Valve Adj Question

[hawkdad]

Ok, so... I wanted to do the 6K service this last weekend but didn't get to it cuz I didn't have the little tool to pull the spark plug connector off. I figured I'd wait, cuz my youngest (sr. in hs) is heading down to U of I to see his brother this afternoon and figured he'd stop at the dealer and get one for me... so I called to make sure they have one in stock...

OMG... $43 F....ing dollars for a tool that pulls the spark plug connector off????? Is everyone taking crazy pills or WHAT!!! I know I'm a Scottish cheap FAT BASTARD... but CRIMANITLY!!

it's ok....... it's ok........... I'm alright now.... (deep breaths....... deep breaths....)

The guy at the dealer says you can't get the little plastic ones any more.... ok... FINE!
He did say that I MUST disconnect the cable from the coil first..... True????

My Clymer manual isn't here yet so.. as far as I can tell... the connection is buried up under the tank.

So... I ordered the 12" feeler guages from the Snap-on guy... thru my fav auto parts guy.... and will follow instructions for the Oilhead for dummies section and do the valves... The gauges won't be here till next Wednesday..... waaaay too long to not ride (I'll go nuts)...

BUT... on my ride tonite, it seems that the ticking noise is getting worse on the left side.. Is this possibly from Rocker Arm play????? or is it really Cam Chain Tensioner...? Should I just not ride until I get in there?....

I remember one of the posts for valve adjustment that linked somewhere??? talked about taking up the slack for the rocker arm prior to valve adjustment. Am I correct????

I was going to order a valve cover for the right side (the bike went down w/ previous owner.. and it's got a small crack... leaks a tiny bit of oil on each ride... maybe a tablespoon (big T) on each four/six hour ride... ) and also get the cam chain tensioner upgrade at the same time.... unfortunately.. I just started hearing a squeal from the clutch.... (funny sound thread) and will wait for the Clymer manual before checking out the clutch slave (Thanks CycleRob... will keep you posted)

So... I'm in holding pattern... but this ticking is getting worse.... and driving me crazy...

btw... I'm up to 8500 miles on the odometer... cuz I know someone will ask

[Boxer]

I'm assuming the plug puller in your tool kit is missing.
That being the case, and understanding your reluctance to spend $43 on one, may I suggest using a pair of pliers of some kind. You may also find some gadget at Harbor Freight or Home Depot that would facilitate that procedure. All you need is something that will grip the end of the plug wire cap without cutting it, and has something you can hold onto to pull off the cap from the spark plug.
You might can find a tool kit with one in it from BeemerBoneyard. Call them.

And NO! You don't have to disconnect it from the coil unless you're replacing it.
I would advise against tinkering with the rocker arm end play until you have mastered the valve adjustment procedure...Or have a guru to walk you through it all.

Don't worry about the cam chain tensioner noise. It will not harm the bike to ride with the noise.

And that squealing noise may only be the alternator belt.

[snowprick]

hawkdad

Wrap a piece of stout twine round the plug wire right up as close to the center of the spark plug and pull. (send me $20)

The ticking noise; as your engine gets older the valve gap gets SMALLER therefore I dont think the ticking you are hearing is the valve gap.

I would relax on the noises your engine makes particularly during start up. Get it in gear and go for it.

[riceburner]

Ok, so... I wanted to do the 6K service this last weekend but didn't get to it cuz I didn't have the little tool to pull the spark plug connector off. I figured I'd wait, cuz my youngest (sr. in hs) is heading down to U of I to see his brother this afternoon and figured he'd stop at the dealer and get one for me... so I called to make sure they have one in stock...

OMG... $43 F....ing dollars for a tool that pulls the spark plug connector off????? Is everyone taking crazy pills or WHAT!!! I know I'm a Scottish cheap FAT BASTARD... but CRIMANITLY!!

it's ok....... it's ok........... I'm alright now.... (deep breaths....... deep breaths....)

The guy at the dealer says you can't get the little plastic ones any more.... ok... FINE!

I'd be surprised at that - they've not stopped using the coils.....
The $43 one will be the aluminum one that the techs use - the plastic one should still be available - I'd lay odds that the service counter guy is lazy.

