SuzukiSavage.com - Valve Adjustment Needed?

aebooze

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Valve Adjustment Needed?
11/11/08 at 09:36:00

Ok, so I took a nice ride last weekend from Kingsland, GA down and around Fernandina Beach, FL. Probably out just putzing around for a good 2 1/2 - 3 hours. After riding around for a bit, I noticed then whenever I was going slow enough to really hear the engine and not just the exhaust I could hear a good ticking noise. When I got home I let it idle for a while and same thing. I don't think its anything new, I'm pretty sure its been doing it for a while just never really noticed it. Its an 07 S40 with only about 1000 miles on it.

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Bobbert Serious Thumper Offline CHOP IT Posts: 836 Los Angeles, CA Gender:	Re: Valve Adjustment Needed? Reply #1 - 11/11/08 at 09:38:46 If your speedo isnt rattling (put a hand on it- if it stops then its loose) then you should probably adjust the valves. However its fairly normal to have louder valves after riding for a while
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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Valve Adjustment Needed? Reply #2 - 11/11/08 at 09:39:52 did you do the 600 mile service? If not, adjust the valves. And a little ticking is normal.
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aebooze Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 73 Kingsland, GA Gender:	Re: Valve Adjustment Needed? Reply #3 - 11/11/08 at 09:43:21 Speedo isn't rattling. Didn't do valve check at 600 miles, maybe I need to do it now. Instructions in technical reference part?
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srinath

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Re: Valve Adjustment Needed?
Reply #4 - 11/11/08 at 12:01:19

Idle and just off idle ticking is common on perfectly set valves on many many many bikes ... The short list is ...
GS500, Virago 535/750/1100, GSXR all air oil cooled varieties and many water cooled ones too, SV650/1000, savage, Kawi 500 ninja and vulcan, yamaha maxim and radian, many more ...
Only hydraulic valves or bikes with a lot of sound absorbing material, or specifically designed water jackets to take up the noise are quiet.
Valves beginingto get too loose will make a loud enough noise you'd get annoyed long before it does any real damage.
Valves going tight will first act up as the bike is getting warmed up on cold start ... wanting to stall unless you blip the throttle till it gets hot is the first sign.
I'd be surprised if you see anythign out of normal in yours.
Cool.
Srinath.

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aebooze Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 73 Kingsland, GA Gender:	Re: Valve Adjustment Needed? Reply #5 - 11/11/08 at 14:21:54 Nothing out of the ordinary with the bike, it runs just fine. Thanks for the responses.
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PipJones

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Re: Valve Adjustment Needed?
Reply #6 - 11/11/08 at 16:42:34

srinath wrote on 11/11/08 at 12:01:19:

Idle and just off idle ticking is common on perfectly set valves on many many many bikes ... The short list is ...
GS500, Virago 535/750/1100, GSXR all air oil cooled varieties and many water cooled ones too, SV650/1000, savage, Kawi 500 ninja and vulcan, yamaha maxim and radian, many more ...
Only hydraulic valves or bikes with a lot of sound absorbing material, or specifically designed water jackets to take up the noise are quiet.
Valves beginingto get too loose will make a loud enough noise you'd get annoyed long before it does any real damage.
Valves going tight will first act up as the bike is getting warmed up on cold start ... wanting to stall unless you blip the throttle till it gets hot is the first sign.
I'd be surprised if you see anythign out of normal in yours.
Cool.
Srinath.

valves going tight? what do you mean tight? because my bike is acting up on me while warming up.

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Gargle, sputter, burp and die!!! The ways of my LS650!!!!!

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EssForty

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Re: Valve Adjustment Needed?
Reply #7 - 11/11/08 at 17:37:15

aebooze wrote on 11/11/08 at 09:43:21:

Speedo isn't rattling. Didn't do valve check at 600 miles, maybe I need to do it now. Instructions in technical reference part?

Yes. Instructions are in the tech docs section. Also, you should get yourself a Clymers manual as you'll be getting pretty familiar with the bike over time. The 600 mile check includes valve inspection and adjustment, as well as removing the headcover, retorquing the head nuts. You should also have changed the oil and filter by now. It's pretty easy and a good way to learn about the bike.

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06 S40, Deuce shield, OEM saddlebags & Engine Guard, ENM tach, Sigma 1106 Speedo, oil pressure & voltage gauges, grip puppies, Kuryakyn Ellipse mirrors, ISO pegs & throttle boss

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skrapiron -FSO

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Re: Valve Adjustment Needed?
Reply #8 - 11/12/08 at 05:11:31

Checking the valve clearance is relatively easy. It can be accomplished with basic hand tools and a long feeler gauge.

I always set mine at .004". That way the tappets are dead in the middle of manufacturers spec.

Like the other guys said before, a little valve noise is perfectly normal.

It is a highly mechanical engine. When it is tuned properly, it will sound like and angry sewing machine.

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Everything I say is fully substantiated by my own opinion.

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aebooze Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 73 Kingsland, GA Gender:	Re: Valve Adjustment Needed? Reply #9 - 11/12/08 at 05:13:57 Is there a clymers manual that covers the s40? All the ones I see are for the savage up to '04 I think. I know there isn't that much of a difference, anything major?
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skrapiron -FSO Serious Thumper Offline Instant Human.... Just add coffee.. Posts: 1456 Pittsburgh, Pa Gender:	Re: Valve Adjustment Needed? Reply #10 - 11/12/08 at 05:18:10 Savage, S40. Tomato, Tomatoe. It's the same thing. There will be some slight differences in fastener sizes from year to year, but the bike has basically remained unchanged since 1986.
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srinath

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Re: Valve Adjustment Needed?
Reply #11 - 11/12/08 at 08:33:30

PipJones wrote on 11/11/08 at 16:42:34:

srinath wrote on 11/11/08 at 12:01:19:

Idle and just off idle ticking is common on perfectly set valves on many many many bikes ... The short list is ...
GS500, Virago 535/750/1100, GSXR all air oil cooled varieties and many water cooled ones too, SV650/1000, savage, Kawi 500 ninja and vulcan, yamaha maxim and radian, many more ...
Only hydraulic valves or bikes with a lot of sound absorbing material, or specifically designed water jackets to take up the noise are quiet.
Valves beginingto get too loose will make a loud enough noise you'd get annoyed long before it does any real damage.
Valves going tight will first act up as the bike is getting warmed up on cold start ... wanting to stall unless you blip the throttle till it gets hot is the first sign.
I'd be surprised if you see anythign out of normal in yours.
Cool.
Srinath.

valves going tight? what do you mean tight? because my bike is acting up on me while warming up.

The bike will misfire and want to die upon startup, it will need to have throttle blipped and just want to die till its fully up to temperature.
The valve clearance is near 0 at cold lets say ... what it does is, upon getting fully hot, that 0 clearance increases slightly ... maybe go from 0 to 1 thousandts. The bike will run great if it is at 0, makes no problem for it. It runs well at 1 ... however in the time it takes to warm up, it can get to below 0 (negative implies the vlave is hanging open during the compression combustion cycle - cos it never closes) because the motor does not heat up evenly ... valves, especially exhaust valves get hot a lot faster than the surrounding head. Now valves dissipate heat at the time they are closed ... by transmitting it into the head. A period of time when warming up they will be runnign very hot, and till the head gets hotter valves will be very hot and stay open.
The other thing about setting the clearance nice and big ... the valves sit in the head for that extra few 1000's on each stroke and they will cool better ...
That is the short version of the story ...
Cool.
Srinath.

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