Hi All,

It’s my time to reach out to the wisdom here, hopefully for some good pointers.

As you might have seen from my intro, I recently purchased a 89 K100RS with ABS.
This bike has probably been outside/not riding for a while (not licensed, can’t check when was the last time it was licensed) but when I purchased it, the previous owner did change out the injectors and the engine was running. It’s going to be along road to get it back to a nice bike, but my first priority is to get it licensed so I know I don’t restore for nothing.

I’ve done quite a bit already to get here; all fluids, new plugs, new fuel and vacuum hoses, the stanchions were rusted out, so have new front forks. Overhauled the complete breaking system (new seals, pads, brake fluid, new rear master cylinder, cleaned up front master cylinder). Replaced the clutch cable etc etc.
This means the bike is now so far I’m able to ride it around the block, and it rides nice. ABS even seems to work. However as it’s not licensed, I can’t (really) ride it any more than that. So I’ve not been able to take it for a nice long ride. It does blow some blue smoke. Not incredible lot, but a bit.

While the engine starts with a click on the button, I do have a bit of a “strange” symptom. I think.. in short, I think that the cylinder one is not performing.
I say this, as when I pull the spark plug cable while the engine is running, the engine does keep running without a lot of protest. When I pull any of the other plugs, it clearly does protest. As I want to make sure I don’t have an engine that is a dud or to much work, I’ve gone on a fact finding mission…

- K100KS 89 2V. 68k on the clock (but clock doesn’t work anymore, need new gears)
- Compression 160/160/155/170 PSI - so all good
- Valve Clearance all within spec: In/out: 0.10/0.30 0.15/0.25 0.15/0.25 0.10/0.30mm
- New Fuel, new fuel hoses. Tank and pump from my (perfectly fine K1100)
- Fuel rail cleaned.
- New injectors (by previous owner) “ANZ-844” (not sure if these are the correct ones)
- New spark plugs NKG D7EA with 0.6mm gaps. Plugs changed between cylinders doesn’t make a difference. Spark plugs dry and black sooted. (But haven’t been able to ride the bike for a decent trip)
- Coil plug 1&4 14k ohm and 2.1 ohm
- Coil plug 2&3 13.4k ohm and 2.1 ohm
- Spark Plug Cable cylinder 1 = 4.9k ohm
- Temperature Sensor 20’c = 27k ohm, 96’c = 203 ohm
- Fuel pressure regulator does seem not to leak (running bike without hose connected, doesn’t smell or leak from vacuum hose)

As mentioned, there are new injectors installed. They work, I have switched them around (cylinder 1&2) but that didn’t make a difference. However, I’m not sure about these injectors, if they give to much/little fuel. The only identification on them is “AZN-844”.

I don’t think the TB’s are leaking, sprayed some flammable spry around them while the bike was running, no difference. However I have not taken the TB’s of the engine yet.

I have tried to sync the TB’s, and I found that I had to wind out the vacuum screw from TB1/Cylinder1 a lot more than any of the other cylinders.

Any ideas?

My thoughts are now…
- Leak in one or more TB seals. So take the TB off and clean it (not touching the adjust ment screws).
- Valve stems seals? (Don’t really want to pull the head to check before I licence the bike, and then pull the bike apart to restore)
- Injectors, get a set of matched good injectors. (But I think this is less likely the the cause of the “issue” with the first cylinder. But could be cause of blue smoke?

Or don’t worry about it… get it synced properly and get it over the pits, go for a good ride?

Cheers from Perth!

Do a compression test with the throttle wide open. If #1 comes in with a comparatively low number, squirt some oil in that cylinder and try again to help determine if ring wear is the problem's source. If it still comes in low, do a leak-down test; that test might enable you to identify the source of the fault.

I assume the 160 psi is the compression in the #1 cylinder.  While the compression tests good, you might still have a cylinder with sticky rings as witnessed by the oil smoke. (I am assuming this smoke is constant and not just on start up as that is a normal part of the "charm" of these old beasts)  A little Seafoam or Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel and crankcase will help free up and clean the ring lands in the pistons.

The fact that you have to crank out the idle screw on the #1 throttle body says that there is an issue there.  In my experience, those screws should be about 1 1/2 to 2 turns from lightly bottomed.  First thing I would do here is remove the screw and shoot some carb cleaner down the bore as well as into the vacuum port.

