QingQi 200 - Valve Clearance Help Please!

Hi everyone, I am in the UK aand have recently bought a second hand QingQi 200Gy (Superbyke RMR200) with 300Km on th clock for £1000. That was 2 weeks ago and I love it - I have since put another 650Km on it so at the weekend i though I'd give the valve clearance a go, since ChinV's instructions were so thorough....
Anyway, I've run into problems...firstly, I found it very hard to get at the front adjuster since the frame downtube is in the way, but I persevered anyway. Using a feeler gauge, I thought I'd done a good job, so bolted everything back up and fired her up.She started but went clackety , clackety clack - obviously I stopped the engine and concluded tha all i'd done was make he clearances to loose. So I left it a day to calm down, and gave it another go last night. I again used the guage and this time tightened the adjusters down a fair bit, bolted her back up and tried to start her. Now the engine turns over but doesn't fire. I checked that I'm getting a spark, it is fine. I gave it a few more goes, and then looked at the spark plug again - it is bone dry. I belive this means no fuel is getting to the cylinder, and am I right in thinking that this would be result of the inlet valve being too tight, so no fuel is getting through?
Anyway, I think my main issue is that I'm obviously doing something wrong with the feeler guage. I'm mainly confused about how far through the feeler blade needs to go, as when they were too loose, I had turned out the adjuster far enough that a .08 feeler went all the way through - I then tightened them up until they just pinched it. So the second time, I adjusted them so that a .08 half slotted in but would not go all the way through.What am I doing wrong?! I am worried that if I carry on I'm going to damage the engine......
I must add that I have quite big hands and am finding it all a lot more fiddly than i was expecting!
Any help would be much appreciated!

Howdy Ed209,

Are you sure the engine is at top dead center? You should be able to wiggle the rocker with your fingers. The first time I tried, the flywheel mark looked correct, but I had the same clackety clack noise when I started it. The second time, I put a screwdriver down the spark plug hole and made sure the engine was at TDC.

The other thing to watch is the lock nut (blue nut in picture), When you torque it down, it tends to spin the adjuster screw.

Good Luck!
ChinaV

Thanks ChinaV! I hadn't thought of that -I have been relying on the timing mark which was spot on. So if I use a screwdriver down the spark plug hole method, I rotate the engine and then when the screwdriver is a at its highest point, that will be TDC, am I right?
Also,do you know am I doing the right thing with the guage, i.e does it need to go all the way through the gap for a given clearance, or just half slot through?
Thanks for your superspeedy response with this!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ed209

So if I use a screwdriver down the spark plug hole method, I rotate the engine and then when the screwdriver is a at its highest point, that will be TDC, am I right?

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Yes, you are correct.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ed209

Also,do you know am I doing the right thing with the guage, i.e does it need to go all the way through the gap for a given clearance, or just half slot through?

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You may need to bend your feeler gauges like I did to get the gauge to "swipe" through the gap. It took me several tries to get to a point where the .06mm would swipe easily, the .07mm took some wiggling and the .08mm wouldn't go.

Good luck!
ChinaV

Ed,

ChinaV has already pretty much said what needs to be said on the topic but I just want to add one thing.

Learning how to get the right "feeling" when passing the feeler gauge through the valves takes some time and LOTS of practice. It's great that you're willing to do it yourself and there's probably nothing better to learn on than a C-moto! :thumbsup:

What tools are you using to adjust the green-brown part and blue part (locknut)?

http://www.contactdi.com/2008/fix/fix008.jpg


CC

Hi CrazyCarl,

Yes I am finding out that there is a lot of trial and error involved!And beginning to wish I'd never started messing with it..........! I'm using a closed spanner for the locknut and screwdriver for the adjuster, both are the correct size.I had another go in the week and got a better result, the engine runs fine but has a rattlly (not clacking though) sound, so i think the valves are still too loose. I have a whole day to devote to it today, so I'm going to have another go to get it right. I am having problems with judging the feel with the feeler guage, but I also don't think I've been getting it to TDC correctly either. I followed the link to the other site which added that it needs to be TDC on the compression stroke - I'm not convinced I had that. My main concern is that in my 3 attempts so far, I haven't been able to get free play in the rocker arms. Ah well, I'll see if today bears more fruit!
Thanks
Ed209

I know what you mean about not being able to detect free play on the rockers to ascertain you're at TDC. I found it difficult because the tappets after 1000 km were far too tight. Either set up wrongly at the factory or the valves had settled down in the head.
There was hardly any clearance and therefore difficulty in moving the rockers up and down to "feel" the movement.
Note that the factory has now released new and revised clearances for this bike.
They're 0.06 to 0.08mm for both intake and exhaust. They used to be IN 0,05 and EX 0,08mm.

There have been some concerns about valves burning out, and some importers have been recommending even wider clearances, like the Swedish importers that set them at IN 0,10mm (0,004") and EX 0,15 (0,006"). This is what mine are set up to now, but they're a bit rattly...next service I'll reset them to the new factory settings.

Ed,

If you haven't already, try removing the whole valve cover to get a good look at how the assembly works when it's turning. As long as you don't touch or drop anything else inside it's impossible to do any damage to the engine.

If you can work on a V4, these should be no problem! Those V4's are a real nightmare to service but wow, what a ride when they're running right!

CC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

try removing the whole valve cover to get a good look at how the assembly works
CC

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Access to valvegear is awkward and it helps to be a contorsionist, but note that the "cover" is not just a cover. It forms an integral and stressed part of the valve gear, the camshaft bearings, and it's also an engine mounting. The bearings are in the alloy itself forming a pair of split plain bearings. Half in the head and half in the cover. Also note that there are two recessed bolts in the cover (the unmarked ones in the diagram) that must not be undone before removing the cover. These are pinch bolts that hold the shafts that the rockers pivots on.

Once removed you have to be extremely careful not to get any dirt in there or you can damage the bearings surfaces and on replacement, careful tightening (in the correct sequence) with a torque spanner to prevent any distortion. The torque figure being 10Nm (7 lb-ft).

A look at the mechanism is all you can do, as, unfortunately, adjustment of valve clearance is not possible with the cover removed. This cover also houses the rocker arms and they come away with the cover...

http://www.lao-japan.com/parts_catal...s/image001.jpg

Curiously enough, failure of this cover casting, where it acts as an engine mounting as well, has caused the only catastrophic engine failure that I've ever heard of on a Qingqi. It seems that there's oil at high pressure in there to lubricate the camshaft and its bearings, and breakage caused a total oil pressure loss and a massive oil leak that ruined the piston and cylinder as well. The rider didn't notice this oil leak, probably wearing boots and heavy trousers (now even more completely waterproofed...):

http://www.telecable.es/personales/a...inefailure.jpg

Did I say in the previous post that that oily bike was the only catastrophic engine failure I've heard of?.

Wrong I'm afraid. I've just read volksjagger's blog. See entry for Sunday, September 28, 2008 "I Blew Up The Engine". :rolleyes1:

http://xf200qlinksupermoto.blogspot.com/