Jump to content
IGNORED

Valve Adjustment -- I got stood up


bwr

Recommended Posts

'04 R1150RS bought last Spring with 12K on it. Apparently it had just been serviced.

 

I Didn't get around to adjusting the valves until 21K, when only some very slight adjustment was necessary.

 

I've got 30K on it now and checked the valves yesterday. They're still dead perfectly in spec (even by the anal standards outlined in "Oilhead Valve Adjusments for Dummies.")

 

Methinks oilhead valves probably don't need attention every 6K once the engine is broken in. thumbsup.gif

Link to comment
Methinks oilhead valves probably don't need attention every 6K once the engine is broken in.
No, certainly not. In fact I bet oilhead valves would still be within the tolerance specified for shim-based adjustment systems even at the typical 24k mile interval for bikes so equipped. The difference of course being that when it does become necessary to adjust the clearance it is a trivially easy operation on the oilheads vs. having to remove the cams and obtain special shims as on most other bikes.

 

So much for those 'high maintenance' BMWs... wink.gif

Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd

My experience, about 200K on oilheads over the last 13 or so years, is similar. Certainly they need the adjustment after the head re-torque at the 600 and both the 6K and 12K intervals might show the need after things have seated in a bit. Once there, things just seem to settle in and stay there.

 

That wiggly thingy at the end of the rocker serves to keep the sliding wear on the valve stem and rocker face to a minimum, cam and lifter wear seems minimal and valve seat recession is a thing of the past thanks to improvements in metallurgy. Of course, the same is true of the more complex systems. Factory intervals for valve clearance check on my Blackbird are 16K miles and many go 32 or even 48K without needing any adjustment.

Link to comment

When I bought my RT the tech at the dealership gave me a really thorough checkout on the bike and one of the things he told me was that after about 12000 miles the valves would probable need very little adjustment. The last two times I have checked the valves were very close to tolerance.

Link to comment

That is why the service sheets call for the valve clearances to be checked, not adjusted, every 6K. After all with the heads sticking out the sides and reuseable gaskets it is a trivial job to check them.

 

Andy

Link to comment

Note that North American driving conditions (speeds) are very "relaxed" compared to Europe. How often can you cruise at 100 mph for hours ?

BMW's service requirements based on European conditions that are way more severe. That may explain the 'excessive" requirements.

No doubt there is a $$ aspect to it also.

Link to comment
Steve_Witmer

I did my first valve adjustment on my 1100RT several months ago (w/ about 78,000 miles on the bike, previous adjustment done by the dealer), and found they had tightened up so much that there was barely any discernable free movement from the rocker arm of the cylinder at TDC. There was no way the feeler gauges were sliding into the gap at any of the valves.

 

Once properly adjusted the bike ran noticeably better, so don't omit the check at 6,000 mile intervals just because the bike is past break-in.

Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday
I did my first valve adjustment on my 1100RT several months ago (w/ about 78,000 miles on the bike, previous adjustment done by the dealer), and found they had tightened up so much that there was barely any discernable free movement from the rocker arm of the cylinder at TDC. There was no way the feeler gauges were sliding into the gap at any of the valves.

 

Once properly adjusted the bike ran noticeably better, so don't omit the check at 6,000 mile intervals just because the bike is past break-in.

 

Possibly the dealer wasn't doing them? Or used the wrong feeler gauges? Or did a sloppy job? Hard to say for certain that they were properly adjusted at the last service, unless you inspected them yourself at that point.

 

With 78K on the clock, they certainly shouldn't be moving much at all. I've got 118K now, and although I check mine every 6K, it's been a long time since I actually adjusted them.

Link to comment
Steve_Witmer
Possibly the dealer wasn't doing them? Or used the wrong feeler gauges? Or did a sloppy job? Hard to say for certain that they were properly adjusted at the last service, unless you inspected them yourself at that point.

 

With 78K on the clock, they certainly shouldn't be moving much at all. I've got 118K now, and although I check mine every 6K, it's been a long time since I actually adjusted them.

 

You could be right, Mitch, although my experience with the dealer gives me reason to have confidence in their work (and the bike ran noticeably better after they last serviced it).

 

I simply suggest that high mileage is no reason not to check every 6,000 miles.

Link to comment
Note that North American driving conditions (speeds) are very "relaxed" compared to Europe. How often can you cruise at 100 mph for hours ?

Valves in a motor have no idea how fast you are going. They mainly sense RPM (or more accurately, the number of actuations per minute). Riding in town in a lower gear at 4000 RPM subjects the valve train to much the same stress as riding at a higher speed in a higher gear at 4000 RPM.

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...