Do your spark plugs have terminal Nuts?  NGK D7EA plugs do not come with them, and if they aren't there it is not unusual to have unreliable spark in the cylinders.  It is also possible to have a bad plug wire that shows good resistance, but has a high voltage leak that loses spark when trying to fire into engine compression. 

I don't think you need to be concerned about valve stem seals, at 68K the engine is just broken in and the internal parts should be in very good shape.  If it were my bike, and it was starting and running well around the block, I would license it and take it for a few rides checking the spark plugs for evidence of mixture and oil control.  Personally, it sounds like your engine is in pretty good shape.

Have you checked the drive shaft and final drive splines for wear?  That is the next place where problems can be hiding in a neglected machine.

At least in my experience trouble synching a TB usually means a TB boot leak.

If the issue is only cylinder 1 on its own then the problem arises in items specific to that cylinder.

Swap plug lads with no 4 at the cvoil end. If it swaps, there is a coil issue. To verify this swap the coils.

If it stays at no 1 it is plug lead or plug issue or injector/injector plug connector/local wire break issue or issue inside cylinder.

Thx people!!

Will reply in more detail later today (from laptop) but:
Seems I’m having two individual issues -
Smoke and no (strong) spark or fuel issue
- compression is good at all cylinders. (The list with numbers is from cylinder 1-4)
- have done the swaps with coil leads. Not jet swapped the coils. Will do that next.
- will clean the vacuum screw adjustment things, and if I get some time pull the tb’s to check the seals.
- smoke / seafoam. Is there a similar product that Is readily available in oz ? Else will order some online. Definitely sounds like it might be a stuck piston ring or carbon build up.
Thx guys - excited to do some more fact finding !

Smoke: If the smoke is caused by oil leaking past the rings it won't fully go away in just a "ride around the block."

Do you park it on the center or side stand?

Even bikes built after 2/88 with the newer rings can still smoke if left on the side stand.

So either:

1) Keep it parked on the center stand.

2) Before putting it on the side stand, turn the bike off, tilt it to the right for 6-10 seconds in order to let the oil behind the cylinders drain back into the sump. Less oil behind the cylinder heads means less oil to  seep by the rings into the combustion chamber.

Yup, I’ve always parked it on centre stand , that’s for the past few months and before / after test rides

I think Seafoam and Marvel Mystery Oil are both available in Oz.  Ask around, I seem to recall it being available online somewhere.  Apparently, Subaru has some sort of engine cleaner available in Oz that does a similar job, but I have no experience with it.,

Be aware that if you have stuck oil control rings it may take as long as a thousand miles to loosen them up. 

If you can't find MMO in Oz, you can try mixing some naptha with light oil or automatic transmission fluid and some wintergreen oil(this is the magic ingredient) from the local chemist shop.  An analysis was done on MMO a while back and these are the ingredients that were found in it.

Half and half naptha and oil with about 10% wintergreen oil.  Put some in the cylinder through the spark plug hole and turn the engine over by hand a few times with the spark plugs out.  Lean the bike over to the right side as much as possible to get the mix as far around the piston as possible.  Let it sit overnight and repeat.  Do this every day over the course of a week.  Then for the last shot crank the engine a few times to blow any remaining oil out before putting the plugs in and taking it for a ride.  Any leftover mix can be put in the fuel at about 60ML to a full tank.  This will help clean out any remaining carbon.

Laitch wrote:Do a compression test with the throttle wide open. If #1 comes in with a comparatively low number, squirt some oil in that cylinder and try again to help determine if ring wear is the problem's source. If it still comes in low, do a leak-down test; that test might enable you to identify the  source of the fault.

Thanks. Yes. Done with throttle wide open. The compression on Cyl-1 to Cyl-4 : 160/160/155/170 —> that’s all well within spec.
Have not done a leak down test - don’t have the gear for it. However, I did keep the pressure meter connected for 5ish min on each cylinder, and he above numbers didn’t change.

Point-Seven-five wrote:I assume the 160 psi is the compression in the #1 cylinder.  While the compression tests good, you might still have a cylinder with sticky rings as witnessed by the oil smoke. (I am assuming this smoke is constant and not just on start up as that is a normal part of the "charm" of these old beasts)  A little Seafoam or Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel and crankcase will help free up and clean the ring lands in the pistons.

Correct, it keeps smoking, not just at start. The engine was nice and warm, when I did the TB Sync.
Will try to find the Seafoam or MMO here in Perth - have not seen it anywhere, but also never asked for it.

