BMW R1250 LH Valve Clearance Service Part 2 of 4

[@RiojaRoj]

Without doubt the best and most professional maintenance vids on YT with someone who clearly has a proper grasp of Engineering. Really entertaining to watch. Big 👍 Up from the UK 🇬🇧

[@Boxflyer11]

Thanks, I hope they help you out with your bike.

[@ivanhoe4766]

These are incredible videos with great clarity of instruction and production, second to none. Thank you

[@Boxflyer11]

They are a pain to make! Much easier to just turn the wrenches and get dirty…that’s what I like best. Thanks

[@saddlsor]

One, two, three. Take away the mystery! I've always enjoyed wrenching and maintaining my own bikes; it adds to the riding experience and gives me confidence that I have a clue what's happening under the covers. I'll add my thanks; much appreciated, and huge props for your clear, focused video and your high-quality audio. Big difference when you take the time to create videos that actually provide value.

[@Boxflyer11]

Thanks, I’m just an enthusiast with a specific interest in maintaining modern Boxer bikes. This last week, I performed 9 Cam Timing and Valve Clearance checks including one R1200 that got all 4 new Cams and 8 Followers. I’m hoping to re-film this same 4 part series for the R1200 WetHead since the previous coverage is a couple of years old.

[@peterston4039]

Thank you! Great education all the way through. Just hoping my shop has watched all of your videos.

[@Boxflyer11]

Me too! My "watch count" seems to fluctuate somewhat when people are trying to go through one of these services step by step.

[@NathansWorkshop]

I can't agree more with the other comments. This is an absolute treasure trove. The clarity and detail of your explanation is exemplary. The few times you explained something that I'd seen before or already understood were still engaging and a joy to watch. I'm Subscribing!

[@Boxflyer11]

Thank you! It's been a cold long winter and I'm planning on a few more instructional videos soon. Things like Brake Caliper service and a Revised 12k Service on the R1250 to include things that either have changed since the original 6 part series in late 2018 or that I have modified since then with my TechDay Sessions.

[@slavetotheroad]

Congratulations on having the best technical videos on KZbin. Myself and my 2022 R1250GS thank you, ride safe.

[@Boxflyer11]

Thank you very much.

[@alangolightly9850]

​@Boxflyer11 do you perform the 12k service for people bring ing bike to you? Where are you located? Great videos!

[@PatrickVandenEynde]

Thank you for the information. may I ask you a question ? Do you have a movie, picture or something like that how the mechanism works in detail? I has tarting problem and I set the axhaust valve to the minimum clearance and now it is good. have you expierience with that problem? It is only on the 1205 shift cam engines, not all of them. Thank you very much.

[@Boxflyer11]

I don’t have a video, that description is as good as I can do. The Decompression mechanism works the same regardless of valve clearance when the valves are within the acceptable range. This exact device is on all WetHead 1200 and ShiftHead 1250 engines and I have never seen a problem with this one in doing almost 160 Cam Timing checks and even more valve clearance checks.

[@TheTrailblazer1974]

Thank you for the great content! How did you become so knowledgeable? Did you work for BMW? Your videos are so precise.

[@Boxflyer11]

@@TheTrailblazer1974 Thanks for the kind words. Never worked as a professional mechanic, but qualified as an A&P FAA mechanic while learning to fly back in the mid ‘70’s. All my references and procedures come from the factory service DVD, with some learned techniques of what works well along the way. On average, I do about 25-30 of these services a year and feel pretty comfortable doing it.

[@TheTrailblazer1974]

@@Boxflyer11do these videos Apply to my 2014 gs1200

[@Boxflyer11]

@ Sorry, but no…I hope to make an updated version of the 6 part series I did a couple of years ago that covers just this service again on the 1200 WetHead…maybe this winter.

[@CRay-yq3nm]

I'm searching for feeler gauges in 0.01 mm graduations; 0.10, 0.11, 0.12, 0.13... for intake, and 0.34, 0.35, 0.36... for exhaust. Seems I can only find 0.05 mm graduations, e.g., 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, etc. I would definitely purchase several sets and cannibalize them to create a custom set of feelers gauges. Can you suggest a good source ? Thank you.

[@Boxflyer11]

I got one set from Amazon and another set from Hornig. The Hornig sets are no longer available anywhere.

[@CRay-yq3nm]

Found a feeler gauge set from McMaster Carr. 0.03, 0.04, 0.05... 0.09, then .010, 0.15, 0.20... 0.40. I will place two gauges together to make needed measurement, e.g., 0.10 plus 0.06 equals 0.16 mm. 0.30 plus 0.08 makes 0.38. Is this acceptable?

[@Boxflyer11]

Yes, be mindful that the intake being such a narrow measurement will make the individual blades very susceptible to bending and kinking. Actually, whatever thin blade is added to the thicker baseline blade will be the caution here. Good luck!

[@CRay-yq3nm]

THANK YOU!

[@catherinedumars7679]

Awesome videos, thanks! Do you still have a video on how to make the DIY Cam Chain Pretensioner?

[@Boxflyer11]

It’s no longer available.

