valve shims

[overboost07]

ok a while back i went to check and adjust my valves only to find out it has shims. well i took black_peters advice and switched some of them around (some werent worn hardly at all and some were close to the limits). was wondering what would be the best place to buy shims?

[scottynoface]

Not sure, as I'm in the same boat this winter. How much hassle was it to do it yourself? Shim under bucket valvetrain here.

[overboost07]

sorry scooty just ow seen your post, it wasnt too bad definetly doable. ive never messed with valves before and it wasnt bad for me, im sure you could it with no problem.

well i looked around a bit and finally found some. http://www.procycle.us/hotcams/valve_shims.htm
question is can you put new shims in or have to get some that matches how much the engine is worn?

[overboost07]

[scottynoface]

I believe I remember BP saying that he mixes and matches old shims and new shims depending on how much it needs...I found a Kawi OEM shim kit on eBay for $80, not looking forward to buying it.

[steves]

I've seen master shim kits for sale...

But your best bet will be to call the local dealer and see if they'll trade you the shims you have for the shims you need.

I can't remember what I did with the ones I had... I think they went in the trash or I gave them away.

[jdm5770]

I called my local bike dealer, and they told me that I could order shims for my TL from autozone or a similar parts store...is this correct? It didn't seem right to me, but they swore up and down I could and that way I would only have to buy the ones I needed, not a whole kit...thoughts?

[scottynoface]

I called my local bike dealer, and they told me that I could order shims for my TL from autozone or a similar parts store...is this correct? It didn't seem right to me, but they swore up and down I could and that way I would only have to buy the ones I needed, not a whole kit...thoughts?

Really? I'll stop at the autozone out here and see what they have to say...

[ATOMonkey]

I called my local bike dealer, and they told me that I could order shims for my TL from autozone or a similar parts store...is this correct? It didn't seem right to me, but they swore up and down I could and that way I would only have to buy the ones I needed, not a whole kit...thoughts?

I think this parts counter guy has confused lash caps with spring shims.

[tmk7c9]

Go to your local dealer. As far as I know, that's the only place you can get them aside from the internet.

Even if autozone had some sort of shims, they probably wouldn't have the diameter you needed. They come in a few different sizes.

To answer a few questions:

1.) used shims can be reused again, no problem. they need to be measured first though...and I measure new shims anyways just for peace of mind. Chances are after being used, it isn't quite as thick as it was when it was new. Make sure there aren't any crazy wear patterns or excessive heat marks on the old shims. If they're blue or something wierd, throw them out.

2.) Shim over bucket (kat) and shim under bucket (zx6r) are pretty different. The Kat can be done by simply sliding the follower over and using a magnet to pluck out the shim. Shim under bucket requires removal of the cams to replace the shims. It's kind of a pain, but once you get the valve cover off, the cams are really just one more step. Not a huge deal.

Good news is, most of the Kawi guys I know haven't needed any adjustments. The shim under bucket is a lot longer wearing than the over-bucket designs. My 10R checked out fine when I checked them at 12K miles.

[overboost07]

cheapest set i found was $65 on ebay for a few different sizes.

[scottynoface]

Good news is, most of the Kawi guys I know haven't needed any adjustments. The shim under bucket is a lot longer wearing than the over-bucket designs. My 10R checked out fine when I checked them at 12K miles.

I've heard about the same, a lot of guys say they got about 20k miles before they checked and only one or two would be out of spec. I've got around 13k on mine now.

[ottoguy]

I just did the valves on kat a month or so ago. It was pretty easy and didn't need to buy any shims. I was able to swap 2 of them around and got it all in spec. I only had one valve that was too tight. I would say take it apart and see if you can't swap things before you go spending money.

I had never done shim type valves before, and found them to be pretty easy after doing the first one.