Point-Seven-five wrote: The fact that you have to crank out the idle screw on the #1 throttle body says that there is an issue there.  In my experience, those screws should be about 1 1/2 to 2 turns from lightly bottomed.  First thing I would do here is remove the screw and shoot some carb cleaner down the bore as well as into the vacuum port.

Will do that this weekend. To spray it down the vacuum port, I have the remove the plenum, correct? Or do you just mean twice in the same hole where the idle screw goes in?
(I’ve not removed/cleaned the plenum yet)

Point-Seven-five wrote:  Do your spark plugs have terminal Nuts?  NGK D7EA plugs do not come with them, and if they aren't there it is not unusual to have unreliable spark in the cylinders.  It is also possible to have a bad plug wire that shows good resistance, but has a high voltage leak that loses spark when trying to fire into engine compression. 

Yes, terminal nuts installed. Will x-change the coils to see if the issue goes to another cylinder, and might see if I can borrow a good cable from a friends bike.

Point-Seven-five wrote:  I don't think you need to be concerned about valve stem seals, at 68K the engine is just broken in and the internal parts should be in very good shape.  If it were my bike, and it was starting and running well around the block, I would license it and take it for a few rides checking the spark plugs for evidence of mixture and oil control.  Personally, it sounds like your engine is in pretty good shape.

That’s what I was hoping and leaning towards to. 68k (or a bit more, but not a lot, else they would have fixed the odometer, I hope?) is indeed not a lot.   Will likely try the above, and if not, just get is as good as I can and then go for it. (As in go and get it licensed). And then take it for a few good long rides.

Point-Seven-five wrote:  Have you checked the drive shaft and final drive splines for wear?  That is the next place where problems can be hiding in a neglected machine.

Not yet… I did get some of the special grease, so ready to do so, but just having fingers crossed that those are both ok, just need a bit of new grease.

Thanks for all the advice, really appreciated!!

duck wrote:Smoke: If the smoke is caused by oil leaking past the rings it won't fully go away in just a "ride around the block."

Do you park it on the center or side stand?

Even bikes built after 2/88 with the newer rings can still smoke if left on the side stand.

So either:

1) Keep it parked on the center stand.

2) Before putting it on the side stand, turn the bike off, tilt it to the right for 6-10 seconds in order to let the oil behind the cylinders drain back into the sump. Less oil behind the cylinder heads means less oil to  seep by the rings into the combustion chamber.

Thanks Duck. Yes, have the bike on the centrestand. As it is, I also have a 93K1100LT, so I know about the smoke during startup, and the more smoke during startup if you park it for a second on the side stand ;-). Good tip in the tilting to right if need rest on side stand! Tx!

Point-Seven-five wrote:I think Seafoam and Marvel Mystery Oil are both available in Oz.  Ask around, I seem to recall it being available online somewhere.  Apparently, Subaru has some sort of engine cleaner available in Oz that does a similar job, but I have no experience with it.,

Be aware that if you have stuck oil control rings it may take as long as a thousand miles to loosen them up. 

If you can't find MMO in Oz, you can try mixing some naptha with light oil or automatic transmission fluid and some wintergreen oil(this is the magic ingredient) from the local chemist shop.  An analysis was done on MMO a while back and these are the ingredients that were found in it.

Half and half naptha and oil with about 10% wintergreen oil.  Put some in the cylinder through the spark plug hole and turn the engine over by hand a few times with the spark plugs out.  Lean the bike over to the right side as much as possible to get the mix as far around the piston as possible.  Let it sit overnight and repeat.  Do this every day over the course of a week.  Then for the last shot crank the engine a few times to blow any remaining oil out before putting the plugs in and taking it for a ride.  Any leftover mix can be put in the fuel at about 60ML to a full tank.  This will help clean out any remaining carbon.

Lol lol… had to look up wintergreen oil —> “…This is because the benefits of Wintergreen Oil are primarily known for their anti-arthritic and antiseptic properties….” Yes sounds the k100 engine needs some off this ;-)

I assume if I find Seafoam or MMO, the procedure above describes is the same? (Which makes sense btw)

Ta!

Good news, I for sure can order it online “automegastore.com.au” has both products. (MMO and SeaFoam). Not sure if any of the local stores have it (obviously I want it now haha) but will call around tomorrow.

