Changing valve springs - DONE!!

[Dan85]

Hi everyone,

My new springs, retainers, keepers and seals have arrived and im now getting ready start in the next few weeks. i have some questions i hope i can have answered.

1)I plan on doing this with the motor still in the bike, does this pose any problems?

2)being my first time doing something like this is there a way i can take the cams out without having to re-time so to speak? eg marking the rotation etc on cam and head so i can simply realign it all when i put it back in?

3)If i do have to adjust the time etc do i need a degree wheel?

4)Do i need any special tools other than a valve spring compressor and torque wrench? i have all the normal spanners, 3/4 and 1/4 inch socket sets allen keys etc.

5)if any of you tech heads enjoy being fed and plied with alcohol does anyone want to come help?

Thanks guys I know this is probably a big first time job alone but id much rather do it so i can get to know the inside of my bike.

[Shifu]

Good on you Dan for taking the plunge and doing it yourself. Nothing beats the satisfaction of having intimate knowledge of your machine. There is a video on youtube on valves adjustment and from the memory you can do this without taking the engine out of the frame. However I am not sure if you can take the head off while in the frame. (I am assuming you would need to do it to change the springs, seals etc. as somehow you will need to support the valves from underneath.) Worth finding it. Asto the tools the workshop manual can help. Just check if there any special tools are necessary for it. Good luck and post some pics for us

[Dan85]

Hey shifu to hold the valves up you use a compressor with an attachment that screws in the spark plug hole and the compressed air holds the valve in place.......hopefully.

[Camel]

Hi Dan,

guts effort mate! I'm doing two Gen II heads at the moment, fitted new guides to one head, now putting them back together. It's not a simple job.

Hi everyone,
My new springs, retainers, keepers and seals have arrived and im now getting ready start in the next few weeks. i have some questions i hope i can have answered.

1)I plan on doing this with the motor still in the bike, does this pose any problems?

Unless you have some tool I haven't seen before I can't imagine fitting new valve springs without removing the engine from the chassis and the head from the engine.

2)being my first time doing something like this is there a way i can take the cams out without having to re-time so to speak? eg marking the rotation etc on cam and head so i can simply realign it all when i put it back in?

You can use zip ties to keep the chain on the cams, but the cams are still going to be in the way if your swapping out valve springs.

3)If i do have to adjust the time etc do i need a degree wheel?

Nope. It's pretty straight forward on the Busa.

4)Do i need any special tools other than a valve spring compressor and torque wrench? i have all the normal spanners, 3/4 and 1/4 inch socket sets allen keys etc.

What sort of valve spring compressor? You need to make really sure it doesn't damage the walls of the bucket bore, i.e. the walls the overbucket slides up and down against. I use a thin tube of nylon to protect the bore. I use seal picks and a magnet to get the keepers out and the seal pick again to get the valve stem seal out. (Again be very careful not to damage the bucket bore.)

5)if any of you tech heads enjoy being fed and plied with alcohol does anyone want to come help?

Two engines to reassemble pronto plus a house full of screaming billy-lids and a job that takes up more and more of my time? I'd love to help but....

Thanks guys I know this is probably a big first time job alone but id much rather do it so i can get to know the inside of my bike.

There's easier ways! Ahem, why are you changing the valve springs?

Camel

[Dan85]

Hey camel I'm using http://www.amprotools.net/Product_List.a...&mode=show

If I use zip ties to keep chain/cam together can they be manouvered around enough to get all the springs out or am I better off just taking the cams out?

In terms of damaging bucket bore I was going to wrap the spring compressor in a few layers of tape to keep it all shiny. For the keepers I have magnetic tipped extender tool thing and some small picks for the seals.

What easier ways? I know I could pay someone but I bought all these new tools and have to justify buying them to the missus somehow. Re why I'm changing springs it's more just a may aswell while I'm in there type of thing. It's got .388 ex cam in it and it dishes out the bucket over time. After talking to a few people it seems with stock guides or stock retainers the whole thing binds up(just) on the seals. So I have bought some of the titanium ape retainers which are slightly thinner than stock and I believe there is one or two seals leaking as I get a small amount of smoke on start up but no smoke after 20-30 seconds . So I figured given I have to take springs, retainers, keepers and seals off I may aswell put shiny new back in.only thing I don't wanna f*** with is the guides.


