Hi Guy's I sent my 2004 450 foreman in to the dealer to adjust the valves when it was new only because they told me I should . I see a lot of talk on this site about valve adjustment and wanted to know how often it should be done and what signs to look for if they need to be adjusted ? Thanks.

 

As needed or about 1200 miles unless it starts to start hard or something.

 

The Honda shop manual says valve clearance should be adjusted at 20 hours from new, and than at 100 hours, 200 etc.

 

If you are mechanically skilled at all, the procedure is not difficult. If doing things yourself appeals to you, and you plan to keep the machine long term, I'd highly recommend investing in a factory service manual.

 

I couldn't have said it better than JeffinTD on the shop manual , it will pay for it's self in no time ; in most case's one complete servicing including a valve adjust !

I never had to use a manual myself , but i had been in the Small Engine Service And Repair Industry for over 20 yrs ; and when i needed any info like specification's on anything i didn't know i had a good friend who owned a Dealership and she would give me the info free of charge !.......

 

That first adjustment at 20 hours, right after break-in is the most important one, then every 100 hours after that.

Valve adjustment is the most neglected preventative maintenance procedure that there is!

 

recon you're right about the importance of the first valve clearance check , that's why i would reccomend getting a good shop manual and do it myself ; i know that most Dealer's or at least the last two Dealer's in my area only checked the valve's if they're making any unusal noise or starting issus !

The first Dealer here in my town was the only Honda Dealer for over 45 yrs. , and the Technition at his shop told me they didn't even check them unless of noise or a starting issus ; but the Dealer charged for this even though the valve's weren't checked !

After the first Dealer sold his Dealership to the second owner , my brother bought a 2004 Honda TRX350FM Rancher ; and the same Technition worked for this Dealer who did the same as the previous Dealer !

After the first servicing of his quad , he had me to check the valve's and go over every nut and bolt on his Rancher ; the only thing that i could see that they did on his Rancher was to change the oil , oil filter and air filter cleaning / relubing and a good cleaning to make it look like it had recieved a complete serviicing !

Not all Dealers do this to their customer's , but i marked the screw's on the valve cap's to see if they checked the valve's and they weren't touched so i know they were doing the same as the previous Dealer ; and even though the first servicing was free the work they claimed to do wasn't done to my brother's quad !.......

 

I would think MOST dealears/repair shops cheat on valve adjusting.......
I would not trust any of them - doing it yourself can be a hassle , but at least you know it got done !!!!!

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: WOLFCREEKRIDER

I would think MOST dealears/repair shops cheat on valve adjusting.......

I would not trust any of them - doing it yourself can be a hassle , but at least you know it got done !!!!!</end quote></div>

Most dealers and repair shops do not cheat on it. The problem is the public perception that they are out to screw you. What good does it do for them to screw you one time if you don't bring your bike back? They LOSE business by doing this. Also, once the manufacturer finds out about stuff like that, they will drop their factory backing / support and leave the owner/dealership hanging. It is mostly on the MECHANIC, not the dealership or owner. A lazy mechanic is the only thing to worry about IMO. These engines are simple enough that you can do it yourself without having special tools (unlike automobiles which require special tools in order to force you to bring it to the dealership to fix problems, or force you to shell out more cash than the special tool is "worth"), so you are better of investing the money in a manual so that you can get things done yourself and you'll know that the required work is being done.

 

I stand corrected : the dealerships are not at fault .........

the mechanic's can get away with it for sure as there is little way you can prove they did or did not do it ; short of having it done again as soon as they said they did it