The Subaru stuff is “ Subaru Upper Engine Cleaner” which I likely can get at the Subaru dealers.
Some people referring to “Nulon Upper Engine Cleaner” as doing the same.
https://www.nulon.com.au/products/aerosols/upper-engine-cleaner
Reading the instructions, this could be something with the same effect?

Obviously that’s not for mixing wth the fuel, I do have additive to add to fuel that cleans fuel system.

SunnyPerth wrote:Have not done a leak down test - don’t have the gear for it. However, I did keep the pressure meter connected for 5ish min on each cylinder, and he above numbers didn’t change.  

That is a good substitute.  I would say that things are tight as far as valves and top piston rings.  Engine is too new to have significant wear issues. This is going to be a nice machine.

"Will do that this weekend. To spray it down the vacuum port, I have the remove the plenum, correct? Or do you just mean twice in the same hole where the idle screw goes in?"

Remove the adjusting screw and the rubber cap on the vacuum test port, then shoot the cleaner in the holes.  Let it sit for a minute or two and give them a shot of compressed air if you have it.  You might have to repeat if the first shot doesn't get it all cleaned out.

I assume if I find Seafoam or MMO, the procedure above describes is the same? (Which makes sense btw) 

Yes.

SunnyPerth wrote:

Laitch wrote:Do a compression test with the throttle wide open. If #1 comes in with a comparatively low number, squirt some oil in that cylinder and try again to help determine if ring wear is the problem's source. If it still comes in low, do a leak-down test; that test might enable you to identify the  source of the fault.

Thanks. Yes. Done with throttle wide open.

Clearly, my speed-reading has devolved to speed-skimming this week or I wouldn't have imparted that sage suggestion.

Have you compared the appearance of the spark plugs with each other after one of these smokey runs?

Laitch wrote:

SunnyPerth wrote:

Laitch wrote:Do a compression test with the throttle wide open. If #1 comes in with a comparatively low number, squirt some oil in that cylinder and try again to help determine if ring wear is the problem's source. If it still comes in low, do a leak-down test; that test might enable you to identify the  source of the fault.

Thanks. Yes. Done with throttle wide open.

Clearly, my speed-reading has devolved to speed-skimming this week or I wouldn't have imparted that sage suggestion.

Have you compared the appearance of the spark plugs with each other after one of these smokey runs?

All good all good,
Yes, they all pretty dry-black-soothed.

I’ll do the above, clean out the vacuum ports and the adjust ment screw bores, try to find the seafoam or alike, test with another spark plug cable, and swap both coils & report back. 

This might take a few weeks, as I’m travelling international for a few weeks but, will report back

It’s alive, well, that’s the comments I did get from my dear neighbours last Saturday….. but let me get to that in a bit.

Looked around in Perth and indeed found a place that sells Seafoam. It’s like liquid gold here, but at least that little store had it. Did as I was told, using a little syringe put a little bit in every cylinder and (since I was a bit lazy) used cranked the engine just a little bit (less than one rotation I would say). Had old spark plugs loose in the cylinders so it did not make any compression. And had the fuel pump disconnected fuel line depressurised, so only the Seafoam would be in the cylinders. Repeated that a few times over a few days. Obviously did not had the bike on its right side, so not sure how effective it was on “top” of the cylinders, but hey.
Also followed the instructions, added some to the engine oil and to the fuel.

Saturday afternoon picked up some mirrors and a new lead for cylinder one; so it was time to see if it all made a difference. Started right up, but man, what a smoke!! After fumigating the neighbourhood for 20ish minutes (think the Seafoam must have gotten to the exhaust and just had to burn off). Neighbours came by to ask if everything was ok haha. Sorry.
Pulling cable of cyl 1 didn’t make a difference in the running of the bike.

Anyway, wanted to take the bike for a good ride on Sunday, but then found that the front forks are clunky and really leaking, so aborted that. Need to check them. Have now ordered new seals and top o-rings, so will sort that out this weekend.

Then also on Sunday someone borrowed me 4 original K100 injectors that had been refurbished a few year ago. I cleaned them and tried them this morning. Bike started up, and hardly any smoke. (Only ran for a few min). I also pulled the cable of cyl 1 momentarily and the engine definitely ran less smooth. So, I think I have two, maybe 3 wins.
(1) I think the injectors give too much fuel. The previous owner must have bought some random ones that fitted. OR I might have to change the air/fuel ratio for them. (2) The bike does run well with original Injectors. (I still need to take it for a ride and sync the TB’s) (3) I think that with the large amounts of fuel, Cyl1 just was “dieseling” (if that exists), and hence pulling the plug cable didn’t make a difference. And/or (4) the Seafoam has done wonders. (Also quite possible).