Oh and re: work I hear you! I'm missing my rdo Friday for training and there's no appropriate time for months to take it off. I had started to bring work home from headland with me but I have since ditched that idea and decided people can just wait.

[simmo]

You can pull the head of while its in the frame done it a couple of times now then you can give the top end a clean up at the same time & check all the valve seats, Never tried changing the springs with the head still on, what if you drop a valve down ?? how do you hold the valve up if its down the spark plug hole be careful of the spark plug thread, as for timing mark everything before you pull it apart TWICE

[pete]

hi dan,
the method your refering to works well
on car engines where the valve sits on top of the head,
but the valves on these bikes are recessed and would
be much easier to take the head off, you can also
check the valves for leakage while the heads off.

simmo, you can attach an air line to the spark plug hole
with both valves closed itl hold the valve up, ive done this a
few times with car engines, but wouldnt attempt it on a bike.

[Dan85]

Now that im taking the head off i may aswell just send it to someone and put in a 2mil stroker crank kit in it aswell as fixing up the head. hahaha

[Axe]

I hear you with no time and to much work.

always the way.

anyways if I'm free when your doing the work, I'm happy as to come and help out.
if your missing any tools im sure i'll have it !

so if you need, i'm keen.


Ash

[Dan85]

Hey ash if your keen let me know if you have any free weekends coming up and we can work out one that suits and ill put the beer on ice and get the BBQ going. Happy to have a few others around aswell maybe?

[Axe]

could prob make most sundays work?

[Dan85]

Sundays work for me aswell as i do a 5/2/4/3 roster so home every weekend. Any preference? Ill ask the boss and make sure we dont have anything on otherwise if i make a conflicting plan with someone thing she has organised I wont be allowed to come out and play.

[Dan85]

ok so this is how it currently stands. Throttle bodies are off, radiator/exhaust is off, tank is off. thanking my lucky starts ive got training in perth a couple days this week so i will be home every night this week which is novel. This will give me time to hopefully pull the head off and make a start at changing it all over. I will take a few pics here and there along the way so hopefully people can learn from my fuckups its a bit confronting digging this far into the bike but i figure if i take it slow watch plenty of youtube and occasionally look at the service manual during beer breaks i should be ok Pictures are shit house sorry but im better at painting than i am at photography and my art work SUCKS!
   
   

Simmo: any tips for getting the head out without removing engine? or is it easy enough to get out?

[Maj]

its an either/or,
working on the motor is easier with it out
and you will not save a lot of time leaving it in

but, if you do it in frame, and not necessarily in order
the 2 front corner head bolts cannot be fully removed in frame, have a couple of pegs on hand to hold them up while you lift and tilt the head to make them accessable and remove them
bolt on the timing chain side of the head is accessable once the head is above the frame , once its out you can drop the timing chain and remove the head
take a close look at the timing marks on the cams at tdc before you remove the cams , take a pic with your phone if it helps
as the exhaust cam is often at that point where you can't quite decide if it should be this tooth ot that tooth when you reassemble

[simmo]

its an either/or,
working on the motor is easier with it out
and you will not save a lot of time leaving it in
but, if you do it in frame, and not necessarily in order
the 2 front corner head bolts cannot be fully removed in frame, have a couple of pegs on hand to hold them up while you lift and tilt the head to make them accessable and remove them
bolt on the timing chain side of the head is accessable once the head is above the frame , once its out you can drop the timing chain and remove the head
take a close look at the timing marks on the cams at tdc before you remove the cams , take a pic with your phone if it helps
as the exhaust cam is often at that point where you can't quite decide if it should be this tooth ot that tooth when you reassemble

As Maj said, the front out side bolts are pricks to get back in inside the head get a offsider to help you bit by bit so you don't damage the new head gadget when your putting it back together,