Valve noise

[Daughtrylc]

Had my 1st service on my 400 king quad last week. 200 miles. They adjusted the valves and on idle I can hear some valve clicking. Is alittle clicking normal??

[Williebee]

Originally Posted by Daughtrylc

Had my 1st service on my 400 king quad last week. 200 miles. They adjusted the valves and on idle I can hear some valve clicking. Is alittle clicking normal??

First question: were the valves clicking less than they are now after the first servicing ?

Answer to first question: if the valves were at the miniumun spec's before the first serving it would be normal for a little clicking noise !

My "Late" cousin would stop me when we were riding telling me his 1989 Suzuki LT4WD 250 QuadRunner , and later on his 1993 Suzuki LT4WD 300 KQ engine's were knockiing and i would shut off my 1986 Honda TRX350D 4x4 to listen to his engine's ; they would sound normal to me .

In his case it was the left handed cigarette's he was smoking , the Suzuki KQ's seem to make a little more valve clicking noise than my Honda did ; if your KQ is easy starting easy then i would say it's normal .

My advice would be to just pay close attention to it for awhile , and if it get's louder or start's back firing through the carb intake or exhaust then i start to worry and have the valve checked again ; but the Suzuki's my cousin owned and i aquired his 1993 Suzuki LT4WD 300 KQ did make a little more clicking than my Honda did !

I now own a 2006 Arctic Cat 400 FIS Auto 4x4 with the Suzuki 376cc engine and it doesn't have as much clicking of the valve's as the 93' 300 KQ had , but my AC 400 need's the valve's adjusted the engine make's a little pop when i shut down the engine ; so i think the valve's are at the miniumum specification on the exhaust valve as the pop is coming from the exhaust !

I've also noticed that my AC 400 is running a little lean on the carb air/fuel misture , but all manufacturer's jet the carb's a little lean to meet EPA emission's ; so just pay close attention to your KQ the next few ride's and also it wouldn't hurt to do a spark plug check to see how the air/fuel mixture is .

If the plug is white/grey color you're running lean , black you're running rich ; correct color shound be a brownish/tan !

williebee..........

[Daughtrylc]

Thanks!
They made no noise before.

They did put in 10W 40 synthetic and I read here they come with 20W 50 so that would explain alittle more noise

They told me the exhaust was out

[Williebee]

Originally Posted by Daughtrylc

Thanks!
They made no noise before.

They did put in 10W 40 synthetic and I read here they come with 20W 50 so that would explain alittle more noise

They told me the exhaust was out

That's what i run in my AC 400 , Castrol GTX 20w50 summer and 10w40 winter here in northwest ga. ; i ran the same oil in the old Honda my cousin ran Castrol GTX 20w50 year round in both his Suzuki's just watch out for automotive oil's that have the energy saving on bottle bad for wet sump system's ( engine and tranny use the same oil for lubrication ) !

As for the valve spec's when they are at minumum clearance you want hear clicking , i alway's set them in the middle of spec range ; and i alway's double check them after tighting the lock nut's better to hear a little clicking than have them to tight or to loose .

williebee......

[Daughtrylc]

Thanks!

Im thinking its more that Ive switched to a lesser weight oil now and not so much the dealer checking them.

I guess Im just alittle ify on the dealership working on my stuff. And I didnt hear if before it went?

its only at idle and if I give it just a little gas it goes away. I put in a K&N filter and have a slip on HMF on the way!

[Williebee]

Originally Posted by Daughtrylc

Thanks!

Im thinking its more that Ive switched to a lesser weight oil now and not so much the dealer checking them.

I guess Im just alittle ify on the dealership working on my stuff. And I didnt hear if before it went?

its only at idle and if I give it just a little gas it goes away. I put in a K&N filter and have a slip on HMF on the way!

With the K&N filter and the HMF slip on you will most likely need to rejet your carb , so by all means do a plug check to determine the mixture ( air/fuel ratio ) before you take the quad on a long ride ; i would try to find a Factory O.E.M. Serive manual it will pay for itself with the rejetting alone not to mention the fact that you will gain a ton of knowledge you'll need in the future !

williebee.........

[KQ400Pilot]

The old adage is "Noisy valves are happy valves"--meaning that if you can hear them clicking, they have adequate clearance. Noisy valves will give you more power (to a point) and won't damage the engine.

Quiet valves, on the other hand, mean that there is little, or no clearance. The engine will be difficult to start, and can be damaged by the low/no clearance.

Dealers have a tendency to set the valves a little tight, so that customers did not return complaining that there is something wrong with the engine--as "it is making a clicking noise".

For once, the dealer is telling the truth when they say "it's supposed to do that" and "it's good for the engine". Unfortunately, dealers have lied to the public so much that it is hard to believe anything they say, and the public remains suspicious--which we should be.

[Daughtrylc]

Thanks Guys!

I think that Im going to put on the slip on and see how it does.

Im thinking with it just being a slip on it will be fine without jetting? Any thoughts??

As for the valves, I felt like it was OK, But your right, I dont trust DEALERS!!