[@catherinedumars7679]

@Boxflyer11 Thanks for replying! I've been scouring the forums on that troublemaker of a topic tensioner, did you ever come up with a kit to sell?

[@LarryPhelps-tg8oj]

Question? When double checking the LH valve clearance I noticed you did not re-tighten the cam chain tensioner before rechecking the valve clearance. does this make any difference? Thanks, Larry

[@Boxflyer11]

It doesn’t make any difference in the readings you get, but I loosen the CCT tool before rotating the engine to reduce the pressure on the cam chain guides.

[@LarryPhelps-tg8oj]

@@Boxflyer11 yes, I know the reason for loosening the tensioner to rotate the engine, but the initial valve clearance check was done with the tensioner loaded to 12 turns. I think I will do the before and after clearance checks with the tensioner loaded and unloaded just to satisfy my curiously. I Purchased the feeler gages you mentioned on a BMW riders post. I have also verified the feeler gages are accurate. Thank you very much for this excellent video.

[@jesuispersonne8747]

Excellent videos. Would it make sense to mark the gears with say a white marker so that when you reassemble it’s easy to line the gears up?

[@Boxflyer11]

If you would like...but the other ends of the cams have the flat surfaces that are "THE" definition of correct location for the cams. The next time you rotate the engine over, who knows where the marks will be relative to the drive gear...the FLATS are always the correct reference.

[@PatrickVandenEynde]

Please can you tell me the function of the mechanism on the exhaust camshaft. I can see it can moves . Thanks in advance

[@Boxflyer11]

It is a compression release mechanism. When the starter is rotating the engine for start, the centrifugal force is not moving the counter weight out and a small, half round pin pushes on the rocker arm of the front exhaust valve. This momentary opening of the exhaust valve reduces the compression in the cylinder and eases the effort required by the starter motor to spin the engine. As soon as the engine RPM gets above approximately 350-370 RPM the engine is probably running on its own, the starter overruns its gears, and the centrifugal force on the weight of the compression release causes the half round pin to rotate so that the flat side of the pin now misses pushing the rocker for the exhaust valve for all engine speeds and normal compression continues.

[@milesdavis8665]

I just noticed something else. That's a lot of oil in there where that connector is. Doesn't the oil eventually break down the plastic on the connector or the servo itself? And what will happen the engine if and when that does happen?

[@Boxflyer11]

Lots of vehicles have electrical wiring within either the engine or transmission that control various valves or solenoids…so it’s been successful for years now. If the shift solenoid for the current 1250 does fail, it will most likely be in the low profile position (since it’s there more of the time) and there will be some degradation of maximum power, but it probably won’t leave you stranded.

[@Karavtech]

Congrats on your video. It is really a treasure!! I have a tack tack tack sound at all gears when I am trying to accelerate fast and is more when is uphill or I have a passenger. This sound is present from day one of the bike. Always appears around 2800-3800 rpm. Seems that swiftcam solenoid try to move cams and I hear metallic sound like pre ignition. I am wondering if this swiftcam trigger is in wrong place could be produce this issue. It is really annoying. My bike is an R1250GSA MY21 with 55.000kms.

[@Boxflyer11]

This comment area is not conducive to troubleshooting issues with particular bikes. Your dealer can give you an idea of what might be the issue since it appears to still be under warranty.

[@Karavtech]

@@Boxflyer11 I know it but you know the reply of the dealers... "All the 1250s do the same.."

[@davidblundell3629]

Hi from the UK. Thank you for your excellent instruction videos. I have a 2020 R1250RT so very applicable. I was just wondering based on your experience with the 1250 whether the valve clearances generally open up or close with use i.e. do the valve sealing faces wear to close up the clearance or does the valve tip / shim / cam base circle wear to increase the clearance? Also, are the tensioners and shift cam solenoids reliable? I have not had any issues as yet but am just curious. Apologies if you have covered this previously as I am new to your channel. Thanks once again for taking the time to do these. Cheers Dave

[@Boxflyer11]

Hi Dave, whether it is the 1200 or 1250 WetHead or ShiftHead, they all seem to open up over time. The Cam Chain Tensioners are not a problem, but get blamed for some noise in the cylinder heads. Lots of the noise in the valve train comes from worn Cam Chain guide rails...mostly on the 1200 WetHead since they have the conventional roller chain that has pressure points from the side plates of the chain that wear grooves in the plastic guide rails. The 1250, with it's new design link chain, distributes the load across the full width of the guide rail and don't seem to have the same problem. The revised Cam Chain Tensioner that are installed on most 2022 and newer 1250's (19mm hex head) are also a retrofit by BMW on some 1250's that folks complain about the noise when idling and with a hot engine. I have made a 5.1mm spacer to do the same thing as the revised CCT and I don't think it's very effective. I'm not in the BMW communication loop about failures of the Shift Solenoid, but have not heard of a single failure...they are momentary actuation solenoids, and rely on precise signaling from the LH Exh Cam Timing Reluctor...so it's important to make sure it is timed correctly. Today, I did number 154 and 155 Cam Timing and Valve clearance checks on 1200/1250 WetHead/ShiftHead engines...number 156 is tomorrow, so I've seen a pretty good sampling of these bikes to date. Enjoy the 1250 RT...wonderful bike!

