Hi
Finally dropped zx14 off at dealership for valve cover leak under warranty, they checked valve clearances,
4 exhaust were tight and 1 intake, they are charging labour for shim changes only, how long should this take?

I had a look at my bike once it had been stripped down, cams were out and looked good, hes waiting on 2 shims
to finished the job off.
Is it common practice to lower front of engine to gain extra clearance, and is it ok to leave headers on?

Thanks Dave

Did you see it lowered? Was the exhaust disconnected from the header? Not sure on how the throttle bodies interface with the airbox. Interesting if it does make access easier without adding a lot more work.

they are charging labour for shim changes only, how long should this take?

At this point, it won't take any time at all to pop in a few shims. 10 minutes. All you do is lift the buckets out by hand and grab the old shims out with a magnet. Then pop in the new. They will reassemble and check the adjustment with feeler gauges.

Is it common practice to lower front of engine to gain extra clearance, and is it ok to leave headers on?

I can see why they would want to do that if they're experienced. that is extra work for them but it would sure open up a lot more space to work. It shows they care about what they're doing. Leaving the header on sounds like a smart move too. No need to worry about exhaust leaks if it was left on. No need to replace gaskets. Apparently the header clears everything when the engine tips forward. There are gaskets on the OEM midpipe where it connects to the collector but that would be much easier to deal with if it leaked than headers. Sounds like they are doing your work the right way for you.

Not sure on how the throttle bodies interface with the airbox. Interesting if it does make access easier without adding a lot more work.

I belive all you would need to do is remove the fuel tank, open the air box covers and pull the ducts out. There'd be no reason to remove the Throttle bodies. It would open up more space than removing the throttle bodies and be about the same amount of work.

I would just stick to the book procedure since I'm used to that. I've never dropped an engine. This sounds like a good pro trick. I was able to check clearances the last time just removing the cover with the throttle bodies in but it was cramped.

* Last updated by: Rook on 1/5/2018 @ 4:23 PM *

Some people remove the two front engine supports to give easier access.

This may look like they have ‘dropped’ the engine downwards?

I always pull the TBs to get them out of the way and clean them with some carb cleaner. No exhaust, engine mount or radiator removal is necessary, but if you find it gives easier access, by all means do it. Not a lot of room to work between the cam cover and the frame.

* Last updated by: Danno on 1/6/2018 @ 8:34 AM *

Hi Everyone thanks for the replies, my only concern was the exhaust downpipes being still attached to the cylinder head, but looks like engine supports have been removed not engine lowered then. The engine was lovely and quiet when I took it in so expect valve train will be a bit noisier once the clearances are done?
Dave

I doubt you'll hear any difference. Only 3 valves shims changed and
they probably where not to far out of spec and/or might have been on the
edge of being out of spec and worth changing.

Probably did not drop engine, plenty of room to work on once you
get all the crap out of the way.

The engine was lovely and quiet when I took it in so expect valve train will be a bit noisier once the clearances are done?

I doubt you will notice any change in anything but it's good to have it done for peace of mind.

Hi
Picked up bike, like everyone says engine still sounds the same, no oil leak so far, thanks to everyone for
your input, great picture piken certainly a fair bit of room!

Dave

* Last updated by: dave350v8 on 1/13/2018 @ 3:59 PM *

now yu know it's taken care of.