I doubt that the service manager would let you do a free swap out, and the individuals are gonna cost $3-5 each, so you'd be better off buying the kit.

Finally, the maintenance for dirt bikes is vastly different than street bikes, which are designed to be more reliable for longer maintenance intervals. And the cylinders are part of the crank case on the R6, so piston rings mean splitting the cases. Unless you are racing, you are a loooonnng way from needing to do that work.
 
#10 ·
Let me see what specs I wrote down. I have the Manuel but my computer crashed a few months ago.

Intake:
.13 .13
.13 .13
.13 .13
.10 .10

Exhaust:
.13 .13
.15 .15
.15 .15
.13 .13

So for sure I need 2 intake and all 8 exhaust. Might as well do all 16.
Intake should be .12-.19 so I'm aiming to get them at .15
Exhaust should be .16-.23 so .19 is my goal.

Looks like I might end up buying a kit. I just hope I won't need more than 3 of a certain shim size since all the kits I've seen only carry 3 of each size.

And ill skip the rings. It's way to much of a hassle splitting cases.
 
#11 ·
I am sure that the one in the bike are not all the same size. I have found that I can usually swap some around to get a few of them in spec, so you don't have to get all 16. Just gotta do some measurin' and math.

I try to go to the fat end of the spec, personally for two reasons.

1. Valve lash tends to tighten up over time, not get bigger. This is mainly due to the valve pounding its way into the seat....and

2. I was told by one of the mechanics for Vance and Hines that they found that adjusting them loose got a small but measurable HP bump in the FZR600's they used to run. Now, bear in mind that this was a long time ago, and I never tested this out myself on a dyno (back to back comparisons and such), but I can say that all my FZR400's ran pretty strong compared to my competition.

Regardless, reason #1 has always been enough for me to continue what I was already doing.


Bottom line: If I were you, I would try to adjust all 16 valves according to your measurements.
 
#13 ·
I try to go to the fat end of the spec, personally for two reasons.

1. Valve lash tends to tighten up over time, not get bigger. This is mainly due to the valve pounding its way into the seat....and

2. I was told by one of the mechanics for Vance and Hines that they found that adjusting them loose got a small but measurable HP bump in the FZR600's they used to run. Now, bear in mind that this was a long time ago, and I never tested this out myself on a dyno (back to back comparisons and such), but I can say that all my FZR400's ran pretty strong compared to my competition.
:stupic :YEA
 
#14 ·
I saw in the manual that is says to replace timing chain guide, is it a must if its still in good condition? Im getting ready to do a valve adjustment, im just trying to get all the parts first and seeing what I can save on.
 
#15 ·
Mine looked bout new so I reused them
 
#17 ·
Just take your time and measure twice. if you run into any issues let me know and ill help you out.
 
#21 ·
If I could ever get my damn computer to work I'd make a how to. I think I just need a new computer, put a new hard drive in it and it still won't work right.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Got all my parts in for the valve adjustment except one. Its the Timing chain tensioner washer that goes on towards the top of it, not really to sure what it does but it calls for a new one. Anyone know if I can reuse the old one? The part number is 5SL-12214-00-00
 
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