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Setting Valves on 83 CX650 E

8K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  bandit 
#1 ·
Hello Guys,



My friend suggested that I check my cam chain and look at setting my valves.



My bike runs pretty good and overall I don't really have any problems with it. (This is my first bike so maybe I don't know any better though)



Anyways, I was reading through the reference here:



http://www.sheppola.karoo.net/TwistedTwin/CXGLTappets.htm#CXGLTappets



and it is obviously for the CX500 bikes but was wondering if I can still follow these guidelines for my bike?



I'm assuming the measurements for the feeler guages are different for the CX650 correct?



I will have to check my manual tonight but I think I have the CX650 C manual and not the E.



Inlet: 0.0039"



Exhaust:0.0047"



I just want to be sure I don't screw anything up on my bike that already runs pretty good.



I guess another question is should I really be doing this if my bike is running good?



I've rode the bike almost 10,000 km now since I bought it and the bike has a total of about 50,000 km and I don't know much about the history of maitenance.



How often should the cam chain be inspected?



I also read something about self-adjusting cam chain? Does the CX650 E have a self adjusting cam chain?







Thanks for all the help guys.



Cheers,



Jonathan in Waterloo.
 
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#3 ·
This may seem ridiculously obvious, but just a word of warning: be sure not to get your mm and inch specs mixed up. You quoted a spec for inches... and of course you're in Canada, so your feeler gauges may be metric. Most gauge sets I've seen indicate their value in both mm & inches... but it's easy to get it mixed up if it's your first time and you're concentrating on other thing.



Good luck.
 
#6 ·
Jonathan,when you get to 50,000 miles,start getting prepared,an auto adjuster could be in need of a little help
 
#5 ·
There's no real way to inspect and Auto so just keep your ears open for any engine noises that shouldn't be there.The cam chains will start to give a warning rattle and that's the,"Shot across the bows".



The bottom sound on here is that nasty last legs sound and possible engine failure already,



http://www.pdsrecording.site90.com/cxgl500/noises.htm



Pre-emptive oil and coolant changes go a long way to increase the longevity of these engines as does a good routine maintenance regime.



Your plugs can tell you how the engine/combustion is doing and the temp gauge how the cooling system is doing.Never rely on the coolant overflow bottle to reflect the proper coolant level in the engine.



Also according the Addendum in my manuals your Tappet gaps are the same as the 500s and IIRC the cam chains,if replacement is required,are the same.
 
#7 ·
@Bandit,



What do you mean by a little help? Do you mean you think the cam chain may need replacing? Or do you mean the auto adjuster (no idea what that really is) needs replacing or a check?



I plan on touring long distance on the bike this summer... Should I just change the tensioner to be safe, theres about 48,000 Kilometers on the bike, which only translates to 30,000 miles.



Can anyone on here with a CX 650 E tell me if/when they changed their cam chain?



@Shep



My temperature gauge always reads well, the fan rarely goes on unless i'm in stop and go traffic on a really hot day.



What did you mean by don't rely on the coolant reservoir to measure whether coolant is at the right level?



How else should I measure proper coolant levels? I always did wonder if it is bad that I find my coolant will turn a light brown colour after time in the reservoir. I flushed the coolant at the beginning of last season when I first bought the bike. What does this mean?



I don't have any coolant or oil leaks that I know of.



The light brown coolant colour does sound bad because it makes it seem like oil potentially may be getting in the coolant cycle.



Although I never really notice a drop in oil levels.



Thanks for the help again guys




I know I sound like a noob but this is only my second year of owning and riding a bike and all your expertise is greatly appreciated.
 
#8 ·
@Bandit,



What do you mean by a little help? Do you mean you think the cam chain may need replacing? Or do you mean the auto adjuster (no idea what that really is) needs replacing or a check?



I plan on touring long distance on the bike this summer... Should I just change the tensioner to be safe, theres about 48,000 Kilometers on the bike, which only translates to 30,000 miles.



Can anyone on here with a CX 650 E tell me if/when they changed their cam chain?
in my opinion,50k miles seems to be about the standard life of a camchain.you will not have to replace the auto.adjuster,just reset it.at 30k miles,id guess youl be fine.enjoy your ride


http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/126066/ShowPost.aspx
 
#10 ·
sorry if i confused you.not at 30k miles,but when you do replace the chain......

your adjuster normally does not wear out.

but,on replacing a chain.which is shorter than your old one.youl need to reset the adjuster,its quite easy.there is a good picture in the haynes manual.it takes 2 minutes.nothing to worry about at this stage
 
#13 ·
I don't think it can do the engines any good Abes to come on that high.It has been reported on several forums that the Stators on the 650s go more frequently and I think this is a contributory factor and even more so if these are the G8 simpler stators e.g TAI ignition?
 
#14 ·
Jonathan, I have the CX650E shop manual supplement and it gives the valve clearances as 0.10mm(0.003in) inlet and 0.12mm(0.005in) exhaust. when cold.



Stan



ps Nice ride
 
#15 ·
Thanks Stan for the correct valve clearances!



Theres a guy in Kitchener who just bought a couple of parts of my CX650 E parts bike who said all us 650 E riders should get together this summer for a ride, hopefully you can join us.



