Valve height measuring tool

Rocker arm geometry is generally optimal when the travel or movement of the rocker arm tip on the valve stem is minimized. To understand how to achieve correct geometry, it must be understood that the rocker arm tip itself travels in an arc. At zero lift, the rocker arm tip is expected to be closer or inboard to the plane of the pivot point and as the valve starts moving down, the rocker arm tip starts moving outboard.

If the geometry is close to ideal, then the rocker tip will be at its most outboard position at half or mid lift at which point the rocker tip starts moving inboard again as the valve reaches full lift. Simply put, ideal rocker arm geometry is achieved when the rocker tip is sitting on the valve stem tip at the same position at both zero lift and full lift. In a perfect world where the rocker shaft pedestal stand locating holes, the valve guide, and the rocker itself are all machined to exact specifications, the rocker tip is expected to be sitting slightly inboard of the valve stem center at both zero and full lift while the rocker tip will be sitting the same distance outboard of the center of the valve stem at exactly mid-lift.

In these cases, lash caps may be utilized to increase the area on the tip of the valve stem in which to increase the working area but in other cases it may require another style of rocker arm of the same ratio. Depending upon the scenario, compromises may be made in which optimum geometry is not achieved in order to allow the rocker tip to be sufficiently located on the valve stem tip.

In the case of the Y-Block with its shaft mounted rockers, this involves altering the height of the pedestal stands so that the rocker shaft can be moved in the appropriate direction.

Machined from billet aluminum. Custom bushings can be made by your local machinist and are not available through Race Tech. TFSH 58 58mm — Add to cart. TFSH 65 65mm — Add to cart. TFTT 01 Instruct. Remove and replace fork tubes from fork bottoms AKA axle clamps, fork lugs, etc on upside-down forks. TFTT 01 - Add to cart.

If you have ever used a Pin Spanner you have probably had one slip out of the hole. This usually causes damage. RT Pin Spanners have a unique pin design with a reverse taper to keep them from popping out during use.

Each pin set is double sided. Note-the sizes listed are of the actual pin diameter. If they fit in the hole they can be used however we recommend using the largest pin size that fits in the hole to avoid breakage of the pins.

Replacement Pins sold in pairs. We also offer other Pin Spanners specific to their applications including:. TMVJ Instruct. Made to fit 4 to 6. The jaws have a bolt spacing of 2. They fit many Wilton and other brand vises and can be drilled to fit others. This means the Shaft Holding Tools don't fall into the oil pan every time you use them. TMVJ - Add to cart.

TMWA 14 Instruct. This is a long 14mm Allen. It is a must for working on Grom forks. Grom forks also require a shaft holding tool for the fork tube TFSH TMWA 14 — Add to cart.

Excellent quality, great price. Chrome Vanadium, deep 6 point sockets. Includes 8,10,12,14 and 17mm. TTHS 02 - - Add to cart. The mysterious art of suspension is demystified! IBSB 01 — Add to cart. Used to remove and replace shock shaft bushings into most seal heads. Used to service shock compression adjusters. Note: On some shocks there are punch marks at the threads. These must be drilled 1 mm deep prior to compression adjuster removal.

TSCP 01 Instruct. Removes shock retaining clips without digging into the shock bodies. Made of hardened tool steel. If you work on shocks you'll really like this one! TSCP 01 - Add to cart. TSCT 01 Instruct. This tool threads onto the Schrader Valve located on the reservoir cap for easy removal.

TSCT 01 — Add to cart. TSNC 02 Instruct. This tool is quick and easy to use and a "must have" if you work on a higher volume of WP shocks. TSNC 02 - Add to cart. SPNV For charging G3-S Shocks. TSNG 02 Instruct. This Nitrogen Gauge does not require a wrench and easily reaches recessed valve stems without an extension. The Valve Core is depressed separately so there is no pressure loss. TSNG 02 Add to cart. TSNH 48 Instruct. Does not require a wrench. This hose works perfectly with our Nitrogen Regulator and Gauge.

TSNH 48 Add to cart. TSNN 01 Instruct. TSPA 01 Instruct. Tired of chewing up your shock spring collars when you adjust preload? Well we've got the tool for you! Can be used aggressively on preload adjusting collars with minimal damage. Many people chuckle at this one untill they try it. You'll like it. TSPA 01 - Add to cart. TSPR 50 Instruct. Many 50mm Suzuki shocks from have an "interesting" piston ring design that seals OK but has massive drag really bad-strongly recommend a Gold Valve.

