I'm getting ready to do my first valve check on my DS and have a couple of questions.

1) In order to determine what size shims I will need (assuming my valves are out of spec) don't I need to know what size the stock shims are? Is the stock shim size a known value, or do I need to actually measure them with a micrometer?

2) The shop manual I bought off of ebay mentions a crankshaft lock bolt along with a part#. Is this part required in order to perform a valve check?

 

take out your valve shims and measure them with the micrometer. u do need the TDC bolt. can't remember the part number but it should be in the manual??

 

you can get the locking bolt from the hardware store, 8mm fully threaded 50mm long sharpen the tip on a grinder.
but no you don't really need to bother locking the crank unless your gonna take stuff apart, if you check them and all are in spec no need to take anything apart so no need for locking bolt.
the shim thickness is etched on the shim surface in millimeters, commas are metric for periods. but the writing may be worn off, best to measure to be certain.

 

You know what your clearances should be, and you know what they are, so measure your current shims, and do the math to determine the needed shims if required.

 

stk cams i think are a .006 to .008 id have to look in my book. if your clearance is say .003 then measure you shim if the shim is .955 then you need a .952 or a .951. you need to try to keep them realy close on the clearances.

 

its .004 to .006 i looked.

 

You can also round the tip off of one of the chain guard bolts on the swingarm. They should be the thread you need. That is what I did on my 01'.

 

The intake valves on the DS seem to tighten up over time, so you would be well advised to adjust them to .006 so you have more clearance and the machine will run better longer. When I adjusted the valves on my machines I adjusted them both to this point (the 2003 was new, so no big deal) my 2001s intakes were at no measurable clearance and I had a very thin feeler gauge! Not to mention that when I adjusted the valves on my 2001 it became MUCH easier to start!