He did say that I MUST disconnect the cable from the coil first..... True????

No - you just have to be VERY careful about where your fingers are positioned when you pull off the coil - they can come off quite suddenly and the connection can be damged if you're not careful. It's virtually impossible (ime) to disconnect the cable from the coil "in situ".

My Clymer manual isn't here yet so.. as far as I can tell... the connection is buried up under the tank.

I would imagine they're talking about where the cable connects to the coil at the head, see above.

So... I ordered the 12" feeler guages from the Snap-on guy... thru my fav auto parts guy.... and will follow instructions for the Oilhead for dummies section and do the valves... The gauges won't be here till next Wednesday..... waaaay too long to not ride (I'll go nuts)...

BUT... on my ride tonite, it seems that the ticking noise is getting worse on the left side.. Is this possibly from Rocker Arm play????? or is it really Cam Chain Tensioner...? Should I just not ride until I get in there?....

Don't panic - you are probably just paying it more attention...

I remember one of the posts for valve adjustment that linked somewhere??? talked about taking up the slack for the rocker arm prior to valve adjustment. Am I correct????

Yes - but it's a bit involved - I haven't had to do it yet on my 50,000 miler (and didn't do it on my previous 45,000 miler)

I was going to order a valve cover for the right side (the bike went down w/ previous owner.. and it's got a small crack... leaks a tiny bit of oil on each ride... maybe a tablespoon (big T) on each four/six hour ride... ) and also get the cam chain tensioner upgrade at the same time.... unfortunately.. I just started hearing a squeal from the clutch.... (funny sound thread) and will wait for the Clymer manual before checking out the clutch slave (Thanks CycleRob... will keep you posted)

So... I'm in holding pattern... but this ticking is getting worse.... and driving me crazy...

btw... I'm up to 8500 miles on the odometer... cuz I know someone will ask

I'd guess the extra noise is a mix of paranoia, possibly low oil (it will be burning oil off), and the old style tensioner - but don't panic - you're a long way from any damage occurring.

[FloridaBeakster]

The little plastic spark plug wire puller from the toolkit works fine for me. I'd be VERY surprised if it's NLA. Have your guy pull it by part number or get it from one of the on-line sources like Bob's or Max's.

I didn't think the pullers were different for the single spark and dual spark heads, but two numbers are showing up (both under $3):

Production up to 10/2002: 12 12 2 306 064
Production 10/2002 and later: 12 13 7 673 248

I bought one of the earlier ones a few months ago.

[hawkdad]

Thanks everybody.... I guess my paranoia is taking over again... (just cuz I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get me!)

Rod.... I'll get that 20 in the mail....

[jfslater98]

Having just gone through the exercise of removing the valve covers a few times, my review of the plastic plug puller that comes with the kit is that it's pants, as our friends across the pond would say. It sucks, in other words. Mine pulled one plug wire out fairly well, and now it just splits apart and no longer grabs the wire. My suggestion is to get the Mark Parnes plug puller

http://www.marcparnes.com/BMW_Plug_Tool.htm

$25 shipped. Unless you've gone the cheaper option as mentioned above, which also looks to get the job done. The OVAD guide is a good one, I used with success. Despite my poor wrenching skills. Good luck!

[snowprick]

Having just gone through the exercise of removing the valve covers a few times, my review of the plastic plug puller that comes with the kit is that it's pants, as our friends across the pond would say. It sucks, in other words. Mine pulled one plug wire out fairly well, and now it just splits apart and no longer grabs the wire. My suggestion is to get the Mark Parnes plug puller

http://www.marcparnes.com/BMW_Plug_Tool.htm

$25 shipped. Unless you've gone the cheaper option as mentioned above, which also looks to get the job done. The OVAD guide is a good one, I used with success. Despite my poor wrenching skills. Good luck!

jfslater98

I purchased one of these pullers at the same time I got my wheel balancer. It turned out to be for a 1200 and did not fit. With a little dexterity you can remove the wires with the fingers, or a piece of cord.

hawkdad..... thats another five bucks

[Boxer04]

I found the the supplied plastic coil puller very unreliable. It could work if you had a third hand to hold the ends together - they have a tendancy to spread and slip off the coil.