Thanks team - will report either this weekend or in a few weeks - going to be bit busy over the coming weeks, so not sure how much and when I have time to do the last bits to get it over the pits.

Some thoughts on your last post:

1. Seafoam will get rid of all flying insects within a couple hundred meters when put directly in the cylinders.  I don't think you need to put any more in the cylinders.  Having it in the oil and the fuel will now do the job of cleaning the injectors and loosening up the piston rings. 

2. Over fueling(especially at idle) can be the result of dirty injector pintles.  Because there is more force from the coil to open them than the force of the spring to close, it is quite possible that they will snap open but closing will be sluggish resulting in a rich mixture.  With any luck, the Seafoam will correct this problem.  If you run out of Seafoam, Techron in the fuel works very well for cleaning injectors.

3. Just because the injectors look the same on the outside doesn't guarantee that they flow the same amount of fuel as the originals.  It is possible that the person who installed them got the wrong flow rate.  If it was my bike, I would run the engine every day for a couple minutes while I worked on other stuff.  This will help the Seafoam flush out any deposits that may be in the injectors.  Then if the problem persists I can make a decision on replacing them.

4. If you can get some, a spray carburetor cleaner will do a better job than pouring the Seafoam into the vacuum port because the force of the spray will help blow any dirt out of the vacuum port and adjusting screw passages.  Of course, if you have compressed air available that will work as well, maybe even better.

5. Regarding your forks.  Before replacing the seals, drain and refill them with my favorite fork oil, Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF).  Then take the bike for a ride and drain them.  The ATF will flush out all the crap in the forks, and if you leave it for a couple days, the additives that soften seals may stop any leaks.

6. If you have leaky seals, the problem is frequently due to dirt on the lips of the seals.  There are Fork Seal Cleaning Tools available that dirt bike guys use to clean out their fork seals.  You can buy one at almost any shop that caters to the motocross crowd for a buck or two.  Or, you can see what they look like and make your own from a piece of plastic from a soda bottle. 

To use it, you slip it between the seal and fork tube, slide it around the tube and pull it out.  Do it a couple times and you will have pulled out any dirt or grit.  Then get a pair of fork boots and your seals will last forever.

7. As I said, ATF is my favorite fork oil.  When you get the forks cleaned out and the seals clean, try using it.  It is a very cost effective fork oil and gives good performance in the BMW forks.

8. Last, clunkiness in the front end may also be the result of loose steering bearings.  There is a knurled ring at the top of the steering head that can be tightened to take out any play in the bearings.  If the clunking persists after servicing the forks, you might want to check it. 

If they have been loose for any length of time, the bearings may be damaged and need replacement.  Don't panic if they do, they can be obtained for a good price at a bearing shop, and if you take your time, it's not that bad of a job.  I get quality Japanese bearings at an agricultural equipment supply house for far less than half the cost of the BMW parts.

Thx .75,

Think it’s the bearings, they didn’t feel to good, and did already try to loosen the bolt, but as the bike was on a box without front fork, could not really give it a good try. Might do that again now it’s put back together, and more stable.

Yup, once home again, will definitely run it a few minutes every day, good tip!
(The rest as well)

This is what the seal cleaner looks like.  You can buy one or spend 15 minutes cutting one out of a plastic soda bottle.

https://sealmate.net/products/seal-mate

Thanks for the info .sevenfifty, tried to clean the front fork seals with a home made sea cleaner, but it became only worse. So changed out the seals with a new pair; and looking at the amount of rust that came from one of the seals, it was well due. All good now.
Still a little clunk in the front (when holding brake lever and pushing shocks down) but no more leaks and it all feels good.


Took the bike for a ride (in 39’c weather 🥵) and it runs beautifully. (With the borrowed injectors that were refurbished some time ago)

She’s ready for inspection!

I pack silicone grease between the seal and the dust cover. The grease captures any dirt that manages to get past the dust cover. It also leaves a smear of grease on the fork legs. I change it out every 1-2 years more frequently if riding on dusty roads. I've got over 22 years out of the current seals which I had to change due to leaking after buying the bike. 
Regards Martin.

