Top end tapping

[tink]

Is it normal for a zxr400 to have a top end tapping noise? It's like it's under the fuel tank somewhere here is a short video

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k62 ... 4AB867.mp4

[RedexRobB]

Could be as you say, the top end, but could be the cam chain tensioner. Also check the exhast hasnt got a hole in it.

Has this started suddenly or gradually gotten louder?

Id have the timing cover off to check how far the plunger has gone up on the tensioner and if thats ok you may need to check the valve clearances.

[banner001]

no its not normal

loose camchain and/or valve clearances off i would say.

ive not checked my camchain tensioner yet, but you can normally see if the tensioner has ratcheted all the way out by removing the cam chain cover (lower RHS, 6 or 8 small bolts), a picture there might be enough to show someone on here if your camchain has extended too far.

if not, it could be that your valve clearances are off, if (and with the snow its a big if) you can get the bike down here i have feeler gauges and flexible magnetic picks and can give you a hand with the valve clearances...im only a few miles down the road.

[banner001]

@tink, i am gonna do my valve clearances this week, so i will be up to speed with doing them if you want us to come give you a hand/you come down here, if any of mine are out (shouldnt be) ill by buying/borowing some shims, so i might have a small collection by then...we will see...

[tink]

Thanks for the invite and think I should check the cam chain tensioner first so I will have a look at that first

[tink]

can you check the cam chain without losing oil and which cover do i remove

[banner001]

yes, took mine off yesterday, no oil.

had a fucking heart-attack when i thought i had dropped a shim down the one oil drain channel that i hadn't properly bunged up...my god i was ready to kill something if it had gone down there...found it magnetically attached to the rocker spring

sorry to the thread, but some of my gaps are like this - 0.152mm feeler gauge slides in, but the 0.172 wont...0.152 is pretty close to 0.16 (for an exhaust valve)...should i change this?

almost all of mine are very tight (0.072mm on 5 of the inlet valves!), i think the wonderful mr middleton set mine on the tight side when he did his wonderful work

gonna finish checking all the shims this evening now i know what im doing, the inlet ones look tricky to get at with the engine still in the frame...

[tink]

Right gonna have a look at this and is it a easy job to do and are the cam chains off ebay good enough

[banner001]

my chain was in spec so i didnt need to change it...the kawasaki OEM chain is ~£25...just go for that, not worth messing with anything else.

the valve clearances are easy to measure, its easy to change the exhaust shims (follow morimans guide), harder to change the inlets, and you might need a second pair of hands to do the 4 valves on the edges of the two camshafts.

best thing i can recommend is to buy a 3mm neodymium magnet of ebay, glue that onto a spare small allen key and use that to fish out the shims...its a lot better than a large inspection magnet that moriman uses as it gets into really small spaces, like you will need for the 4 valves at the edges.

ask jambon or ross46, i ave helped them recently.

and as i said before, im down the road, ~10 minutes from you, drop me a PM and feed us a few beers and im yours

[tink]

Might have to take you up on that offer and what parts do I need

[banner001]

you need tools to remove the fuel tank, airbox, carbs, a 10mm spanner/socket for the rocker cover, removing the spark plugs is a good idea too - makes it easier to turn engine over by hand.

as for shims, you wont know what you need until you dive in there...so i will guarantee you that you will have to do this job twice, once to check what you have and work out what you need, and then once more to swap them...it becomes easier second time round as you can pre-emptively buy shims then.

ill bring a little magnet for you to make your own shim removal tool, i need mine to remove valve collets at the moment, but i can show you mine and show you how to make one (dead easy).

im away this weekend, so its either next weekend, or i can give you an evening session, maybe for a round of fish and chips?

[ross46]

The little magnets are awesome, put mine onto an old bit of coat hanger with some chemical metal, also, slight but most of my inlet clearances are 0.152 fits in but 0.172 doesn't, if I have a 2.90 shim in do I need a 2.95 shim?

[banner001]

The little magnets are awesome, put mine onto an old bit of coat hanger with some chemical metal, also, slight but most of my inlet clearances are 0.152 fits in but 0.172 doesn't, if I have a 2.90 shim in do I need a 2.95 shim?

inlet clearances are 0.12 - 0.17, your 0.152mm feeler gauge fits, but the 0.172 doesnt, this means that you are inbetween 0.152 and 0.172...and therefore within clearance. you can "refine" this further, if your 0.152 goes in but only just, then thats your gap ~0.152-0.155mm, if it slides in with no drag and the 0.172 wont go then you are probably close to ~0.165-0.170, but in any case, yours are fine

if your 0.172mm feeler gauge fitted and came out with little drag then you would need the next size shim, but you are fine.

remember, for this bike the valves seem to tighten over time, so set them to the loose (i.e. biggest gap) end for a hassle-free 6,000 miles.

[ross46]

Meant exhaust (doh!) looking at the chart you did for me it says some are wrong, and its a piece of piss to check shins if your doing a head gasket, just lift the rocker, did 16 in 2 minutes, so if my exhaust valves are at 0.152 then its too tight, but if i change the shim from a 2.90 which shim will i want? Because if i move from a 2.90 to a 2.85 to largen the gap (i think, that's what im confused about) then it would give me ~0.20, they should do shim sizes in smaller increments as the tolerances are 1 shim size, thanks