Topic: Who do I have to Screw in order to keep those tappets tight?!!

[BomberMann650]

Anyone else have issues with tappets getting noisy after a free-spirited ride?  Cb550f got a bit tappety after yesterdays run. 

[Don R]

  Nope, what have you checked so far?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Are they still noisy after it cools down the next day? Heavier weight oil?!

[BomberMann650]

  Nope, what have you checked so far?

Oil delivery to the head...and thats all so far.  I had done my previous adjustment about 700mi ago.  I'm doing this adjustment more frequently than I care to :/

[DaveBarbier]

Do you have an early 550 that doesn't have the rocker shaft pins? I could be wrong, but I think Honda added the pins to keep the rocker shafts from spinning and wearing it's bore which would alter tappet clearance. Perhaps you have this issue?

Maybe you could set the tappets and then put a little dab of paint on the tips of the tappets and rocker arms to see if they're actually loosening and spinning?

[BomberMann650]

Are they still noisy after it cools down the next day? Heavier weight oil?!

I noticed the noise after taking an hour and a half long lunch break on the same ride.  By the time I was getting back to home base I was kinda sick of the noise!

Havent started it today, and my tools are at a friends house, on loan for her ninja250 project

Castrol 4t 20w50 at the last oil change.  Prolly got 1100m on that change.  Long steady rides + local turn n burns before work.

[BomberMann650]

Do you have an early 550 that doesn't have the rocker shaft pins? I could be wrong, but I think Honda added the pins to keep the rocker shafts from spinning and wearing it's bore which would alter tappet clearance. Perhaps you have this issue?

Maybe you could set the tappets and then put a little dab of paint on the tips of the tappets and rocker arms to see if they're actually loosening and spinning?

That paint mark is a really good idea.

This is a 75 cb550F supersport, zero model.  You could be right about wear, I'm getting close to 25000 on the odometer.

[BomberMann650]

Are you using tappet wrenches? They make it easier to get a good, tight nut.

Nope, don't have the nifty little tappet tool.

What I do have is an offset box wrench and a good fitting screwdriver.  I can set these tappets well enough that the motor purrs with just a gentle ticking rhythm from the top.  I could fall asleep listening to it. 

What I heard yesterday was downright annoying!!!

[flatlander]

Do you have an early 550 that doesn't have the rocker shaft pins? I could be wrong, but I think Honda added the pins to keep the rocker shafts from spinning and wearing it's bore which would alter tappet clearance. Perhaps you have this issue?

dave's right, and your bike being from 75 most probably has the older style cover that can develop this problem. check this first otherwise you could be chasing your tail. search for "550 rocker shaft wear" for more info.

[BomberMann650]

Do you have an early 550 that doesn't have the rocker shaft pins? I could be wrong, but I think Honda added the pins to keep the rocker shafts from spinning and wearing it's bore which would alter tappet clearance. Perhaps you have this issue?

dave's right, and your bike being from 75 most probably has the older style cover that can develop this problem. check this first otherwise you could be chasing your tail. search for "550 rocker shaft wear" for more info.

Well sonofabee

That's a detail I neglected to examine when I had the cover off for gasket replacement.

(And yes I used the rubber band trick)

[flatlander]

has nothing to do with rubber bands, those are used to prevent bending a valve stem. in the earlier covers, the rocker shafts are not held in place with pins like in the later ones, therefore they can rotate with the rockers. and eventually they can wear out their bearings. then the shafts and rockers have some "wiggle room" that makes it impossible to set tappet clearance.
if you take off that little chrome cover on the side of the rocker cover, you may already be able to spot if the holes that the shafts sit in are enlarged or oval.

[BomberMann650]

i will keep reading up on the other thread. 

what happens if these rockers continue to wear on themselves?  curious

[flatlander]

the shafts can keep wearing out their bearings more and more over time. what happens then is that it's not possible to set tappet clearance correctly. the tappets will be too loose causing rattling. that might be what you hear now. you also loose power of course. in more extreme cases your rocker pads or cam lobes can get damaged.
i had such a worn cover and ended up replacing it with a later version.

bear in mind, this is only a possible cause of your problem. but best to verify if that's what it is because otherwise, anything else you try to do to fix it will be futile. also, if your cover is still good then it's a good time now to do something to prevent the rocker shafts from rotating. there's a trick with placing o-rings against the shaft ends to keep them in place. if you keep reading up on this topic you'll come across it. or shout if you need any help!

[DaveBarbier]

I just looked at CMSNL and you can see the difference between your K0 550f and my '78 550 K4. Look at part number 5 in the second link. Those are the pins.

The later style valve covers will fit on the earlier heads, I believe. But as Flatlander said, this is only a possible cause.

http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cb550f-super-sport-550-four-1975-cb550fk0-usa_model469/partslist/E++03.html#results

Vs

http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cb550k-1978-usa_model7222/partslist/E++04.html#results

[Lostboy Steve]

Do you have an early 550 that doesn't have the rocker shaft pins? I could be wrong, but I think Honda added the pins to keep the rocker shafts from spinning and wearing it's bore which would alter tappet clearance. Perhaps you have this issue?

Maybe you could set the tappets and then put a little dab of paint on the tips of the tappets and rocker arms to see if they're actually loosening and spinning?

Not a bad idea at all. Grab some of this stuff.

[BomberMann650]

Thanks fella's, I'll post back with a picture of whats under the end cover caps soon.

[BomberMann650]

Anyone have photo or video of the completed rocker shaft mod?

[BomberMann650]

Ya'll were correct in your assumption.

The intake shafts have a bit of a lean goin in their groove.  Exhaust shaft seems normal enough.

[strynboen]

i had vorked on bore up for bushings..to take the slack..but have problems make the drill/cuting Tool.( rival).it need to be drilled through the camthain tunnel..to make a presise bore through the hole head..and make/use longer shafts. hardnent 12 mm steel.to stabilace it more..and move the stress/vear to a larger areia
but if you can find a k3 550 head from 77 or78 modells they are modified to be perfekt..and fit perfekt..

[BomberMann650]

So i can get a head from either 550 K or F models for replacement?  Sweet!

I unfortunately don't have any horizontal milling tools to do strynboens mod.

[DaveBarbier]

Not the head, but head cover, rocker cover, cam cover, cylinder head cover, that's all the same. You really want a head cover that has the cam journals in as good a shape as possible. You'll be using your own rockers and cam but will use the rocker shafts that come with the cover.

I'd wait for someone else more seasoned to confirm this, but I'm 99.99% sure what I typed is true, haha.

[CycleRanger]

I'd wait for someone else more seasoned to confirm this, but I'm 99.99% sure what I typed is true, haha.

That may just become my new sig.    

[BomberMann650]

What is the difference between the F and K motors again?

[DaveBarbier]

I'd wait for someone else more seasoned to confirm this, but I'm 99.99% sure what I typed is true, haha.

That may just become my new sig.    

Haha

[flatlander]

ok i'm not so sure about the "more seasoned" part but... you need a cover from a k3 or f2. it will fit no matter if f or k model, the covers and heads are the same. if you want to know up exactly when the switch happened look up the parts list for the engine number but k3 and f2 both have the pinned rocker shafts.
your cover is toast, it's actually much worse than mine was. getting one from a k3 or f2 will solve your noisy tappets problem.