Kawasaki ER5/KLE/EX500 - Episode 67 - Finishing the head

[@memybikeni9931]

Love the katakana used in the thumbnail for "workshop" btw. I read/write and speak a fair bit of Japanese. Not so good on the kanji but recognise, as I'm sure many people do the wavy Iines of the kawa "river" part of Kawasaki (river cape) The wave lines denoting the flow of the river. I do like seeing authentic character sets used by Japanese bike enthusiasts. Kanji being used for the word "kawasaki" as it is a Japanese word and katakana used for "workshop" as it's a foreign or imported word and a completely phonetic character set that's very easy to learn. Nice vid mate...

[@dirtygarageguy]

arigato - spent some time in japan, not nearly enough to read any of it. But like you said I know the difference too. I usually look at it as old school and the new world writing or short hand. I don't fully understand why Kawasaki, Yamaha etc don't use it more often - matt

[@isdeekelis]

sorry if i missed it at some point, but how about adjusting valve clearances?

[@dirtygarageguy]

no you didn't miss it, I did. I recorded that part but its not in the video. I'm not doing the valve clearances until I stick the engine in the frame. Most guys won't have the engine om the bench but in the bike. So I wanna show doing it the way that is the most useful, if you get me. - matt

[@isdeekelis]

Yes, that makes sense.

[@riskromer9773]

So as I turn the crank the resistance is not even, feels like it gets more tight until the point it kinda "skips' or becomes easy to turn again. Did I fuck up the valves?

[@GGGARAJ]

So, what should be adjusting valve clearances? The service manual of ER-5 says: Inlet: 0.13 - 0.18 mm & Exhaust: 0.18 - 0.23 mm ....... I did not figure out what should be right.

[@dirtygarageguy]

Sorry dude I don't get what you mean?

[@GGGARAJ]

I just wonder about adjusting valve clearances. Intake: ? mm & Exhaust: ? mm

[@wildracoon666]

Did you ever finish this?

[@memybikeni9931]

Presume if it's a tooth out its rectified with caps off, tensioner out, move it across a tooth and if it's half a tooth out its a new cam chain needed ?

[@dirtygarageguy]

lol no. A 'tooth' out just means that the camshafts are out of phase by 1 tooth. Rotating the exhaust cam in this example 1 tooth would then mean the cams are in phase. You can't be 1/2 a tooth out. As for needing a chain replacement, most people (as they should) follow the milage guidlines in the manual - which states that; measure a 20 pin length. New chains will measure between127.0 - 127.4mm Service limit is 128.9mm This bike has only done 32,000 miles and the chain should be good for around 50,000 miles, then you measure it. To be honest I'd change it at 50,000.

[@memybikeni9931]

Okay. Not absolutely sure I follow. On a cb500 engine I put back together there are distinct marks on the cam shaft sprockets towards the outer edge that need to line up with the head and however you reposition the chain it doesn't go bang on. I know you can't literally be half a tooth out but it seems to be described as this by all the CB500 guys I've spoken to on that forum, as you can't get them in phase properly. Assumed it was an over stretched chain just not doing its job no matter how tensioned. The engine I rebuilt to a reasonable standard - crank case halves separated, pistons and all shafts/ gearbox entrails out and cleaned up etc, was off of a 55k bike, so wondered if a stretched chain was just too far stretched causing this impossible to phase the cams shafts properly situation.

[@dirtygarageguy]

I get what you mean now, this is why most manuals give you a pin count. This will ensure you have the camshafts correctly timed. As for the marks they are a guide, not high precision. I've done engines that are under 3,000 miles and the lines/marks aren't perfect. With your example then I would say that this is made worse by the amount of chain stretch after 55k.

[@dirtygarageguy]

To add the cam system is never perfect, compression degradation of the springs, maintaining perfect tappet clearances, valve to seat contact, wear on the valve tips, spring seat depth and cam wear to the profile means that the whole system is an approximation. To counter all of these issues, designs are conservative with the valve timing so nothing collides. Valve recesses in piston crowns are there as a fail safe if these tollorences are out of spec. The system has been design that wear will make the valve train more conservative, to ensure a massive failure won't occur.

[@memybikeni9931]

That makes more sense. If I have one exhaust valve and 2 inlet valves between .1 and .05mm too tight, is that a bad thing ?

[@arunasjunevicius533]

Matt do you smear ruber gromits with some lube so that they woud not be torn?

[@dirtygarageguy]

Yes, I use vasaline, should of put that in the video. Will make a comment in the next one - thanks for the comment - matt