Feeler Gauge-poor QC

[Rich82GS750TZ]

So I'm getting ready to do valve adjustment for the first time. I'm anxious enough about it. Then I open the brand new feeler gauge I bought at Advanced Auto, only to find no .005" blade, but (2) .006" blades instead. Guess this project will have to wait. Or, for you guys with 16v engines, is .006" too big of a gap to start with, given that they close up over time? Or should I get a better gauge, one that actully has all of the blades shown on the package?

[Guest]

You could get away those sizes with a bit of guessing but get the proper feeler gauge sizes eventually.

[steve murdoch]

Seems odd. I would have expected that more from Harbour Freight. lol.
Any chance one of them is just stamped incorrectly? Got a micrometer?

[Rich82GS750TZ]

No mic at home. I'll take it to work tomorrow and grab one from the maintenance shop and check it before I take it back to AA.

[LAB3]

I'd take it back for an exchange. Making do in a pinch is a different story from trying to get it right, especially the first time.

[bwringer]

You can just sort of wibble-wobble them to see if they feel the same thickness. The difference is easily perceptible with normal human fingers.

Exchange them of course, but open the next package and check while you're there.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I checked them with a digital caliper from work. The one marked as .006 that’s next to the .007 blade measures .005. But I’m still gonna take them back to the store.

[Steve]

The nice thing about adjusting your valves is that you can set them to pretty much any clearance you want. Because the locknuts <can> come loose, there is a (remote) possibility that the clearance can go either way, not just "tighter". I would still set them on the looser end of the tolerance range, though.

.

[Guest]

Isn't the range .003 to .005 (at least for the 1100 TSCC engine), meaning that .004 is the middle or the gap to aim for?

[Rich82GS750TZ]

.004-.005" according to the Suzuki and Clymer manuals. Point is: I bought a thing, thing turned out to be crap, thing is going back to the store.