2011 RT Valve Check Question ?

[mosrrt]

I have a 2011 RT and going to check the valves tonight for the first time. I have two questions.

Are the semi- spheres from the Factory the same size ????

If so what are they, intake/ exhaust??

Mike

[deilenberger]

I have a 2011 RT and going to check the valves tonight for the first time. I have two questions.

Are the semi- spheres from the Factory the same size ????

If so what are they, intake/ exhaust??

Mike

Mike..

I'm not sure what you're asking but I'll take a stab at it.

If the spheres were "the same size" (thickness)? No.. they come in different sizes (thicknesses) so you can correct for any wear in the valve mechanism.

Depends on what size is used to set the correct clearances.

[Semper_Fi]

As Don stated they are not the same

What you need to do is measure the valve clearance if they are out you take your orginal shim out, compare the amount the clearance is out and subtract that will be the difference to get the valve clearance in spec

I would shoot for mid-range on any replacement - the repair CD will have the specs for intake and exhaust i dont remember right off hand

I checked my clearance at 6000 miles and all inspect

I am going to check again now that I have 12

Tell us how it goes

[mosrrt]

Ok , is this easier to understand what I am asking.

It would be nice to pre purchase the spheres before I check the valves. May buy a size larger and smaller than the factory sphere.
It would seem that the factory would install a certian size { 2 } sphere for the intake and exhaust when the engine was made. If I knew the size of the intake and exhaust sphere from new I could buy some spheres before I open her up.
At .50 each I would buy 8 smaller and 8 larger of the Factory spheres. $8. total.

It would seem odd that BMW would have a number of different spheres installed when new
Thanks, Mike

[deilenberger]

It would seem odd that BMW would have a number of different spheres installed when new
Thanks, Mike

Easier to understand, but.... unfortunately, I believe you may find different thickness spheres right from the factory. Manufacturing variances/tolerances, etc.

Be nice if they were all exactly the same, and will be interesting to know what you find out.

As a WAG - if you measure the clearances - bet they don't "need" adjusting. This sort of valve train is quite stable with use. It's a design BMW used on some M3 engines (with the improvement of the sphere instead of a flat shim) like the S54 engine. On the S54 engine the check clearance interval is around 32k miles (depending on how hard you use the engine).. and many of them go to the 2nd check before needing adjustment.

[Semper_Fi]

Easier to understand, but.... unfortunately, I believe you may find different thickness spheres right from the factory. Manufacturing variances/tolerances, etc.

What he said

[mosrrt]

Thanks men. I will let you know how it all comes out. If they are in spec I won't be removing the spheres to check sizes
Mike

[MAXSCYCLE]

I have a 2011 RT and going to check the valves tonight for the first time. Are the semi- spheres from the Factory the same size ????
If so what are they, intake/ exhaust? Mike

Something else to consider. If you have two or more valves out of spec. It is possible that the sphere you remove from one valve will be the correct size for another valve location. That worked out for me more than once and other engines.
max

[cookie]

This is a very common dilemma. I remember back in 1980 I had a Yamaha 1100 XS Special, great bike. Anyway you have to measure the gap find out which pucks are out of range, measure the puck, do the math and go purchase the size required to make up the difference. Of course the bike shop needs to be open at the time so sometimes it's a two or three project.

[sedanman]

A million years ago, seems that way anyway. My local shop would swap shims with you if yours were in good shape. Give them an old one and they'd give you the size you needed. Even swap. You were very likely to get a used shim.

[mosrrt]

Ok checked the valves and all were within spec. With only 4300 miles on her.
The question now is, will these valves get tighter or looser with more miles????
The Hexhead got tighter as miles went on.
Mike

[JoeyBones]

FYI datapoint: My '11 RT needed no valve adjustments at 6,000 miles and no valve adjustments at 12,000 miles. But I sleep better knowing that they were checked!

[7536]

Ok , is this easier to understand what I am asking.

It would be nice to pre purchase the spheres before I check the valves. May buy a size larger and smaller than the factory sphere.
It would seem that the factory would install a certian size { 2 } sphere for the intake and exhaust when the engine was made. If I knew the size of the intake and exhaust sphere from new I could buy some spheres before I open her up.
At .50 each I would buy 8 smaller and 8 larger of the Factory spheres. $8. total.

It would seem odd that BMW would have a number of different spheres installed when new
Thanks, Mike

Except: They are more like $6 each. My 2010 has only needed two shims changed (well, not really Needed) in 75k miles. So relax, you're overthinking this.

[grb60]

At 6000 miles I adjusted six of the eight valves, but only bought two new shims at $6 each.
Impossible to know what you'll need until you open it up. For me, dealer is six miles so a stop on the way home from work the next day and I put it back together that evening.
By the way, none of my valves were out of spec, but they were close so I moved them back to the middle. It seems that all the bikes checked at dealers are fine and most who do their own end up making some adjustments. A head scratcher?

[anchorbend]

Just had my 6000 mi. check on my 2012 Rt and no shims needed.