Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine

givemeabreak

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
I’d been having issues with engine, while mowing, and about 1+30 into the mow, engine was / is losing power and starting to back fire (unclear to me whether through the Carb or Muffler). My Brother (via long distance call said it sounded to him like I have a Valve “Acting Up,” rather than a Carburetor Issue). Yesterday, after reading Kaw Service Manual, I looked into adjusting valves. Started with Cyl. # 1, got what I believed the Cyl. to be at TDC & set the Intake to .006. Went to Exhaust, Clearance was NON-EXISTANT, so proceeded to adjust via the Manual, and Exhaust Valve NEVER FREED UP. Moved Cyl. OFF TDC (Don’t know how much / far), and Valve moved to where there was some Clearance, after having none. Scratched my Head, moved Cyl. #2 to TDC, and adjusted both Valves to .006, WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTY. Moved Cyl. #1 BACK TO TDC, proceeded to Adjust those Valves again. Adjusted Intake with no issues, but Exhaust STILL WILL NOT ADJUST OUT OF A “NO CLEARANCE” Condition. Outside of taking the Head Off and examining what’s going on under there, does anyone have any suggestions of what I might try to free this valve up and adjust while at TDC. I’m certainly not a “Professional Mechanic,” and would appreciate all the feedback / recommendation(s) anyone can offer. Next Stop just might have to be to my “Over-Priced JD Dealer,” and a 2 - 3 week back logged visit. Thanks for your Responses.
 

Mower King

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
I’d been having issues with engine, while mowing, and about 1+30 into the mow, engine was / is losing power and starting to back fire (unclear to me whether through the Carb or Muffler). My Brother (via long distance call said it sounded to him like I have a Valve “Acting Up,” rather than a Carburetor Issue). Yesterday, after reading Kaw Service Manual, I looked into adjusting valves. Started with Cyl. # 1, got what I believed the Cyl. to be at TDC & set the Intake to .006. Went to Exhaust, Clearance was NON-EXISTANT, so proceeded to adjust via the Manual, and Exhaust Valve NEVER FREED UP. Moved Cyl. OFF TDC (Don’t know how much / far), and Valve moved to where there was some Clearance, after having none. Scratched my Head, moved Cyl. #2 to TDC, and adjusted both Valves to .006, WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTY. Moved Cyl. #1 BACK TO TDC, proceeded to Adjust those Valves again. Adjusted Intake with no issues, but Exhaust STILL WILL NOT ADJUST OUT OF A “NO CLEARANCE” Condition. Outside of taking the Head Off and examining what’s going on under there, does anyone have any suggestions of what I might try to free this valve up and adjust while at TDC. I’m certainly not a “Professional Mechanic,” and would appreciate all the feedback / recommendation(s) anyone can offer. Next Stop just might have to be to my “Over-Priced JD Dealer,” and a 2 - 3 week back logged visit. Thanks for your Responses.
Not to be critical but....."got what I believed the Cyl to be at TDC" might just be the problem, you have to know where TDC is and also know what you're doing. It's easier to mess things up than to repair them......if you're just guessing.
 
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givemeabreak

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
"got what I believed the Cyl to be at TDC" might just be the problem, you have to know where TDC is and also know what you're doing.
Well Sir, the Manual says to place the flywheel magnet under the Ignition Coil, and I ALSO believe I know which of those are, and I can READ and Comprehend what the manual says. All I’m requesting is to know what’s going on with the Exhaust Valve that will not allow it to “free up” when unlocking the Lock Nut, and moving the Adjusting Bolt through a couple of 360 degree “opening and closing” revolutions. What else is there to your statement “....know what you’re doing?” Your honest and candid opinion would be most welcome!
 

Mower King

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
I'll just say this and leave it at that, just because the Flywheel magnet and coil is lined up, doesn't mean that cyl is at TDC....there is more to it than that.
 

