VAlve Adjustment

[timsatx]

I am getting ready to do my valves. I plan on using the bump start method for positioning the camshafts and not taking off the Pulsing Cover. So my question is, as long as the lobes are facing away from each other does it matter if the piston is TDC, or if the lobes are opposite each other then are the pistons automatically at TDC?

[kreaky]

Position the lobe so that the heel is resting on the rocker, doesn't matter about crankshaft position. Using two feelers will produce most accurate results.

[T Cro ®]

As long as the rocker is on the base circle of the cam as in NOT on any part of the ramp you can adjust that particular valve. The only reason for putting the engine in 2 different positions is so that ALL valves can adjusted in only 2 positions.

As to using 2 set of feeler gauges or one under each rocker: yes you can and will get ever so slightly more accurate adjustments but it is this life long hands on engineers opinion that you do not gain anything remotely worthwhile for the extra frustration as you already have a go no go tolerance of a couple thousands of an inch so the tiny gain in accuracy is nill.

I've been adjusting valves on industrial engines for nearest to 30 years and have watched even the likes of tech savvy CAT move away from this type of time consuming adjustment on 4 valve heads. 

[timsatx]

Cool, thanks for the info. I have seen a thread from somewhere else that mentioned using two feeler gauges at once and I thought that might be a bit much. If it was important enough I would think they would say so in the manual.

In the two and a half years I have owned the bike this will be my first valve adjust. Who knows when it was last done before me so I am pretty sure it needs it. We will find out.

[timsatx]

HOLY CRAP. I have the upgrade stick coils and I am try to get them off. How in the freaking hell do I do that? They are so damn tight I can't do anything but twist them....only a little. Trying to pull them out is beyond hell. I must have spent 45 minutes trying to get the right side one off, and I did manage it, but I did crack the top connector. It will still work but when I tried the left outside one I had to stop. Does anybody have any idea how to get them off? This is, by the way, with the seal lifted off. It is the connection to the spark plug that's a b____.

[T Cro ®]

Dang I've not heard of anyone having so much trouble. I may suggest you use a dab of grease when you reinstall.

[timsatx]

Man, I hooked up a ratcheting strap to the handlebar and turned it so it was pretty much over the coil and tried to ratchet it up and couldn't get it. Can you say several day process to do a valve adjustment? Sure, I knew you could.

[timsatx]

Well I finally got the second one out. What hassle. You think I should use dielectric grease?

[Lodogg2221]

Yes, use the grease. 

Also, instead of bumping the engine with the starter, turn the back tire with it in gear....higher is easier. 
Much simpler, and less likely to overshoot whatever mark you are aiming for.

BTW, I had one heck of a time getting the valve cover in place, with the gasket in place, and with the front air deflector/shield in place...YMMV, but let me know if you figure out an easy way! 

[timsatx]

Well I have three out now. Anybody know where I can get the Cap-Assy-Plug 21160-1065. It is the seal that goes around the spark plug. They are $30 each. Bummer.

[Lodogg2221]

Well I have three out now. Anybody know where I can get the Cap-Assy-Plug 21160-1065. It is the seal that goes around the spark plug. They are $30 each. Bummer.

Ebay.  Coils arent that much.  Ive seen a few used sets on there for around $20.  Right now there are coils for $10 each, set for $29, one for $25, etc.
I sure wouldnt pay $30 for one boot based on that.  Plus if you got the coils, you would have an extra in case they failed (not likely).

[timsatx]

Which coils are ones we can use. I checked on what I bought before and none of them come with the seal. In fact, the ones I bought before didn't have them. I just reused what I had.

[Outback_Jon]

Which coils are ones we can use. I checked on what I bought before and none of them come with the seal. In fact, the ones I bought before didn't have them. I just reused what I had.

The stick coils I got were from a 07~08 ZX6.  They had seals near the tops of the coils that I moved down and they fit nicely into the spark plug wells.  The seals are not much wider than the coils, but they appear to work well enough.  I've also seen a suggestion to use o-rings. 

[timsatx]

BTW, I had one heck of a time getting the valve cover in place, with the gasket in place, and with the front air deflector/shield in place...YMMV, but let me know if you figure out an easy way!