Check the steering head bearings they could be the source of the clunk.
Regards Martin.

Hi All,

Just to keep you all informed, I’ve got some good news.
The bike has been over the pits and all good. Can register and pick up plates on Tuesday!

Didn’t rider it a lot yet, but what I did ride on it was gooood!
Still some work to do, but then I’ll keep riding it a bit before I do the overall overhaul. So first a new set of tires (the ones on there are from  the 1980’s )  so I get a set of new tires and at the same time get the rims freshened up. While that’s being done I do the splines & give the cooling system a good clean and some fresh coolant. Then I might start a repaint of my k1100 LT before I tackle the RS.

Thanks all for your advice !

Cheers, Yuri

Oh good. I'm not the only one to have owned and ridden a Heinz57 then

Hi Team,

I now have ridden the bike for a few weeks and put about a 1000k on it - didn't realise how good K100RS's would ride, it's just a joy !

With that, the next step for me is to lube the splines, clean out the starter/alternator (refurb them at the same time I guess), which will take me a few weeks. So thinking, might as well then do the valve clearances - IF needed.  So hope to get your advise if this is needed, or I should not touch them (as they are fine)

K100RS 89 - ~ 70k km on the clock
Spec: 0.15 - 0.20mm
In 1 0.10  
In 2 0.15
In 3 0.15
In 4 0.10

Spec: 0.25 - 0.30mm
Out 1 0.30
Out 2 0.25
Out 3 0.25
Out 4 0.30

I guess it makes sense and ideally to have all in same gap, and all out same gap. First and last cylinder inlet valves probably need to be changed to get them to .15 (better towards the tighter side than loose, correct?) and exit valves (while in spec) all to 0.30 aka cylinder 2 and 3?

What's your view? 

cheers from Perth. (still cold and wet winter weather here..)

They just need to be within spec; it's not worth trying to get them all the same. IMO only inlet 1 and 4 need changing, but if you wanted to be really picky then exhaust 1 and 4 could be changed to reduce the gap.

Thanks Dai - that’s what I was thinking

Actually, you want the exhaust valve gaps to be at the wide end of the spec to avoid burning the valves.  The wider the gap the more time the valve is closed and cooling.

Intake gaps aren't as important as long as they are in spec.  Some owners like them at the narrow end of the spec to get maximum intake flow for more power.  Personally, I like them also at the wide end of the spec as well to get maximum heat transfer from the valve to the head.

Love the physics behind that .75, that’s gonna be a few more shims to order then .
Time to find a correct valve shim tool, need to make my life as easy as I can with this.

Point-Seven-five wrote:Actually, you want the exhaust valve gaps to be at the wide end of the spec to avoid burning the valves.  The wider the gap the more time the valve is closed and cooling.

Intake gaps aren't as important as long as they are in spec.  Some owners like them at the narrow end of the spec to get maximum intake flow for more power.  Personally, I like them also at the wide end of the spec as well to get maximum heat transfer from the valve to the head.

Completely agree. I was thinking more along the lines of 'how long can I put this off before I have to do it again'

Hi All,

One more time a question for the pro’s. I did get the ‘official’ valve shim tool and bracket from Munich to change the shims. Tool works well; once I put in the little bracket, I can freely rotate the shim in the bucket.
However I fail to get the shim out of bucket. Have one of the notches on top (2pm location) tried to flip it out with screwdriver and pick; tried to get rid of the oil (degreaser), tried magnet. Can’t flip it out. Tried no 1 and 4 intake cylinders (that need to be done)

I rotated the shim in bucket and looked if I could see a notch, hole or groove in shim, which seems not to be the case, so nothing to hook in a small pick etc.

Any ideas ?

Cheers, Yuri

Scrap that, found a o-ring pick worked!

Shim one is out, now I need a micrometer. Thought I had one, but that seems to have gone on a walkabout.

Do people remove all shims, then measure, order new and then put them back ? Or one by one (remove, measure, put back, then next ?) I was going to do one by one ?

SunnyPerth wrote:

Shim one is out, now I need a micrometer. Thought I had one, but that seems to have gone on a walkabout.

 Just go get a new one, you will find the old one!

On 2 valve engines you do them one at a time.  

On the 16valve engines you have to do all of them at the same time because you have to take the cams out to remove the buckets.