400ex Valve adjustment

[jasonmorash1]

Okay I just finshed my first valve adjustment on my bike. When turning the thing counter-clockwise i couldnt tell if the valves where closed or not when it was TDC (indicated by the T). From what i seen online and read in the manual it stated to check the rocker arms for loosness with your fingers. It seemed like it didnt really matter, everytime the T was lined up those arms would have a little bit of play in them. So i picked a time when i thought there was more play and adjusted the clearance with the T lined up. Now when the bike is started cold there is a slight clicking noise, but goes away once its heated up and gets a shot of throttle.

Any advice or recommendations? Anything to worry about. Just wondering if i should strip it down again and re-adjust. Also when doing the adjust and trying to ensure the valves are in the right position for the clearance adjustment, is there any better way to cheak.. I can bearly fit my fingers in there to grab the rocker arms and wiggle.

Thanks for any help/advice you guys can offer me

[NacsMXer]

It sounds like you are doing it the right way. If you line up the T mark, check all the rockers for looseness. If you can feel any sort of slack in them, even if it is a tiny bit, you are in the right spot with the T mark.

In lining up the T mark, what you are trying to do is get the piston to Top Dead Center on the compression stroke. On the compression stroke the valves are not open and there is slack in the rocker arms. There is also a Top Dead Center on the exhaust stroke where you can also line up the T mark (this is what you are trying to avoid). On the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valves are starting to open as the rockers begin to push down on them (there is no slack in the rockers, they will feel tight). Again, as long as you can feel slack in all the rockers you are good.

It wouldn't hurt to go back and recheck the valve clearances if you have a new clicking noise that wasn't there before. If you are using regular straight blade feeler gauges it helps to bend a slight angle near the end of them, it helps it slide in easier due to the awkward angle. If you don't bend them, you will get a false reading since the straight blade will be sort of wedged in there. I just picked up a set of feeler gauges made specially for this from Motion Pro. They are way easier than my old bent straight blade feeler gauges, best $5 i've spent I would highly recommend them.

So go ahead and put the feeler gauges back in and make sure they slide in with a very slight drag. You don't want them so tight that you want to force them in and not so loose that they can go in with no resistance.

Readjust if you have to and post back if you still get the clicking noise you never had before. And here is a link to the Motion Pro tool if you are interested, it makes it way easier: http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/partno/08-0393/

[broke400]

i have a prob. i turned my engine overcounter clock wise an watch the intake valves closes an get to the T and my rockarms have no play. could someone b4 me tighted them so tight that this could happen?? thx in adavance

[NacsMXer]

Originally posted by broke400
i have a prob. i turned my engine overcounter clock wise an watch the intake valves closes an get to the T and my rockarms have no play. could someone b4 me tighted them so tight that this could happen?? thx in adavance

Yes, that is possible. If they are tightened down too far you will have what's called zero lash or no space between the tappet and rocker. After you see the valves open and compress, go another revolution with the motor until you see the T mark again. This will ensure that you are on the correct stroke.