Not too difficult. Do it with the engine COLD.
Put the engine in a test stand and remove the plug.
Remove both valve covers.
Turn the crankshaft to TDC, both valves closed.
Insert a feeler gage (.002" to .004") between the rocker arm and valve stem.
It should be a gentle slip fit.
If not, loosen the jam nut and carefully turn the valve adjusting screw CW to decrease the clearance, ACW to increase.
When properly set, snug the jam nut and re-check the clearance. You may have to repeat the procedure.
Turn the crank back and forth approximately 45 degrees and if the gap increases, readjust until the max is .004.
Pour a generous quantity of oil over the valve gear, replace the valve covers.

I always set mine the the smaller clearance, .002.

Bob Z.
 

Gee Willikers .

Thats 100 % variation.

Back in the dark ages , some set 'lash'-clearance by EAR .
(Talking about cars and motorcycles here )

Anyone listened to the 4 stroke / Satio vale gear by Stethiscope or rod . ?

Id always set clearances just firm on exhaust and just free on inlets,
theory, with hard use the temp 'grew' the Ex Valves. Ordinarily it was
Exhaust valves that burned ,A sharp ear on the driver would pick it.
Whistling exhaust pop.

Anyone trying 3 - angle valve seats or port work on the Satioos or other 4 strokes.
Every schoolboy?  could reprofile single cylinder cams ,after readiny " tuning for speed "
No problem having to get indentical profiles on every cylinder.Then theres ligtning the valve gear
AND , Elaborate (expensive?) valve springsSpring quality was an impediment to valve control / float etc.On pommy vehicals.

Hydraulic lifters on U.S. machinery were 'r.p.m. limiters , in the sence that they were designed to stop an engine reving past a resonable limit to ensure longivity / reliability .

High quality springs (progresive rate ?) should ease operational loadings and increase consistancy ,reliability and output .

I set mine different than all of you. But, I will end it there.

Joe - just to be sure, check the operating handbook.
I may be wrong but I beleive all the SAITOs have the use valve clearance and setting procedure.

Bob Z.

Just FYI, years ago I bought a Saito 1.80 (R/C obviously!) from a friend.  He'd lost the manual, but I found all the specs on the Saito web site.  Good engines!

Paul

The confusers playing up so u missed another lengthy tirade !

Pushrods on a (stinking) hot engine should be rotateable (free)
when on the heel of the cam.(Off the lobe)for at least say 150 Deg
of cam rotation.

Actuation makes a noise.

A 'sounding rod' , std practise once , will let you hear em.
Say a pice of 1/8 dia steel rod , a foot long.

Place it on the cam box , and the rocker box.
other end adjacent to ear . NOT in the ear drum.
Dont trip / slip !

Correct adjustment shouldnt sound harsh.

HOT settings should have a slight clearance.

Burnt valves if not ancient are often caused by dirt on the seats.

The gas flow past hot seat tears it out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

If you park your Masseratti Ghibli with the exhausts outside the garage doors,

you can use the same proceedure to 'sound' the valve 'Lash' .

Should NOT be bits being thrown about haphazardly, but controlled actuation

of free moving items.Horrible rattly noises are missadjustment or wear.


Like the old Triumphs that sound like a can of marbles.Worn followers and eratic clearances.
a well set one in good condition Doesnt. its rapsardous.Just needs a (piano?) tuners ear !

may require a long tube on ex. outlet ,dont get tangled in the airscrew. If you CAN hear them,
you can hear the lash,as in 'slack'.excessive slack would be a harder note.

Unless youve got progressive rate centreless ground Quality springs,to avoid mechanical collisions at wide(ish/er)) clearances.

? 4 Strokes , 1 to produce the power. 3 to wear the engine out. , L.J.K. Setright.


? = minimising ineficiencies .

Hope there is no hard feelings getting started here.  Everybody has their way of doing things.  When I worked for my Uncle at Ray Smith Motors a mechanic would have a problem on a tune up.  My Uncle would reach in his desk drawer and grab this humonous screwdriver.  Hate to think of what screws it drove.  Then he would start working around the engine with that thing by putting it aginst different parts of the engine.  Then tell the mechanic which valve cover if not both and what valve to adjust.  Many a time tho he would tell the mechanic that he had just installed a bad plug, new out of the box.

Oh, yeah - he's a real genius! Quite possibly the stupidest statement I've ever heard.

   I think that's a little over the top. You are underestimating people. I have seen far stupider by a long shot.  Matthews is interesting if a bit hard to follow, maybe a bit off topic, but not stupid.

  Just as a hypothetical example, stupid would be claiming that, say, a common ethnic exclamation - for example,  "Oy Vey" (or something like that) - was a racial slur.

   A neatly written, grammatically correct comment about a dumb concept is a lot dumber than a poorly-written, hard to follow comment with an interesting perspective.

    Brett

One thing to remember here is that as these little four strokes warm up, the cyl. expands top to bottom, and the valves get more clearance. When I got my first one, an OS 60 FS open rocker job, the instructions said to set the valves to 0 clearance, but be able to spin the push rod. My old Harley Sportster with solid lifters was set the same. I do set my later four strokes at about .002" just to be on the safe side though.