Ditto that!

If you can't find someone local to do your valve work our guy here can do it.

All of what you are hearing are good ideas but, hearing all those ideas makes you feel overwhelmed.

Deep breath.

Pulling the head isn't that bid of a deal. A do-over may cost you some time but, don't be afraid to do it. Just think, next time you will be even better at it!

Check your valve clearances. The shims should be available at a local motorcycle shop. Just take them in and tell them what you need.

The feeler gauge is about $10 from any autoparts store or Sears. You may also want to get a caliper gauge (for measuring your shim size) but, as long as you have it out the dealers can measure them.

 

Let it sit awhile and enjoy the holidays. Maybe Santa will bring you a compression tester. You are getting wound up about nothing as far as I can see.
1. Take your time and do this methodically. Pull off a plug wire and stick a plug in the cap and touch it to the head and crank the motor looking for spark. Got good spark?
2. Next pull the valve cover off and slap a feeler guage under the cams with the bump side up. Draw a picture of the four valves in position and write your findings for each one. If one is tight and another is loose you can mic the shims and swap sometimes.
3. Crank the cam with the decompressor lever sideways and make sure that the lever moves freely, if it's sticky you can loose compresion through the exhaust.
4. Next time you try to start it, drain the carb and just squirt alittle gas or starting fluid in past the throttle plate or whatever these carbs use. If it runs a little then you can mess with the carb. Where's your old carb? To many new things at once is a guaranteed headache.
5. It's cold right? my bike flames out on startup without the choke set correctly when it's very cold.
6. Your stock style chain tensioner needs oil and you didn't start with oil pressure, then it quieted down after you got oil pressure. I've heard them rattle pretty good without skipping a tooth timing wise so you are probably good to go there.
7. Sounds like you have enough octane but you could try higher if you still get knocking noises after checking other possible causes.
8. Battery acid freezes and then damages the battery internally. A charged battery freezes at a lower temperature!
9. Gary knows his stuff and you really don't. No offense but you jumped in alittle over your head. I really doubt you bent a valve as long as your valve timing is on.
10. Go to a Napa or auto parts store and see if they will loan you a compression tester or better yet a leakdown checker.
11. Cant get one anywhere? at the same stores buy a rubber tipped air inflator for blowing out passages, they come in handy. You can pressurize the cylinder to check for air leaks as was posted previously.
12. It would be a good idea to buy some assembly lube and pull your cams and goop them up. You will probably have them out if your valve clearance is off at all.
Good luck, you presumably have your health and a potentially fast quad thats sounds like it's 95% there. Hey a guy at work bought an old mustang to fix up and had the hood spring clamped down with a screwdriver in it. The spring popped free, and the srewdrivers handle knocked him cold and shattered his eye socket and broke his nose! You don't have problems.

 

Okay guys,

I'll see where it lies. When I get back from work today I'm going to buy a feeler gauge and see where it goes from there. I'm not knocking Gary but I'm a bit disappointed with a few things. I still have to order one or two parts from him but my reasons of disappointment go beyond further than what I mentioned here.

If the valve is indeed damaged I may send it out for repairs. I will post a report. I have a 4 day weekend coming up I'll tear into it there.


Once again guys thanks for taking the time out and helping me out with my problem. You've all been like caring family members. Thanks!

 

BTW is there a certain type of feeler gauge I should be looking for? I presume I can get one as Sears.

 

I got the one that is about pocket knife size and is angled on the ends. It has a bunch of sizes and you just slide them out (again, like a pocket knife.)

I believe the builders (Not picking on Gary by any stretch. . . IMO everyone that I've seen is guilty) are marketing these kits as easy to install by someone with general mechanical knowledge. I know it would be a lot of work and probably something that would be copied by other builders but, I think instructions should be included with these kits. I know I have missed a few details in the past.

The best thing I can recommend is BEFORE doing a build get on here and post, "About ready to install "xxx" what do I need to make sure I do and don't do? Anything to watch out for? You will get most things covered that way.

 

DuneMe,

I agree with what you said. I can't count how many times I posted here and my problems have been answered in some way. I'm itching to go home to see if the valves are properly gapped/spaced/etc. I'll admit I'm not very experienced with this sort of stuff but I do take my time and go over everything. Again I did this once before and I didn't find it that difficult. This will be a great learning opportunity on how to check the valves. it's something I always wanted to learn how to do.

Correct me if I'm wrong.... the longer part of the cam lobe (the cone like shape if looking from the side) is the part that has to face skyward and I put the shim underneath it correct?

 

Yep!

 

Trust me I want it running... thanks again guys... I will post what happens.

If a valve is indeed bent... what tools are required to remove it or should I best leave it to someone else? Duneme who is your guy that can do it? Any idea how much? How quick can he turn it around. If a valve is bent I may send it out and get bigger valves while I'm at it.

 

Hey just stubled on to this thread.

When I put my Piston in, I went to start up the BULL and all I got was Spitten ,Buckin,and Farten!! It even started and ran a couple different times. After talking with DSMIKE about my problems, he told me to double check my CAM timing. I told him that I that could be it, cause I made double sure that I had the crank locked,and the cams facing OUT from eachother. We continued to talk about my symptomes,and he kept going back to CAM timing. So I took everything off agian and popped the valver cover off, and WHAT!!!! the cams were facing IN!!!!! I would have bet a 1000 bucks that I set them correctly, Ive done it before many times, and was the last thing I would have thought I did wrong, BUT I DID... I set them right ,and it fired up first crank. I still cant believe it started up,and ran for a few seconds,and I DIDNT bend a valve!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] Igave mike a good laugh though..[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]





Check your cams.




Bigger.

 

Well I gotta pick up a bed for my son and off to Sears to get the biggest feeler gauge I can find. Wish me luck boys.

I also spoke to Gary. I found out he has been monitoring my posts. He was actually pretty understanding and gave me good advice. I mentioned if it was bent can he fix it for me. I did forget to ask what the tolerances are. Yes I'm keepin the DS guys... I'm just a bit frazzled and frustrated. I took that deep breath. I'm in better spirits now... thanks guys.