[@davidblundell3629]

Thanks for your timely comprehensive answer@@Boxflyer11....very much appreciated.

[@VincentSavage-c4u]

Sent in an order form online just now .. # 6 the 5 pc kit . Anyone know where we can find links to download worksheets , torque values sheet etc??? Thank you

[@Boxflyer11]

Click on the links for them.

[@Libertus21M]

When you measure the clearances initially the Cam Tensioner was engaged, but when measured post the Cam Tensioner was not engaged, shouldn't it be engaging to get comparative readings?

[@Boxflyer11]

The "base circle" of the camshaft is very large...sometimes around 180deg, so the clearance values will be pretty accurate throughout that entire range. Because the base circle of each exhaust and intake cams are moving away from each other due to "lobe separation" the duration of both cams being on the base circle is usually around 110deg where the clearance will be representative of the values you need to record. The reason I show the initial clearance recorded with the CCT in place is just for convenience after the Cam Timing. The CCT tension is released after you do any changing of shims and the benefits of rotating the engine 1 complete revolution to get valid new readings, and the pressure exerted on the Cam chain followers/guides is way too much as compared running pressures on those components mentioned.

[@Libertus21M]

@@Boxflyer11 Thank you for the response, greatly appreciate you sharing this information. Yesterday a friend and I completed the timing and valve clearance check on my 2019 R1250RT, the timing was out slightly on the intake cams and the valve clearances were very close to your recommendation. Thank you!

[@NathanTBlack]

Does the CCT tool used when timing the cams have to be used when checking valve clearances?

[@Boxflyer11]

No, you can visually align the flats on the ends of the cams to be on the base circle of the cams...plenty of tolerance for getting valid clearance measurements.

[@rickmcleod3157]

How did you set up the position of the shaft prior to checking clearances?

[@Boxflyer11]

I assume you are asking about getting the Cams on the base circle. You don't have to have a TDC locking pin, but that's what I use to make it easy to get either the LH or RH cylinder at TDC, and therefore have the valves on one or the other cylinder in the correct position for the clearance check. You can also just get the flats on the ends of the cams parallel to the machined face of the head and that will be on the base circle close enough to check clearances...provided that the laser etched marks are oriented as I describe in the video.

[@1300rgsx2004]

Thank you man your work sheet❤

[@Boxflyer11]

No problem 👍

[@Boxer1250RT]

What if you did not do this work? How would that effect the performance?

[@Boxflyer11]

We’ll, it’s similar to asking about not doing any similar routine maintenance. The Valve clearance is called for on the 12k service sheet, and the Cam timing is not. That being said, I feel that the Cam Timing check “should” be done around 12k miles and probably won’t change for the life of the bike. It can be significant in improving how the engine runs on WetHead or ShiftHead bikes.

[@Boxer1250RT]

@@Boxflyer11 Thank you the explanation!

[@AdmiralDenny]

Incredibly outstanding video and very professional work ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@Boxflyer11]

Glad you liked these, I have a passion for working on these bikes!

[@AdmiralDenny]

@@Boxflyer11 I have a new 2021 R1250RT and while I won’t need to look at the valve adjustment until 6,000 miles, your video is indispensable in going through the steps. You really did a wonderful job in your commentary and pointing out and filming each individual step. I can only imagine what my BMW dealer would charge for this. Thanks so much!

[@Boxflyer11]

You can look at the valve clearances earlier than the first 12k (miles), but I strongly recommend NOT changing anything unless it is out of spec. I have found that the engine valve train needs around 10k (miles) to have all the many moving parts wear in properly. If you change all the shims to try to hit my target values of 0.12mm and 0.36m for intake and exhaust, that those values may change by 12k and you will probably need to do it all again.

[@AdmiralDenny]

@@Boxflyer11 Thanks! So, is 6k miles too soon, or is it best to at least take a look at them to see if they’re still in spec? Also, are you in the US? Where are you located?

[@Boxflyer11]

I'm in Rhode Island. I'll be glad to help you with your 12k service. Keep an eye on what I'm doing on the BMWSportTouring.com site to see when I may be doing Tech Days. I'm already doing about 4 days of this kind of work at the START (Spring Tune-up Appalachian Riding Tour) put on by our forum. Feel free to contact me there for more details.

[@m.f.m.67]

You must have another two hands you're not letting us see! I've just about decided the next time I have to do this; I'm going to lean the bike onto the opposite cylinder and crash bar, and work on the now "vertical" cylinder. This way I won't be fighting gravity as much! Cams falling out, shims falling out, finger followers dropping down, on and on. And as a plus, not as much oil will drip out. Either that or buy a Harley Pan America! 🤣

[@Boxflyer11]

"The GREAT OZ has spoken!....Pay NO attention to that man behind the curtain!!!"

[@rumien1383]

Looks way beyond my capabilities. 😢

[@Boxflyer11]

@@rumien1383 Where do you live…I may be able to do this for you.

[@rumien1383]

@@Boxflyer11 Ireland, but I know a local mechanic. 👍