dduelin
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I completed my first valve clearance check tonight after dinner. It took me about 2.5 hours to complete, I am slow and took my time. All 8 valves were in spec and I recorded the clearances as a baseline for the second check at 16,000 miles. Depending on how that one goes I'll stick to the 8,000 mile recommendation or stretch it to a somewhat longer period.
There are a couple things I did that deviated from the Honda Service Manual procedure 3-10 that others may find helpful. This procedure 3-10 first tells me to remove the radiator with procedure 8-9. Doing that would require draining much of the coolant and this isn't required until 2 years or 24,000 miles (38,400 km). I have 7900 miles on my bike and the coolant is just fine.
First deviation from the service manual procedure to check valves..... I ignored removal of the radiator 8-9 and moved to step two which is to remove the cylinder head cover (valve cover) with procedure 10-6. Following 10-6 is basically removing the radiator fasteners, cooling fan wires, and the #1 spark plug wire in order to drop the radiator down and away to gain access to the valve cover without having to actually remove the radiator. I did this but still did not have enough room to remove the valve cover. At this point I improvised with the second deviation form the manual and removed the upper radiator hose on the right side as it was holding the radiator close to the valve cover. I released the hose clamp on the radiator inlet and tried to wriggle the hose loose but the hose was stuck tight and there is no room for fingers to grasp the hose. To start it loose I took a large screwdriver and generously wrapped the flat blade with masking tape to pad it. Carefully insert between the end of the hose and the radiator. Go very carefully as to not scratch or damage either the hose or the radiator. It's not really prying - twist the screwdriver so the flat of the blade pushes against the end of the hose just to start it loose off the inlet. The hose will start to move then it can be removed by hand. When the hose comes off this releases about a half cup of coolant so be ready with a catch pan or a thick towel. I then used a bungee cord over the right hand turn signal to support the radiator on that side - the left side is held up by the lower radiator hose. I formed a plug from a paper towel to stop up the radiator from releasing more coolant when I had to pull it down and out to the right side a bit to make enough room to wiggle the valve cover off and away. Now I had plenty of room to check the clearances. After replacing everything I topped off the radiator with fresh Honda premix coolant I had but if you catch what drains out in a clean container you could just put that back in to finish the job.
There are a couple things I did that deviated from the Honda Service Manual procedure 3-10 that others may find helpful. This procedure 3-10 first tells me to remove the radiator with procedure 8-9. Doing that would require draining much of the coolant and this isn't required until 2 years or 24,000 miles (38,400 km). I have 7900 miles on my bike and the coolant is just fine.
First deviation from the service manual procedure to check valves..... I ignored removal of the radiator 8-9 and moved to step two which is to remove the cylinder head cover (valve cover) with procedure 10-6. Following 10-6 is basically removing the radiator fasteners, cooling fan wires, and the #1 spark plug wire in order to drop the radiator down and away to gain access to the valve cover without having to actually remove the radiator. I did this but still did not have enough room to remove the valve cover. At this point I improvised with the second deviation form the manual and removed the upper radiator hose on the right side as it was holding the radiator close to the valve cover. I released the hose clamp on the radiator inlet and tried to wriggle the hose loose but the hose was stuck tight and there is no room for fingers to grasp the hose. To start it loose I took a large screwdriver and generously wrapped the flat blade with masking tape to pad it. Carefully insert between the end of the hose and the radiator. Go very carefully as to not scratch or damage either the hose or the radiator. It's not really prying - twist the screwdriver so the flat of the blade pushes against the end of the hose just to start it loose off the inlet. The hose will start to move then it can be removed by hand. When the hose comes off this releases about a half cup of coolant so be ready with a catch pan or a thick towel. I then used a bungee cord over the right hand turn signal to support the radiator on that side - the left side is held up by the lower radiator hose. I formed a plug from a paper towel to stop up the radiator from releasing more coolant when I had to pull it down and out to the right side a bit to make enough room to wiggle the valve cover off and away. Now I had plenty of room to check the clearances. After replacing everything I topped off the radiator with fresh Honda premix coolant I had but if you catch what drains out in a clean container you could just put that back in to finish the job.
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