Valve Adjustment Questions - 16 valve GS1100

[J_C]

Today was pretty frusterating. For the first time I really wanted to chuck my clymers into a fire. Here are my questions:

1. Where do I get the suzuki valve tool that grips onto the little square of the adjuster.

2. Where am I suppossed to be checking for clearance. On my old 2000 GS500E it was between the cam lobe and the shim... am I not checking between the cam lobe and the adjuster bar? If elsewhere, do I check all 16 valves individually?

3. What's with the clymers rotations. It says when the indicator faces in to do #2 intake, #3 exhaust and #4 intake AND exhaust. It is my understanding that since certain coils fire at the same time, the cam lobes should line up on those cylinders right? Regardless of that, how can I check #4 both when the cam lobes aren't pointing away from the valves.


Is my experience with my old GS500 totally leading me in the wrong directions??

[tfb]

1. Yes, throw that Clymer into the fire, and get a Haynes or a Suzuki workshop manual. Others love their Clymers, but I've had nothing but grief with that particular brand.

2. You can get the nifty little special Suzuki 'screwdriver' for adjusting the clearances, from Suzuki themselves. It even has a part number, I think... but I'm not sure what it is, so maybe someone else can chime in with this info.

3. Yes, check all 16 valves individually, ie. you are measuring the clearance between each 'tappet' and the top of the valve. It is a bit fiddly, but I have 'modified' a feeler gauge specially for this job, ie. narrowed it and given it a bend about 1/2" down from the tip, so that I can easily slip it in there.

4. Clymer is right about the sequence of checking the clearances. When done one set of valves with #1 cylinder at TDC on the compression cycle, you rotate the crank another 360 degrees and then check the other set of valves. Kind of messes with the brain sometimes but it is correct.

5. Your experience with the old GS500 (twin cylinder?) is not totally irrelevant, but here you're dealing with a 4-pot 16-valve beastie that has no shims, but a screw-and-locknut arrangement instead. Expect some differences!

All the best,
Mike.

[Jethro]

Teh size of the tappet adjuster is 3mm if I remember correctly. I bought a set of tiny spanner wrenches that Craftsman sells for ignition work. I think the smallest in there was a 4mm, so I torched the little bugger up and squezzed it in a vise until it was 3mm. That's what I use. I may be just as easy to buy a tool from Motion Pro that is made specifically for the tappet adjuster.

[headsbikesmopars]

Much easier to eye ball the cam to make sure it is on the base circle. If you put the nose of the lob 180 degrees oposite the rocker pad..you will be on the center of the base circle. Good luck, Terry.

[tfb]

After a bit of punting around on the internet, the relevant Suzuki part no. for the tool to hold the tiny square head of the screw adjusters is...

09917-14920

I bought the tool myself a few years ago, and it wasn't really expensive, and certainly makes valve-adjustment time much easier.

[J_C]

Thanks guys! I bought the tool from bike bandit and it should be here early next week. Yes the GS500 is a twin.

All 16 valves... this should be fun :/ What I'm still lost about is where the clearances are.... I see the adjusters and locknuts. Under that is a bar that the cam lobe hits... and under that are two posts that seem to go into the top of the valves... The cylmer picture is awful, but it looks like those posts are supposed to have clearance with the top of the valves?


And lastly, to confirm, I am supposed to check clearances on 4, even when 4's cam lobes are pointing parallel to the valves instead of directly away from it?

[tfb]

16 valves are fun, ;-) ... but relax, once you get the swing of it, it's fairly straightforward. The fun bit is when you do up the locknut, the 'post' doesn't always stay at the clearance you set it, so there's a bit of fiddling around to do there. But take your time, and all will be well.

Rest assured that there is a clearance there between the top of the valves and the 'posts'. Unless, of course, your bike has been so neglected that over time the clearances have shrunk to zero. :-|

And lastly -- yes, check the clearances on one set of 'four', even if the lobes aren't pointing squarely away from the nominated valves (some will be, some won't be). Just make sure that you follow the manual's guidelines re. positioning the marks on the timing plate, and the slotted marks on the end of the camshafts, etc. Then you will be turning the crank through 360 degrees to do the clearances on the other set of valves.

If you need to look at the relevant pages from a Haynes manual for the 16-valve 1100 engine, just holler and I'll email some scanned copies to you.

Mike.