Which part are you referring to? I am currently struggling with getting the cover off. It's like I can get it started but that's it.

[Lodogg2221]

Which part are you referring to? I am currently struggling with getting the cover off. It's like I can get it started but that's it.

There is a plastic piece that goes between the upper cylinder head/valve cover and the V section in the frame to keep air from the radiator from getting under the tank.
It could be caught on the lip of your cover keeping it from lifting very high.

Once I got all the bolts out, I had to do a bit of wiggling here and there and hold my tongue just right to get the cover off, but it did come out fairly easily. 
During that process, I hit the T-stat housing though, and caused a leak, so I also replaced the T-stat and all orings in it. 

Getting it back in place with the gasket in was a bit tougher.  I tried forever without using any kind of sealant, but in the end resorted to a liquid high-tack gasket dressing which worked wonderfully. 


On the coils, I dont know if we are talking about the same part.  I thought you meant the rubber part that goes over the plug itself.  Seems some other are thinking it could be the round rubber seal at the top.
For the top, I used the ones off my factory plugs...cut down I think, and left the round rubber ones off.  They fit too tight for my liking, if I recall.  Its been a while since I had the plugs out, but maybe I should at least pull the coils just to be sure I greased them and dont have a similar issue.

[timsatx]

I am talking about the original seal for the valve cover. I have attached a pic of it. The coils did in fact come with a gasket, just not the ones we use originally. That is what I was talking about. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. The seal that does come with the coil does not seal the valve cover. Would that be a problem?

------oops, I didn't realize that I did not post this. I went to the movies with my son. I am now continuing. I was posting a reply and this is a continuation------


I don't seem to have that piece on mine (the plastic piece). The only things in my way was the frame and the thermostat housing. I did manage to get it out but it came out the right side.

I went out this afternoon to check the valves. I wasn't going to try and adjust it as the bike is on the carport and the sun was beginning to hit the bike, not to mention it was 92°. Here are the reading from the check:

                 cyl1        cyl2        cyl3         cyl4            specs
exhaust: .006,.007-.008,.008-.007,.007-.005,.003       .007-.009
intake:   .008,.009-.005,.005-.006,.006-.008,.008       .005-.007

It looks like there are a couple of cylinders that are pretty far out and others only a bit with two just right.

[T Cro ®]

Tim, the best that I can suggest is that you go to eBay and look for a set of used stock coils; as to buy just that part you are likely to find that they come at a high cost from the dealer. In the kits that I sell I give directions on how to best mod these rubber parts to work on the stick coils but not everyone buys my kits or follows the directions either. The only real issue to leaving out or off this rubber is you can get water down into the spark plug well other than that they don't matter much. But perhaps you should look to see if there is rust where the stick coil meets the spark plug.

[timsatx]

Tony, does it matter what coils you get? Should they be matched? I think mine came off a ZX-10. I wouldn't worry too much about water since I basically do not drive in the rain.

[T Cro ®]

Tony, does it matter what coils you get? Should they be matched? I think mine came off a ZX-10. I wouldn't worry too much about water since I basically do not drive in the rain.

For the most part the stick coils that are culled from Kawasaki bikes tend to pretty much be all the same except for a few years from the ZX6R, ZX600 & ZZR600 that I don't like due to their longer length. While I only sell matched sets of 4 in my kits as long as the primary resistance does not vary by more than half an ohm (.05) you will not see an issue but then again when I do sell spares to anyone I at least match the part numbers so that way the variance is never more than .01 ohm. Let me guess your coil part numbers are likely a Mitsu F6T560

[timsatx]

That is the correct part number. I think the one I messed up a bit is still usable but I will replace it.

I just did my valve adjustment. After I made the adjustments I would go back and do a go/no go check. Mid range was go, upper end was no go.

Since I had the top off I went ahead and replaced my spark plugs. I went to buy a 18mm spark plug wrench and it ended up that it wouldn't work. Inside the hole is a reduced area that won't let my particular spark plug sock go into. Luckily I had an 18mm socket that worked. The spark plugs looked good. They had a slight brown color and they were dry. Cylinders 3 & 4 spark plugs were not very tight, especially #4. It didn't take any pressure, well hardly any, to loosen it. The new ones were torqued in.