Valve clearance spannering difficulty ?

[Deleted account 210604001]

Hi all, found a 2011 R1200RT MU that I quite fancy, but I understand that valve adjustment intervals are every 6K. Having just had my valve clearances done on my ducati and being relieved of a huge chunk of cash I just wanted to check how straightforward they are to check on the MU hexhead. (I may need to get the dealer to do them for the 24month warranty which I dont mind, but would then do them myself).

I assume no bodywork removed, just pull the valve covers and away you go ?

The ducati ends up in two separate pieces as the engine is a stressed member, so 11hours labour is the target, hence quite expensive.

Be interested in what peoples experiences are, cant imagine the GS is any different to the RT from a valve clearance perspective.

RBW.

 

[fizzer]

if its any conciliation my 2011 gs twin cam has the same engine as yours,i checked my valve gaps the other week and mine were well within tolerance and it got 29500 miles on it

 

[Deleted account 210604001]

Thats good to know fizzer, was it quite straightforward to check them ? (are you closer to a mechanic or the opposite end of the spectrum like me (monkey with a spanner)).

if its any conciliation my 2011 gs twin cam has the same engine as yours,i checked my valve gaps the other week and mine were well within tolerance and it got 29500 miles on it

 

[Alan R]

Easy to do if you can measure gaps with feeler gauges;remove/fit circlips without pinging them across the workshop; measure semi spheres shims with a micrometer; add/subtract decimals and be confident when swapping or replacing semi sphere shims to achieve the correct clearances.
The beauty of the twin cam heads is that it's all right in front of your face with unrestricted access.
It is easier to do than writing this list.
Alan R

 

[Deleted account 210604001]

Awesome, I think I can manage that

Thanks

RBW.

*edited* Oh apart from pinging the circlips across the workshop, I'd definitely manage that .

Easy to do if you can measure gaps with feeler gauges;remove/fit circlips without pinging them across the workshop; measure semi spheres shims with a micrometer; add/subtract decimals and be confident when swapping or replacing semi sphere shims to achieve the correct clearances.
The beauty of the twin cam heads is that it's all right in front of your face with unrestricted access.
It is easier to do than writing this list.
Alan R

 

[spm0912]

50k miles on my TC and the valve clearance has been the same every time I've checked them from 6k miles. When I rang the local dealer about exchange shims (just in case I needed to change them) he said they don't stock them because they hardly ever use any. Read into that what you will....

 

[Deleted account 210604001]

That is interesting, right if its one owner, and rides ok, its mine .

RBW.

50k miles on my TC and the valve clearance has been the same every time I've checked them from 6k miles. When I rang the local dealer about exchange shims (just in case I needed to change them) he said they don't stock them because they hardly ever use any. Read into that what you will....

 

[fizzer]

just do it when its stone cold .stood overnight

 

[rovert57]

That remark about doing them cold struck me as when i went to book my tc in for the 24000 mile service i asked if i could dropmit off the night before so the engine would be stone cold , the mech did not seem to be worried about that which suggests that they did'nt expect them to need changing . As a afterthought the clearences on my blackbird had not changed after 40000mls either

Sent from my SM-G357FZ using Tapatalk

 

[Lord Snooty]

Had mine checked at 24k miles this year and they were all in tolerance - BMW seems to have got this design correct as they don't appear to shift at all.

 

[UturnTony]

As Steve SPM says. I have checked mine from 20K (now 48K or so) and they have always been much the same.
I will say though that the gaps are all over the place and the engine would probably run sweeter if they were all mid
tolerance and all the inlets were the same measurement and all the exhaust ditto but not worth the bother i suppose.

 

[Kenny Rodkiss]

How to do it, with pictures.
https://sanjosebmw.smugmug.com/Other/Tech-pictures/

 

[Deleted account 210604001]

Bookmarked thanks Kenny.


RBW.

 

[Smug]

How to do it, with pictures.
https://sanjosebmw.smugmug.com/Other/Tech-pictures/

Not sure that I would be sticking the shim in with grease. What is wrong with engine oil?

 

[Deleted account 210604001]

Looking at those pics has raised a (probably simple) question, how do you line up the engine timing marks ?

RBW

 

[Bendy toy]

Top dead centre after inlet valve closes is the firing point when both are shut. Watch the valves and use a dowel down primary spark plug hole.
You should be able to see the cam lobes are both out away from valve lifters.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MattW]

Well a main dealer technician managed to drop a shim while doing mine. This shim ended up behind a camshaft necessitating the removal of both cams, reassembly and retiming the cams and doing all the clearances again.

Whatever you do, it'll probably work out better than that!

 

[stanley]

Timing marks are on the cams. Iirc, they line up at tdc

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[Bendy toy]

I did the shims on a Yamaha 8 valve. Getting them out was easy. Getting them in again was a real struggle. The magnet probe thingy got well used that day fishing the shims out to try again.

 

[jwpzx9r]

Hi all, found a 2011 R1200RT MU that I quite fancy, but I understand that valve adjustment intervals are every 6K. Having just had my valve clearances done on my ducati and being relieved of a huge chunk of cash I just wanted to check how straightforward they are to check on the MU hexhead. (I may need to get the dealer to do them for the 24month warranty which I dont mind, but would then do them myself).

I assume no bodywork removed, just pull the valve covers and away you go ?

The ducati ends up in two separate pieces as the engine is a stressed member, so 11hours labour is the target, hence quite expensive.

Be interested in what peoples experiences are, cant imagine the GS is any different to the RT from a valve clearance perspective.

RBW.

Please tell me you are kidding that it is an eleven hour job for setting the valve gear on a Ducati . I have been on the Ducati Glasgow website and to be honest although expensive it does not sound like its an 11 hour job

http://www.ducatiglasgow.co.uk/servicing/new_model_servicing_plans/service_plan_n4