I do not like using long nosed pliers or levering out the coil with screwdrivers as I like to get a square extraction and not put tension on the cable going into the coil.

I purchased a Marc Parnes tool. I believe the site says it is for R1150 twin spark and R1200 motorcycles.

Works very well and is accurately made.

[snowprick]

I found the the supplied plastic coil puller very unreliable. It could work if you had a third hand to hold the ends together - they have a tendancy to spread and slip off the coil.

I do not like using long nosed pliers or levering out the coil with screwdrivers as I like to get a square extraction and not put tension on the cable going into the coil.

I purchased a Marc Parnes tool. I believe the site says it is for R1150 twin spark and R1200 motorcycles.

Works very well and is accurately made.

Boxer04

I believe you are correct about applicability. OK bang goes my five bucks

[riceburner]

The little plastic spark plug wire puller from the toolkit works fine for me. I'd be VERY surprised if it's NLA. Have your guy pull it by part number or get it from one of the on-line sources like Bob's or Max's.

I didn't think the pullers were different for the single spark and dual spark heads, but two numbers are showing up (both under $3):

Production up to 10/2002: 12 12 2 306 064
Production 10/2002 and later: 12 13 7 673 248

I bought one of the earlier ones a few months ago.

IIRC they changed the design of the plastic part slightly.

[riceburner]

Having just gone through the exercise of removing the valve covers a few times, my review of the plastic plug puller that comes with the kit is that it's pants, as our friends across the pond would say. It sucks, in other words. Mine pulled one plug wire out fairly well, and now it just splits apart and no longer grabs the wire. My suggestion is to get the Mark Parnes plug puller

http://www.marcparnes.com/BMW_Plug_Tool.htm

$25 shipped. Unless you've gone the cheaper option as mentioned above, which also looks to get the job done. The OVAD guide is a good one, I used with success. Despite my poor wrenching skills. Good luck!

Depends on how you use it.

The trick is to get a short length of 1" fabric strap and loop it around the straight cross bar (NOT the curved hoop on the outer part) and pull on the loop, so you're pulling on the cross-bar. That way the plastic will deform slightly in such a way that it is GRIPPING the coil. I'll try and take a photo of my setup sometime soon.

If you pull on the curved hoop, the plastic deforms slightly and, because of the cross bar, the "jaws" OPEN. It's not terribly well designed.

[WildBlue]

I just adjusted my valves... I was able to pull them off with my fingers.

[snowprick]

I just adjusted my valves... I was able to pull them off with my fingers.

WildBlue
Our minds boggle!

[RGuy]

Dave, I'm gonna assume that you have enough info to get your plug wires off by now.....

Regarding the Rocker Block adjustment..... You should at least measure your clearance while you have the covers off so you know where you stand. There is a good chance that they are causing *some* of the noise you hear (the other possibly being the tensioner). The tolerance is very liberal, .002" to .016" if I remember correctly. The closer to .002 you can get the quieter it will be. I checked mine at 12,000 mi. and they were in the 'middle' of the range (from .004 to .010 - well within spec). I took the time to adjust them at 18,000 mi. and the engine was MUCH quieter. I managed to get them all between .002 & .0025. They don't have to be exact - I would try to get them all below .004 if possible. It is NOT a difficult procedure but, like the valve adjustment, being fussy about it really pays off. It added perhaps 30 min. to the valve adjustment procedure. I don't expect to have to do it again for a long time.

Oh - Yes, it should be done BEFORE you adjust your valves. When you are done with the valves carefully balance those throttle bodies and you will be amazed at the results!

Good Luck,
Neal

[Daryl_stamp]

+1 for finger removal (at least on a '02 single spark).
+1 for OVAD; those guys had everything down, like the rubber plug dropping onto the TB cable
+1 for throttle body sync; tube, 2-stroke oil, stick, some time to let ALL of the bubbles out before use

The more I do on this the more I like it;

Regards,

DLS

[WildBlue]

I just adjusted my valves... I was able to pull them off with my fingers.

WildBlue
Our minds boggle!

haha...

It took me a minute, then I realized that I was a bit beyond "a bit vague"...

I was able to pull the spark plug wires off with my fingers