Valve shim kit

[Dads_FJ]

On another (old) FJ forum there used to be a 'valve adjustment kit' the members shared.  It was a plastic box with all sorts of shims and a valve tool holder-downer.  You would exchange the shims you needed with your used ones and hang on to the kit until the next person needed it and ship it to them.  I thought it was a cool idea, however I have no idea where the kit is now!  Anyway, does this list have anything like that (my search showed nothing).  Is there interest now?  We could have it available to only people who contributed $$ to this site, or work some sort of refundable deposit etc...  Thoughts?

[tmkaos]

I'm in.
I will very shortly be needing a valve tool myself, and I have already purchased a Shim kit that's had a few taken out of it. Once I've gone through and done what I need to, i'd be happy to donate the leftover shims as a starter for the kit. I'm in NZ but hey, Fed-Ex is everywhere, right? 

James

[racerrad8]

Ill chime in on this and give you my previous experience.

Way back when I first got started with the FJ, I had a shim kit that I loaned to fellow racers for use with the premise as explained.

I invested my money to buy the tool, built a kit with shims I had amassed from building my first few engines & doing valve adjustments.

Well, since the FJ is always closing the lash, the shims have to keep getting smaller & smaller and someone has to start buying them as they are removing larger ones. Then you end up with a bunch of 275, 278, 280, 282, 285, etc. So, now you have a bunch of shims going around that no one can use.

Then I found that guys were changing shims, keeping a few for later and my shim count kept dropping.

The the final nail in the coffin for my shim kit exchange days was the damage to the tool. The tool can be damaged a couple of ways.

#1) Inadvertently turning the lobe into the tool. This bends & distorts the tool and it will no longer hold down both valves at the same time. I have tried unsuccessfully to repair the tool but it is a hardened piece of metal and the bend occurs in the radius and you just cannot match it again.

2) Or the tool is not properly seated against the bucket and the bucket pops up when the cam is turned away. This rounds of the critical edge of the tool to keep the bucket down to replace the shim.

So, after replacing & adding new shims and damage to three separate tools, I stopped loaning out my kit. Even if someone today asks me to borrow my kit and they will buy the shims they use I tell them, no. I am the only one who uses my shim tool and it will last me for several years before it has enough wear that I need to replace it and I adjust a lot of valve annually.

They either pay me to adjust their valves for them or the buy the tool themselves. They have it forever and the current availability of aftermarket shims with the lower cost the O.E. Yamaha shims make it a wise investment for the future. Sure you will end up with a bunch of shims you will never use again, but they bring a pretty penny on eBay.

I wish I could help, but the cost of keeping the kit going to too much for my blood. If someone wants me to build a kit, I will throw in some used shims that I have way too many of to get it started.

Randy - RPM

[Dads_FJ]

Thanks for the input Randy, your experience weighs in a lot!

James, a generous offer indeed!  We'll see where this goes, if anywhere.  If nothing else I think it's good discussion.

[giantkiller]

My yamaha dealer will exchange the shims for free. You measure, and find out what you need. they give you those and you bring the old ones back. I was going to buy the ones I needed, and the parts guy says "oh we usually just exchange them for the guys"

[Pat Conlon]

My dad had a saying spray painted on his tool box:

I would rather lend you my dog than my tools... At least my dog knows how to find his way home....

[movenon]

My Yamaha dealer here will also trade shims for free if he has the value that I need. So far they have been 100%. If you contact your dealer I would recommend that you go to the service department not the parts counter. The parts department has a different agenda with you. It's not unusual here for a parts guys getting a small commission on his or her sales so guess what . Also try Honda and other shops. If you want to buy a shim, the service department will usually sell you a used one at a reduced price. There are other bikes that have also used the same diameter of shims. Take a shim in with you so the service manager or service rep can use it as a guide, making it easier for him to locate without pestering the mechanic. Also it wouldn't hurt to measure the shim and make sure it is in or close to spec's. Harbor Freight has a cheap digital gage if you are inclined to go that way. Look for one of those 20% off coupons in about every guy magazine out there.

[FeralJuggernaut]

What I know from the 'old kit'....   I traced it to Ohio and the guys name, which I have since forgotten.   I did my cyber-snooping on him trying to track down the next lead, but it turned up that his house went into foreclosure and a nobody on the old list had any contacts.      I'm in again if the kit goes around again.  Perhaps after my top-end rebuild I'll have some spares for the kit too.   I'll have to go find my old info on how to make up a diy Holder-Downer Tool (tm).   I think if we do it, it should have an 'owner' of the kit and not a forward it on so it is a little bit more traceable.   I might even suggest we put a 'rally attendee' requirement on it. 

I've tried a local M/C shop and dealerships in my area for the shim exchange and was given the 'thanks, but no thanks' answer.   

[tmkaos]

 I'll have to go find my old info on how to make up a diy Holder-Downer Tool (tm).   I think if we do it, it should have an 'owner' of the kit and not a forward it on so it is a little bit more traceable.   I might even suggest we put a 'rally attendee' requirement on it. 

If you can get me the info on how to DIY one, I have a CNC mill sitting here. I can make up one to go with in the kit with my shims to pass on. I can make it out of something suitably durable so it won't just shit itself after a few uses.

Maybe if we get enough of those un-usable size shims Randy was talking about we can parcel them out around the various dealers willing to exchange and get a bunch of usable ones. Make the (st)dealers work for us for once.

James

[Mark Olson]

Randy, I know of people who have taken the too thick shims and ground them smaller with a bench grinder.

what is your opinion on this ? ok as long as not the lobe side?

[Pat Conlon]

 Mark, you are kidding....right?

[Alf]

Randy, I know of people who have taken the too thick shims and ground them smaller with a bench grinder.

what is your opinion on this ? ok as long as not the lobe side?

the surface loose the hardener treatment and its near impossible to get the correct thickness all the shim around. The result is that the shim floats and it could get out its location, with the valve dropping inside the piston breaking the head, perforating the piston and bending the rod. No good! 

I´ve seen the results before: when I was 18 and with a 2nd hand Laverda Jota just bought that I took to a workshop to make a complete revision. Thanks to that guys I learnt that your bike is like your wife/girl/couple: the only person that touch is myself. And I learnt mechanic rebuilding the thing again for 6 months and with all my budget , just only the thing self destroyed again 2 months after 

[ribbert]

Randy, I know of people who have taken the too thick shims and ground them smaller with a bench grinder.

what is your opinion on this ? ok as long as not the lobe side?

While you've got the angle grinder out why not give it a rebore, valve grind and touch the paintwork up.

Seriously, shims are hardened and uniformly machined to tolerances that you couldn't even remotely achieve with a hand tool.

Considering the long interval between adjustments and the relatively low cost, it's worth going to the trouble of doing it right.

Noel

[FJmonkey]

I think Mark was suggesting the use of a surface grinder, very accurate and flat. If the shims are hardened the same all the way through then you might get away with it. If they are surface or case hardened (softer in the middle) then they might warp from uneven stresses. With the low cost of the shims and infrequent need to change them I would not risk it. Out of curiosity (assuming I had access to a surface grinder) I might try it to see what the shim does after grinding, then tossing it.

[Mark Olson]

Mark, you are kidding....right?

no, you probably know who I heard it from.