This seal gets stuck in the circlip groove during disassembly, often destroying it. This Piston Ring Tool fits into, and fills, the circlip groove allowing the seal to easily slide past. It doesn't remove the massive friction uhh, have I mentioned Gold Valves? TSPR 50 - Add to cart. TSPS - Add to cart. This is the PRO version of the needle removal tool. It is driven with a T-handle, holds the Needle, and is self-centering in the body.

Note: It is ok for the pin to be smaller than the hole. This Preload Collar Adjusting Tool is designed to fit multiple diameter collars. It features a back cut on the hook to reduce the possibility of slippage. It also has a 24mm open end wrench for adjusting ride height.

TSPW - Add to cart. TSRC 01 Instruct. This tool is used to tap the bladder cap down to remove the snap ring on late model YZs eliminating the possibility of damage to the Schrader Valve. TSRC 01 - Add to cart. Advertisement Valve and seat work requires an assortment of valve guide and seat tools including valve guide reamers, pullers and drivers, seat cutters and even a die grinder if you are doing any hand porting or blending work.

Seat concentricity needs to be checked with a dial gauge. Installed valve height is another dimension that also needs to be measured with a height gauge or valve spring height micrometer. A valve spring height micrometer is substituted for a valve spring, expanded until it takes up all the slack between the spring seat and valve retainer and fully seats the valve. The reading on the micrometer then shows you the actual height of the spring. You can then determine if the springs need to be shimmed to achieve the desired close seat pressure.

Cordless shop tools are now capable of competing with pneumatic and corded power tools. Disassembly and assembly is easier when there are no hoses or cords to trip over. Clearances have to be measured prior to and during engine assembly. Everything has to fit together perfectly, and the only way to know that everything is fitting perfectly is to measure all critical dimensions and check clearances while you are assembling the engine.

Advertisement Again, never assume a reground crankshaft journal is accurate, or the bearings are the correct size. Mistakes sometimes happen and parts may be mismarked or put into the wrong boxes. Advertisement For adjusting the spacing of the piston ring end gaps, a manual or motorized piston ring filer is much faster and easier than trying to hand file or grind the ends of the rings. Twisting rings into the grooves can deform the rings and cause sealing problems. You will also need a ring compressor to install the piston and ring assemblies into their respective bores.

A tapered ring compressor is faster and easier to use than a clamp type ring compressor, and reduces the risk of ring breakage by allowing the rings to gradually compress as the pistons are pushed down into the bores.

You will also need different sizes of tapered ring compressors for different bore diameters. Rod bolt protectors are also a good idea to prevent nicking the crankshaft journals during rod installation. A soft-faced piston installation tool for pushing the pistons into the cylinders is also a better choice than pounding them in with a hammer and block of wood.

Manual spring benches allow engine builders to easily remove and install valve springs on heads with recessed springs in a short amount of time. Courtesy Goodson Tools and Supplies. Installing a stock cam in a pushrod engine is fairly simple and requires no special tools, but an installation handle that connects to the front of the cam makes it easier to maneuver through the cam bores. An adjustable pushrod may also be needed to determine the correct pushrod length for a modified engine with altered valve train geometry.

For overhead cam engines, you may also need special tools to position and hold the camshafts while the timing chains are installed and aligned. A cylinder head holding fixture can make assembly faster and easier, especially with multi-valve heads.

Advertisement Valve lash adjustments on engines with solid lifter cams will require a feeler gauge, and certain roller lifters will require a valve lash adjuster tool to make the job go faster. Absolutely essential for engine assembly work is an accurate torque wrench. An inexpensive beam style torque wrench is adequate for a do-it-yourselfer, but a professional engine builder should be using a click adjustable, dial gauge or digital electronic torque wrench. Adjustable torque wrenches must be calibrated periodically to make sure they are reading accurately.

Adjustable torque wrenches that are used frequently should be recalibrated every six months. Dial gauges and electronic torque wrenches also need to be recalibrated, but typically provide more accurate readings plus or minus 0. Advertisement Since many late model engines use torque-to-yield head bolts and rod bolts, an easy-to-read angle gauge is also required when tightening fasteners with a torque wrench.

Using the proper thread lubricant is also important to achieve the specified load on a fastener. Ordinary motor oil is often specified for head bolts, but moly-based thread lubricant will usually give more consistent loading.

Once an engine has been assembled, other tools can come in handy for checking your work. This includes a leak down tester or vacuum tester to check ring and valve sealing. Never assume valve springs are okay without testing them. Comparing spring heights is better than nothing, but no match for what a valve spring tester can provide.

Photo courtesy Performance Trends Inc. The last thing you want is a dry start that could damage the bearings, rings, cam or lifters in a newly assembled engine. Features: Internal Combustion Engines vs. Electric Vehicles EV. Features: Justina Reusch, Reusch Diesel. Tech Center. Digital Edition.