DIY tappet adjustment..

Marty

Marty

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roundabouts!
...right I'm on 16k miles and can't wait until the 18k service to get this 'little job' done. The dealer reckoned that another few thousand miles with them out of adjustment wouldn't do them any harm - but I remain unconvinced.

I'm of the school that 'mechanical type noises mean wear and tear somewhere', and small wear and tear becomes big wear and tear if left unchecked for too long. Correct me if I'm wrong here! So what damage could tappet noise lead to?

Secondly anyone know where I can access an 'Idiot's guide' to adjustment for the sometimes over eager home mechanic?

Have done a search...but would like to know the following

Tools needed
What needs to be removed/drained
Location of the inlet vs. outlet valves
How exactly the gap is adjusted..and what it should be
Approx time to do job

Model of bike 1150 GS pre-twin spark

Thank ye wise ones:bow :bow :bow
 
just what sort of "mechanical type noises" is it making that make you think the tappets need adjusting between servicing? :confused:
 
As an engineer, the 'don't know what I'm doing, but I'll F*CK about with it anyway' will always result in tears before bedtime. If you are having to ask these questions, you may be far safer to listen to your subject matter expert and don't take the risk of screwing things up.
 
I'm of the school that 'mechanical type noises mean wear and tear somewhere', and small wear and tear becomes big wear and tear if left unchecked for too long. Correct me if I'm wrong here! So what damage could tappet noise lead to?

If you apply that mechanical rattle theory to your 1150...... well you'll be fiddleing with it constantly, do as the man says dont wooorry just ride it. In the mean time brush up your diy skills by searching the techi threads and get yourself a manual and do some reading up on the subjects, it's not rocket science honest.:thumb2
 
Grahame said:
As an engineer, the 'don't know what I'm doing, but I'll F*CK about with it anyway' will always result in tears before bedtime. If you are having to ask these questions, you may be far safer to listen to your subject matter expert and don't take the risk of screwing things up.
Click to expand...

Seconded .

northengit said:
I'm of the school that 'mechanical type noises mean wear and tear somewhere', and small wear and tear becomes big wear and tear if left unchecked for too long. Correct me if I'm wrong here! So what damage could tappet noise lead to?
Click to expand...

It's not noisy tappets that you really need to worry about - it's when they go extremely quiet that the real damage occurs :eek:
 
all the times i've heard people worrying about noisy tappets, it's never been the tappets :augie
 
Fer fecks sake don't do it unless you have at least some experience of this kind of work and a proper toolkit otherwise you'll be stripping threads, rounding off nuts and generally causing yourself a heap of expensive trouble! :(
On the other hand if you do know what yer doing it's a piece of cake :thumb2
 
I appreciate the sentiment...but

Grahame said:
As an engineer, the 'don't know what I'm doing, but I'll F*CK about with it anyway' will always result in tears before bedtime. If you are having to ask these questions, you may be far safer to listen to your subject matter expert and don't take the risk of screwing things up.
Click to expand...

perhaps I'm being a little modest (read cautious)

...I've managed to wire in a micro switch and fit some Hella Micro DE's on the GS before...;)

..and when I worked on the Overland trips in Africa...me and another driver managed a complete rebuild of a 1820 Merc truck engine.:thumb

..we even came up with a bit of a clever solution to replacing a rear broken leaf spring in the sand down in Malawi (with no ramps, hydraulic lifts or workshop luxuries to hand):clap

I even remember putting a 180cc big bore kit onto my Vespa 125 a fair few years back.!!!!!!!!!!!..now that did end in tears...reason being I forgot to run it in with richer 2 stroke mixture and it seized :o

but heh this was a fair few years ago, so I'm a bit rusty, don't profess to be a mechanic by trade, although come to think about it I did get an engineering diploma back then too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


As for Neil's pictoral guide...very tasty and self explanatory...much appreciated....even I could follow it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

as for the noise; it's what I would describe as a light ticking type noise that is virtually non-existant at tickover, then progressively becomes more discernible between 1500-4000 revs, and is quite audible when not wearing ear plugs or passing between solid structures ie. walls etc. Beyond 4000rpm either helmet noise or the frequency of the tick makes it disappear. When I've put a screwdriver to the head before (while stationary!) and had a listen the sound does appear to be pronounced in that area. what else might it be? I know the old girls rattle a bit, I've had 'em before, but this is unusual to what I've known before.:confused:
 
"A rattly tappet is a happy tappet". As oft quoted by my old mate Eric Krahe, sadly departed BMW engineer extraordinaire.

You actually WANT some tappet noise. If it's too quiet, they're probably set tight.
 
Too tight is naughty, little extra clearance much preferred. Leave it till its serviced. Maybe ask the nice Engineer to let you watch him doing the adjustment.
 
as for the noise; it's what I would describe as a light ticking type noise that is virtually non-existant at tickover, then progressively becomes more discernible between 1500-4000 revs, and is quite audible when not wearing ear plugs or passing between solid structures ie. walls etc. Beyond 4000rpm either helmet noise or the frequency of the tick makes it disappear. When I've put a screwdriver to the head before (while stationary!) and had a listen the sound does appear to be pronounced in that area. what else might it be?

cam chain tensioner ?
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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