Rivets

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
First GIVE ME A BREAK, don’t go slamming someone who is trying to help you. We are not standing next to you with a beer in our hand seeing exactly what you are doing. The person is trying to understand what is going on to give you their best advice. If you came here thinking you know more than those trying to help, you’re wasting your time. You came here asking advice, but started biting the hand trying to feed you. Second, you said you are following the manual, but you didn’t say whether you rotated the flywheel when going between cylinders. If you just guessed that you had it a TDC, that will be your first mistake. TDC on the compession stroke on one cylinder means TDC on the exhaust stroke on the other cylinder. This would mean that the exhaust valve on the second cylinder will probably not be fully closed, meaning no clearance. In this case, you can’t guess. You have to do it a certain way, or you will have or become the problem. Here is my suggestion to you. Bite the bullet, swallow your pride, apologize and do the following. On cylinder #1, remover the valve cover, insert an unsharpened pencil into the spark plug hole, rotate the flywheel until both valves are closed and the piston pushes the pencil up as far as it will go, then starts back down. At this point keep rotating the flywheel until the piston goes down 1/4” and stop. At this point adjust the valve clearance. When done rotate the flywheel through two or three cycles and repeat to check clearance. If it has not changed, repeat the procedure on cylinder #2. That is the proper way to adjust valves without guessing. If you think that you have more expertise than mower and me, throw this procedure in the trash and wait for someone smarter than the three of us to come along and give you another opinion. Or you can reread the manual and do as they say without guessing.
PS: Sorry forgot to say you can now go to the back of the line of people who hate me, because I am too old, blunt, and call it as I see it.
 

Hammermechanicman

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
I will be the renegade heretic here.
Remove valve cover. Rotate engine till one valve is open and adjust the other valve. Rotate the engine till the other valve is open and adjust the other valve. Repeat on the other cylinder. When one valve is open the other is on the heel of the cam. Don't worry about TDC.
 

givemeabreak

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
Okay. Mower King, I apologize. My Reply to you wasn’t meant to be condescending, but was more like a statement of frustration. The Manual, being the only tool at my disposal (besides a Forum, such as Lawnmower), seemed to have left me a “little short” of what I expected, when the #1 Exhaust Valve failed to show any sign of clearance. And for ALL WHO HAVE REPLIED TO MY FIRST EVER FORUM POST. My sole purpose for being here is NOT to impart any wisdom / experience I have about small engines. I HAVE NONE. My purpose is to seek KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM from those of you who do. But surely, I’d think MK would have to admit his comments: 1) “You have to know where TDC is and know what you’re doing,” and 2) “....just because the flywheel magnet aligns with the coil doesn’t mean the Cyl. is at TDC....there’s more to it than that,” falls a little short too of providing any substantive explanation of “.....how does one ENSURE that the Cyl. is at TDC?” I know the English Language, coming from everyone’s mouth, or computer keyboard, can be difficult to interpret. I COULD USE ANYONE’S HELP I CAN SOLICIT FROM THIS FORUM TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE PROPER TECHNIQUE FOR ADJUSTING THE VALVES ON THIS MACHINE, TO KAWASAKI SPECS. Thanks for everyone’s input.
 

slomo

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
Glad we could help you out.

slomo
 

slomo

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
I will be the renegade heretic here.
Remove valve cover. Rotate engine till one valve is open and adjust the other valve. Rotate the engine till the other valve is open and adjust the other valve. Repeat on the other cylinder. When one valve is open the other is on the heel of the cam. Don't worry about TDC.
Some engines do that 1/4" into the bore deal. Comp release as you know. I have done this method for years, no issues.

slomo
 

StarTech

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  • / Failed Attempt to Adjust Valves on Kawasaki FD750D Water Cooled Engine
I use the old school method of adjusting valves as Hammermechanicman describe. I still; however, do put the piston at TDC each time as I can feel when I am at TDC.

For me I have broken off the wooden dowel a couple times doing the 1/4" pass TDC method. Not fun to remove a head unnecessarily.

Takes a little longer but you are not fighting the ACR either. Now of course I learn my valve rocker adjustment on V6s, V8s, and inline 6 cylinder engines.
 
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