as far as i know the buckets/tappets dont need to be replaced.

I am still confused right now as if i need to buy a top dead center locking bolt or not...

 

its proberly a good idea to lock it TDC if end up having to change shims. i havent ever done it, but i think your going to have to take your cams out to change the shims.....

on the tdc bolt, i just went to lowes and got a allen head 8mm bolt and grinded down the tip of it with a grinder and it worked fine..

 

if I am not using the tdc bolt i will line up my timing marks then put one zip tie around the chain and each timing gear so when i pull out the adjuster and slack gets in the chain the timing geard oes not change a tooth in either direction on the chain really screwing you up,get both your timing marks lined up with your lobes pointing away from each other take your clearance measurments, write them down like i do on a peice of paper like this lex-.005 (means left exhaust) rex-.006 ( right exhaust) lin- .005 (means left intake) rin-.006 (means right intake) then zip tie your cam chain to the timing gears only one zip tie at the top of each gear will do pull the big i think it is 16 mm bolt out from the back of your jugg inside is an adjuster i just reach in with my fingernail and pull it out and put it into a zip lock bag make sure the which end comes out first, basically it is like a lifter fills with oil and keeps tension on your cam chain, after you pull that outin the front of the cam chain is a long black peice of plastic that goes down into the case about a foot long this will give you more slack in your chain the only way i could get mine off and on was to take of the intake first and put it on last something about the position it is in so if you have a valve that is out of take the black peice of plastic between the two gears with notches for the timing marks pull the top bolt out of the black peice of plastic then take out the 5 mm allen bolts holding the cam carriage you can lift the whole cam carrier up enough to use a magnet to pull the whole bucket off the valve spring needing adjustment, once you have the bucket out use the magnet to pull the shim out if the top of the bucket, the shim looks like a quarter slug then use a micrometer or caliper and measure the thickness of it the highest they go is 3mm and the lowest is 2.mm there is a chart on here to help you figure what size you need, pull your valve cover get everything lined up and measure your clearances and get back to us we will be here to help you, if your would like to call me 1-651-388-9483 my name is dave i have done it numerous times and i can walk you through it it your wish, let us know

 

oh yeah if you need shims you find out what thickness you have then either get the next smaller or larger size if you are close or two sizes smaller or larger they are only like 4 dollars a peice

 

Thanks for all the help. I was at autozone today to buy feeler gauges and noticed they had quite a few different kinds. They had very tiny ones (about an inch long) then they had some longer ones that were angled at the bottom, and said "valve tappet" feelers, or somthing like that.

Should I get the smaller flat ones, or the larger angled ones?

I think I will do my valves as the very last thing I do. (have to install a bunch of stuff, change oil/coolant and then give her a detailing.

So the bolt you pull out (by the clutch cover) is this the bolt you use as a TDC locking bolt, or do you just simply pull that out so you can see the crank mark?

I really wish I had a fellow ds'er close by, because It would probably take half an hour to run through this, and I wouldnt be constantly afraid I would be jacking somthing up lol.

 

i sent you a pm, you dont have to pull the tdc bolt if you put zip ties around the camchain and cam gears, call me i am here awake and waiting i will answer your questions 1-651-388-9483 im dave

 

i have the small straight flat ones by craftsman that goes down to .0015 in. and they work great i think they were $5.50 I will be for another couple hours

 

Dave, I thank you for the help, but calling wont be needed tonight anyway. (dont have access to the quad, so dont really have anymore questions)

One thing I am wondering, if it is TDC.. isnt eyeballing the timing marks a bad thing to do? or would you have to move either one a good bit to make the valves move enough to throw off your shim readings?

 

one tooth off will make a difference...a couple of teeth off and you will be replaceing bent valves....

 

when just checking them though, as long as the chain dosnt skip on the gear, its not going to change anything right?

My question was just asking if measuring clearances without a TDC bolt is a bad idea. (I just didnt know if you had the timing marks a mm off, if it would throw off your measurements on clearances?)