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I have a 2005 Kawasaki Concours with 26,000 miles.

When I started to do a valve adjustment the left side exhaust valve on the #1 cylinder was missing the screw and lock nut. I found the screw and lock nut in the upper part of the head and no visible damage could be seen. I was able to check and adjust the right side valve fine. But, when I tried to check the left side I could not even get the feeler gage under the tappet. I took that screw completely out and there was still no clearance to get the feeler gage in. I did not move the camshaft and the cam lobe is pointing away from that valve. Apparently there has been some damage done, but what? How do I determine what has happened and how do I fix it?

First off, good call finding the screw and lock nut—at least you dodged the worst-case scenario of them bouncing around and causing major damage. That being said, if you can’t even get a feeler gauge in there, something’s definitely off.

Since the cam lobe is pointing away, the valve should be fully closed, so the lack of clearance means the valve might not be seating properly. This could be because of:

A bent valve stem (maybe from that screw/nut getting loose and causing a jam at some point).
A valve seat issue, like carbon buildup or damage, preventing the valve from sitting flush.
A warped or recessed valve causing it to sit higher in the head than it should.
You’ll probably need to pull the head to get a proper look at what’s going on. Check the valve itself for straightness, and inspect the seat and guide. If you’ve got a bent valve or seat damage, it’s time for a replacement and some head work. Hopefully, it’s something like carbon buildup that just needs cleaning.

Thanks for your input. I've come to the conclusion from comments on other forums that the head needs to come off to find out for sure what the issue is. I've starting doing that, but keep getting interrupted plus here in Illinois it has ben in the single digit temps in my unheated garage. I'll let you know what I find out when the head is off.

Remember to update—I look forward to hearing from you! bitlife

My machinist friend looked at the eBay had last Friday to check it for flatness and pronounced it VERY FLAT. I didn't have time to do a leak check before heading out of town on Saturday for two weeks. I won't be back until Feb 29. I'll update you after that.

I also intend to replace the timing chain while I'm in there, even though my bike only has 29K miles on it.

I'll see y'all after the 29th.

fredtman wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2025 1:46 pm tap road
I have a 2005 Kawasaki Concours with 26,000 miles.

When I started to do a valve adjustment the left side exhaust valve on the #1 cylinder was missing the screw and lock nut. I found the screw and lock nut in the upper part of the head and no visible damage could be seen. I was able to check and adjust the right side valve fine. But, when I tried to check the left side I could not even get the feeler gage under the tappet. I took that screw completely out and there was still no clearance to get the feeler gage in. I did not move the camshaft and the cam lobe is pointing away from that valve. Apparently there has been some damage done, but what? How do I determine what has happened and how do I fix it?

If the engine ran for a while with the missing adjuster screw, the valve could have been hammered into the seat, causing it to recess.

If you're hearing ticking after adjustment, you might have set them too loose. Recheck the specs and ensure everything is torqued correctly. If it’s too tight, you risk valve damage over time!

thanks for the tip.