Subject: Odd behavior
Author: Bruce Giller
Date: Apr 23, 2001, 12:18 PM
Post ID: 1706434755
This winter, my Guzzi projects were to get a new backrest and replace
all the gaskets/O-rings for both cylinders. My larger and much improved
backrest backing plate is with Rich M. getting the royal treatment only
he can produce (my seat was rebuilt by Rich and my wife and I didn't get
a sore butt on our trip out West last year with 10 hour days). Then it
was on to yanking off the cylinders and replacing the gaskets. I had a
look at the valves and got new guides and exhaust valves installed and
put everything back together. Now for the fun part....
The left cylinder was all fitted up, then on to the right. The valve
adjustment for the right exhaust valve was so much different than the
intake, I rotated the engine over again and used the distrib. rotor to
tell me that I was at TDC on the compression stroke and the adjustment
was just the same. I even measured the push rods to make sure that one
didn't shrink on me. Thinking that all was ok, I adjusted the valve to
the proper dimension and then button everything up. I rotated the rear
wheel with the bike in gear to make sure that I didn't adjust the valves
incorrectly. Rotate, rotate, rotate, CLUNK, rotate, rotate, rotate,
rotate. What was that loud CLUNK all about???
Suspecting the left cylinder, I opened it back up and found that the
was now a 1/4" gap on the exhaust valve where there used to the the
stock setting! Resetting the valve to the proper setting and rotating
the rear wheel brought about no new CLUNKs. And starting it up later
did not produced any 'really loud noises that shouldn't be there'.
My guess is that the cam follower on the exhaust valve had gotten hung
up with I was rotating the engine when putting the cylinders back on. I
did this so that it was easier to get the piston back in the cylinders
with the pistons at the their highest point. But what it gotten hung up
on, I've no idea. Do cam followers go bad on these bikes?? Mine has
33k miles on it.
Bruce
'72 Eldo