Did valve adjustment on the 99 Interstate today

[Thunderbolt]

I bought it used about 7 years ago, so don't know if they were adjusted before.  Three intakes were .001 too wide.  All the exhausts were right on.  I had been meaning to do this for a year or so, but it has been runnng so good after I got the ethanol junk out of the jets.  I have 48,500 miles on this bike.
I found out something I didn't know, there is a spare 30A fuse on the bottom of the rubber cover underneath the start relay.  I had stuck a spare on the battery strap a few years ago.  I checked the connections on the main fuse etc.  All looked good.

[Sonny]

 My 99 standard only has 37,000 miles on it and I've run them a couple times.  Can't seem to get it right.  I can build a car motor from scratch.  But can't seem to get rid of this flippen chatter.  Book says .006 for intake and .009 for exaust.  First time I checked them I could not get the gauge inserted at all. So I set them according to the book.  Now it rattles.  Any suggestions?

[3W-lonerider]

if they are rattling..i'd pretty much say that you did'nt have the timing in corralation with the valves you were adjusting at the time..now they are way out of wack..

[roboto65]

I will say this better to be rattling than the other 

[Thunderbolt]

It's hard to see especially with glasses.  Any amount off will cause problems.  If you have built motors, then you know what you are doing with valves, I don't think that is the problem.  Maybe trying the mirror will get you dead on.

[Sonny]

Thanks, 

I'll give it a try.  When I bought my Valk just north of Sandiago CA just under 2 years ago and rode it home to Missouri. It was quiet, I listened for everything on my way home. Up until I checked the first time at 30,000.00 miles they were quiet. That was when I noticed I could not get the feeler gage in them at all.  After I pulled the plugs I even looked in #1 cylinder with a scope lite to see if it was at the top. I must have missed something, I try it again.

[Madmike]

Trust that you know that timing marks indicate set point for one or the other of the two cylinders indicated as the marks indicate the "running mates", one of the two will be at TDC exhaust and the other will be at TDC compression. 

The one that is TDC exhaust the valves will be "on the rock' or in overlap position as they are in transition from exhaust to intake, and so both valves will be on the cam lobes and off of the base circle of the cam.  Both valves will be slightly open as the exhaust valve is still in the process of closing and the intake valve is starting to open.

The one that is TDC compression will have both valves on "base circle" of their respective cam lobes.  The piston has come up and compressed the air\fuel charge the plug has just fired (BTDC) and the piston is transitioning to going down on the power stroke.

Running mates can be determined by looking at the firing order (typical inline 6 cylinder is 1,5,3,6,2,4) then take the cylinders in the first half of the firing order (1,5,3, in this case) and write them down over the second half of the firing order - 1 goes over 6, 5 goes over 2, 3 goes over 4.  This shows you the "running mates" - 1&6, 5&2, 3&4,.  This will work for every configuration that has equidistant crankshaft throws in any configuration - I have used it up to V-16's

Once you have determined the running mates it is a logical process to follow through and set the valves.

• line up timing mark for 1&6,
  
• check valves for both cylinders,
• one of the two both valves will be tight whereas the valves for the running mate both valves will be on base circle. 
• If you watch the valves as you turn the engine in the proper direction of rotation as you approach the timing mark you will see the exhaust valve closing and the intake valve opening. 
  This cylinder is "on the rock" - adjust the valves on it's running mate as they are both on base circle.

In the case given if 1 is "on the rock" set the valves for 6, then turn to next timing mark (turn crank 120° for 6 cylinder) and cylinder 5 should be "on the rock" so set the valves for #2 etc. etc.  You can usually determine which valve is which (intake or exhaust) by looking at the head casting and valve position relative to the intake and exhaust manifolds to see which one best lines up.

If you look at the firing order for the F6 you will see that it go from front to back then the middle and crosses banks through the process. so the front cylinders are mates, the back cylinders are mates and the middle cylinders are mates.

[Sonny]

Thanks,

  Makes good since. The rattle has changed sides in the couple times I have tried to do this. I will follow these instructions.  Why is this info not in the service manual. That would be a tad bit helpful.

[roboto65]

Getting the vales "Perfect" is a time consuming thing unless you have like six hands I mean hold the flathead in the slot then tighten the nut and then check to see if it did not move when you tightened it .001 is not much thats why alot of people use the GO NO Go method a little valve noise is piece of mind to me because I would rather it be .001 to loose than .001 to tight because to tight and you open a whole new can of worms like burned Valves..

[Madmike]

If you need a hand give me a call at 780-624-1530 and I can talk you through it.

Getting the vales "Perfect" is a time consuming thing unless you have like six hands I mean hold the flathead in the slot then tighten the nut and then check to see if it did not move when you tightened it .001 is not much thats why alot of people use the GO NO Go method a little valve noise is piece of mind to me because I would rather it be .001 to loose than .001 to tight because to tight and you open a whole new can of worms like burned Valves..

Check the adjustment first, if it is loose then back off the nut, turn the adjuster down against the feeler blade with your fingers, hold the adjuster with a screwdriver and spin the locknut down finger tight and then take thread clearance out by tightening SLIGHTLY with a wrench, check clearance on blade if it is now a bit loose tweak the adjuster against the partially tightened lock nut.  This general procedure works most of the time on solids or even for adjusting hydraulic lifters on engines that have solid followers and a hydraulic lifter integral to the pushtube (i.e. some Wauks) as long as the threads on the adjuster haven't been stretched by overtorquing the locknut.