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Valve check only, hopefully

Warrant

Warrant

Guest
Guest
Just trying to get at the valve cover is a challenge (2012 C14). At 92,000 KMS (57,500 miles) time for a valve check
What has everyone else done with the rubber that covers the top of the engine? Do you remove it, pull it back out of the way or just cut it off.....first valve check for me on a C14, my old ZRX1100 was so much easier to do.....pulling the cams to adjust clearances on my Suzuki TL1000 was so easy.
Thanks to all for any advice or direction.
 
Warrant said:
Just trying to get at the valve cover is a challenge (2012 C14). At 92,000 KMS (57,500 miles) time for a valve check
What has everyone else done with the rubber that covers the top of the engine? Do you remove it, pull it back out of the way or just cut it off.....first valve check for me on a C14, my old ZRX1100 was so much easier to do.....pulling the cams to adjust clearances on my Suzuki TL1000 was so easy.
Thanks to all for any advice or direction.
Click to expand...
IIRC from reading posts on this subject, the cover is pulled back out of the way. HTH
 
It doesn’t seem obvious, so follow the full, service manual. You need to remove the horn and bracket, loosen the top two bolts from the radiator, and tilt the radiator forward. That will pull that rubber heat shroud forward and out of your way.
 
Good stuff gents!
I am in the process of slowly getting to know my C14 the best way possible, slowly and methodically. Since the snow started falling yesterday it is a good time for inspection and maintenance.
I didn't think cutting the rubber heat insulation was the answer, that was just a bit of sarcasm on my part.
I did find the 'Cylinder Head cover removal section' in the manual earlier but wanted to see if removing other bits before hand would make the time consuming task less annoying
 
You should buy a set of Fred Harmon's dvd's that shows valve checks and everything else you can think of. Worth the money to own a set.
 
^^^^^^ YES!

I just responded on the TPMS thread a minute ago with the exact same thought--by all means DO purchase Fred's videos. Just a treasure trove of great info for C14 owners. Cheap at half the price IMO. Add the FSM and there's really nothing I can think of that you won't be able to do.
 
Bud said:
You should buy a set of Fred Harmon's dvd's that shows valve checks and everything else you can think of. Worth the money to own a set.
Click to expand...
Fred’s videos are awesome and will get you very far successfully. Keep in mind the valve adjustment shown in Fred’s videos is for a Gen 1 C-14 so the timing marks will be a bit different and the step I mentioned about the heat shroud on the Gen 2 will not be shown. The videos AND the FSM will get you all the way with success. There are also good posts on the valve adjustments on this forum, so do some searching for advice and part numbers. Good luck.
 
Go to know about Fred's video/DVD.
Once I pulled the radiator off and followed the manual it all went well. Strange enough the valves were all right on the money, middle of the spec. The previous owner said he had them checked and/or adjusted at 50,000 km by the dealer, now at 92,000 km they are still in spec.
Time to do some cleaning and add a few goodies.
Cheers all!
 
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Mine were done at 45K miles from new, all were in spec except for one exhaust valve. Now at 58K

My ZX14 with 75K miles, I had the valves done at 35K, 50K and at 72K. Never needed valve adjustment. All in spec
 
I am finding it curious how some are seeing significant number of valves out of specification at relatively low miles whereas others are seeing all or near all are spot on through multiple maintenance cycles.

Where is the likely variable: Use / RPM habits, manufacturer variability, temperature of operation, head material density, other? Without a controlled environment, I suppose any discussion here would just be conjecture but the question is interesting to ponder.
 
2andblue, I think you've already hit on all the variables that might effect valve spec. I've been reading this forum and the C10 forum for a long time now and have yet to see someone post up a problem traced back to valve clearance. I checked mine at 26,500 or so and found them in spec but starting to get close on a few of the exhausts. I went ahead and adjusted everything to the high end of spec. I just turned over 50K and don't plan on looking at the valve clearance again anytime soon.
 
I performed a valve check & mid-to-upper range adjustment at 50K on my C-14. At 75K, Fred Harmon performed a check and found all the intakes were at .006 in (center spec), but all the exhaust valves were at .007 in, which is tight by .002 in.

Fyi, I don't ride it hard; never have redlined. Since I had a subject-matter expert do this recently, I'll be curious to see what they look like at 100K.
 
I would be happy with that, from my findings it will be static for a long while. The initial engine life (20k ish) is the concern, after that life is good.
Ride hard, ride safe!
Cheers eh!
 
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