Looks like all of our bikes are black with semi-original decals as well




@ Shep,



What you are saying is worrysome to me.



How much work is it to check the coolant passages and radiator for blockages.



I have always been under the impression that over time my fluid gets "used up" (I never understood why) and I would need to "top up" the reservoir coolant bottle.



Any ideas why my coolant in the reservoir would look light brownish?



I usually use 50% water, 50% coolant mixture.



But if i've been riding for a long time and notice the reservoir getting low I will refill with only water.



Thanks for your help shep,
 
#16 ·
I don't mean to cause undo concern just try and get the machines to a decent high standard of operation and also draw together information from previous posts on various forums to try and reduce possible problems.

A little history.Both my CX500s have been re-built by me from the crank-shaft up.Before re-building the engines I had power washed the blocks oil-ways and coolant passages and high pressure air blew them through.

Then I took them to a small cheap engine specialists and got them to vapour blast them in their block cleaning tank so I then knew they were spotless.Also see this thread on cleaning the cooling system in-bike-ish.



http://cx500forum.com/index.php?/to...__54503__hl__citric__fromsearch__1#entry54503



It was posted several times on the old Australian forum that some members with 650s went through stators quicker and it was postulated that it was because the engines may have run hotter especially stopped in traffic thus thinning the oil.I don't know if this is the case or not however it has also been noted that the starter motors get more wear moving the larger displacement and some 650 owners have also noted that the torx screws that go into the Starter Flywheel assembly can work loose over time causing problems.



Taking into account all these things and just being me if I owned a 650 version I would want my Electric fan to kick in,as stated,the same as my Efan conversions



http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=209



on my CX500s and never let the engine/temp gauge get up as high as I believe they do on the 650s.This is cheap and easy to do.Just get an 75/80 Deg C temp sensor and bypass the standard one and let it take over the job.As I don't have a 650 I cannot test which one would be right for the job.



I would most likely do the starter motor earth strap modification as well,



http://australiancx.asn.au/forum/index.php?topic=4459.0;highlight=starter+motor



and of course also as I do anyway pre-emptive oil changes anyway to make sure the oil is always good.



Don't concern yourself too much with the cooling system if it's bean cleaned and the above is just what I would do to try and make a 650 the same as my 500s.



I would however recommend fitting a new thermostat and rad cap as these can be gotten cheap from Autozone type shops.Then you know they are brand new and shouldn't cause any concern for many years.



Recap:



Clean and flush the whole cooling system and fit new thermostat and rad cap(This may also cure the brownish coolant problem).

Do Starter mod

Change thermostat control of fan.

Change oil before it needs it(I use cheap 15w40 made for diesel car engines.Rotella seems to be the brand over there).



Again these are just my thoughts and things I would do if I owned the 650 version.



Note:I can leave either of my CX500s on the centre stand running ad infinitum and they will never overheat and the temp needle,once it hits the centre,will get driven down by my Ducati fans until the fan switches off just below the nominal mark.



HTH
 
#17 ·
@Shep,



I just want to confirm some things,



So without the electric fan mod:



You are saying that in stock condition/state, my CX650 E radiator fan is mechanically driven by the motor?



So everytime the fan turns the engine is powering the fan to rotate and taking extra horsepower/fuel to run this fan?



So what causes the fan to actually grenade/explode when powered mechanically versus the electric conversion?



Is it hard on the alternator running with the electric fan modification?
 
#18 ·
All CX650 and GL650s have electric fans right from Honda. All carbureted 500s have mechanical fans as stock. I don't know about the CX500T.
 
#19 ·
Damit, now I owe my dad a beer! We were debating on that topic last night. Mechanical or Electric.



I was going by what Shep said and thought my fan was mechanical because I was telling him about the electric mod I wanted to do to hook the fan up to the coils so the fan would run electrically.



Thanks for the clarification though Rich, I guess you and my dad were right.



Oh well, I will still do the thermo mod though because I do agree the fan comes on, although rarely, way too late.



Cheers!
 
#21 ·
That how to conversion on - how to convert rad fan to electric - should be stickied at the top in asterisks that the mod is only for CX500's non-turbo.



I did get to coolant flushing yesterday though.



I am suspiscious that is actually my rad cap that is rusting out. As when I looked at the bottom of the cap it looked very rusty.



I have a parts bike with a rad but assume given it has even more mileage that it will look the same as well.



Where can I get a new rad cap from?



I also realized that I am an idiot and was running "hard" water in my coolant system last summer.



I hope I didn't damage anything too badly...
 
#23 ·
I also realized that I am an idiot and was running "hard" water in my coolant system last summer.



I hope I didn't damage anything too badly...
i would fill the cooling system up with cheap vinegar,leave overnight and flush well.it will get rid of any cal. build up.depending where you live,i have to do my kettle every 3 weeks
 
#22 ·
Radiator cap should interchange with a honda car (I think Civic) from the same era. Find out the PSI rating (should be in the shop manual if you have one - or on the cap itself) and then head to the local auto parts store. That's what I did for a new one for my Turbo and paid much less than a motorcycle place would have wanted for the same part.
 
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