Valve job for '02 GSX-R750 Questions

[BuzZz]

What the guy told you is essentially correct. It takes a bit of practice, but soon you will be able to feel what the right amount of drag is when you move the fellers back and forth. A noticeable but not great amount of resistance on the gauges to movement is what you want. You can cram a lot of metal in there if you try hard enough, because the valve spring will compress, but you only want to know the amount of clearance with the valves fully closed.

Start with the recommended amount of clearance and add more or less gauge thickness until you get a reading you feel good with. Be careful you are measuring only where the valve and camlobe meet and don't have the gauge catching some lip, casting or other protuberance making the reading inaccurate.

[pilot_greg]

I'll give that a try then... The salesman gave me a demonstration of the resistance I should be looking for by grabbing the gauge and letting me pull on it at different strengths (very nice of him IMO), so I think I have at least an idea of what to look for. Hopefully somewhere between having the maintenance manual and the job not really being as hard as the guys as my local shop try to make it sound (trying to scare me out of $370 I guess), I'll be able to pull it off without ruining something or dropping a screw into the engine somewhere...

[PeterTrocewicz]

I don't know of any dealears that do the shim exchange anymore. The dealership that I used to work for stopped doing that because the service department wound up almost running out of shims of the proper size neede for bikes they were working on. And my experience is that no parts department stocks shims because of the vast number of thichnesse and diameters used even for 1 manufacturer. Be prepared to order the specific ones that you need from the manufacturer and wait.There are aftermarket assortments available, but not for every bike.
1 tip that I cannot stress enough for the reassembly: use a torque wrench and follow the specifactions for bolt torque.

[BuzZz]

It ain't Rocket Surgery, anyone with decent mechanical ability should have few problems if they follow the manual. And +1 on using a torque wrench and tightening pattens to put the cams back in.

Just make sure you put the cams back in with the camgears correctly timed if you have to remove them. And don't drop the camchain into the engine, it's easier to keep track of it rather than fishing it out of the engine casing later.

[pilot_greg]

It might not be rocket surgery, but its pretty close, if only because if I mess something up, it could mean an unsafe bike at the very least...

I've got a new question now before I crack open the engine. The manual is calling for all new gaskets for the cylinder head cover, bolts, and cam chain tensioner, most of which I'd have to order and wait a week to get. The question is, is this a must? or can I get away with using the same gaskets again? or am I just stupid for questioning the manual? Based on what I know of the previous owners of the bike, I wouldn't be surprised if they had never been changed, so I'm not opposed to getting new gaskets, though I had hoped to do the job today...

Another question I have relates to the oil change I'm going to be doing soon. Should I wait until after the valve job to change the oil, or are the two entirely separate? I've been holding off just in case the oil change needs to come second due to the valve job forcing a change, but I'm not sure since the manual makes no reference to one in the instructions for the other. Can I do the oil change today and then the valve job next week without having to do another oil change? or should I wait on the oil change until after the valve job (meaning I can't ride the bike until after the valve job since I'm overdue for the oil change by about 5 months...)?

Thanks again,
Greg

[BuzZz]

If you mess up, the bike won't be unsafe. It will be very safe, since it won't be going anywhere....

Gaskets.... ideally you should change any gasket that has been installed and removed. In the real world, if they are not damaged during removal and are still pliable enough to seal when re-installed, reuse is possible. Heat and time tend to make valvecover gaskets hard and brittle, but you can't really tell what condition yours is in until you remove and inspect it. You can seal a questionably baked gasket with silicone or other sealant, but that is something to try and avoid. Sealants like that can (and will) get into the engine, you really don't want that if possible. I have never seen an oil pump pick-up without bits of silicon stuck to it on an engine that had silicon applied to an oil-contacting gasket on it. Those engines all ran fine and suffered no damage, but really, do you want that in your lump? Probably not.

I would wait to change the oil until after the other work is done. Once the engine is open, dirt, dust, gasket chunks or anything else can fall in there. Changing the oil afterward will flush any of that out. If you change it now, anything that may get inside will stay inside until the next oil change. It probably won't be anything disastrous, but why risk it? It is just a good habit that applies to any engine.

[pilot_greg]

If I do damage it, I won't mess around with sealants, just because I don't want to risk plugging oil channels in the engine. That being said, if I can avoid the extra $30-$40 by reusing it, I probably will. I guess we'll see what the result is once I pull the cover, I mean, for all I know, I'm going to pull it off and 50% of the gasket will be attached to the cover and the other 50% still on the engine...

[BuzZz]

Exactly. You never know for sure until you have it in your hands.....

[pilot_greg]

Any tips on how to get the cover off of the engine and the gasket off of whatever it sticks to without damaging it in the process?

[BuzZz]

Just be careful. Lift the V/C off slowly and if the gasket sticks to either the head or cover, see if you can get a scraper or knife in there to gently separate it. Try not to cut any of the gasket, if you do, replace it.

You may need to whack or pry the V/C to break it loose, just don't wail on too hard and move it too far. If the gasket is stuck, that could break it.

Gentle and careful with only the force necessary. Like feeler gauges, you get the feel for it after doing a few, but not before tearing some in the process. If it sticks or hangs up, stop and assess the situation before starting to rip-n-tear.