620mile Valve Clearance Parts and Tools (RC 390 2017)

naveed

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Could you please tell me what tools are needed for the 620 mile valve clearance service and what parts, like gaskets, sealing washers, o-rings, etc., need to be replaced. Is engine blocking screw needed?
 

mattv

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Ari Henning has a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sScXWEoSqyM

It doesn't look too bad with the engine out of the bike. With the engine in the bike, though, a lot of stuff has to come off to get to the valve cover. You also will not have a lot of room to work with. If you drop a shim (or anything else) into the engine, you're going to have a bigger issue to take care of.

If you're not comfortable with that, I would recommend having the dealer or a trusted mechanic do the job.

You should consider a service manual if you're going to do it yourself.
 
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naveed

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Thanks! I have service manual, but the manual doesn't say if gaskets, etc., need to be replaced. My understanding is that gaskets should always be replaced, but as Ari mentions in his video that the gasket is reusable, so wanted to see what others think about it.
 

OldVet

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The mechanic at the shop where I purchased my 390 said to save my money on the first valve check and wait until the second one due to the fact they haven't had to adjust any valves at the first check. I did and the valves were still in speck at ten thousand miles when they were checked...
 

1JZSupra

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The mechanic at the shop where I purchased my 390 said to save my money on the first valve check and wait until the second one due to the fact they haven't had to adjust any valves at the first check. I did and the valves were still in speck at ten thousand miles when they were checked...


I ended up doing mine at around 3000 miles (The first owner didn't get it done and I found out later). Both exhaust valves were too tight and had to be adjusted.

Honestly I wouldn't even worry about changing the gaskets on the valve cover. The motor is so fresh that they'll be in great shape. If you really wanted to you could get new orings for the spark plug tube. I would be careful with torquing down the cam shaft craddle, I used a torque wrench to spec and stripped one out. Had to Helicoil it and I haven't had an issue since.

Last note, you will need to either remove or hopefully move the radiator forward to get access to the exhaust valves to check the clearance. I went ahead and took mine off so I could run straight engine ice, but I have a 2016 and if I recall correct that isn't recommended for 17+. TAKE A SHIT LOAD OF PHOTOS OF THE CAM GEARS, I didn't take as many as I should have and it made things take a lot longer. Don't try and check timing without putting in the tensioner, it will jump teeth.
 

mattv

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I went ahead and took mine off so I could run straight engine ice, but I have a 2016 and if I recall correct that isn't recommended for 17+.

I'd be curious to hear more about that. I have a 17 and just swapped out the coolant for engine ice.
 

naveed

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I see, thanks a lot. I am wondering whether removing the engine makes sense as valve clearance already requires quite a bit of work. How hard is it to remove the engine from the frame compared to checking valve clearance without removing the engine?
 

1JZSupra

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I see, thanks a lot. I am wondering whether removing the engine makes sense as valve clearance already requires quite a bit of work. How hard is it to remove the engine from the frame compared to checking valve clearance without removing the engine?

I have a Duke is it's a lot easier for me to do my valve checks. If you can remove the tank and get good clearance at the font of the motor I would try and do it while it's in the bike. If push comes to shove I would drop the motor if all else fails.

I'd rather give it a shot then to deal with the pain of removing everything and trying to line up the rear swing arm bolt as well.
 

Mototoro

New Member
I see, thanks a lot. I am wondering whether removing the engine makes sense as valve clearance already requires quite a bit of work. How hard is it to remove the engine from the frame compared to checking valve clearance without removing the engine?

Well honestly, it’s probabaly the same amount of work, it’s a pain to do the valves with it in and It would be way easier to put the valve cover back on with the sealant with the engine out. I did my valves with it in the bike and I often cursed the decision and wished I had just removed it. Especially since I found that one of the valve cover threads in the cam holder was stripped out and had to helicoil it. There’s just not much room and I have tiny girl hands, so I can imagine it would be even more annoying without being able to fit your hands it all the little spaces. You’ll have to removed the exhaust and the radiator hoses (draining the system) but it might be worth it. I guess it depends on how comfortable you are with it.

Take pictures of how things are routed and you should be fine.
 

jb00gz

New Member
Torque settings for cam holder?

Well honestly, it’s probabaly the same amount of work, it’s a pain to do the valves with it in and It would be way easier to put the valve cover back on with the sealant with the engine out. I did my valves with it in the bike and I often cursed the decision and wished I had just removed it. Especially since I found that one of the valve cover threads in the cam holder was stripped out and had to helicoil it. There’s just not much room and I have tiny girl hands, so I can imagine it would be even more annoying without being able to fit your hands it all the little spaces. You’ll have to removed the exhaust and the radiator hoses (draining the system) but it might be worth it. I guess it depends on how comfortable you are with it.

Take pictures of how things are routed and you should be fine.

I'm not seeing the camholder torque settings in my service manual. Do you have them handy?
 

ReidMcT

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I'm not seeing the camholder torque settings in my service manual. Do you have them handy?

Page 193. 11 Nm. Be sure to follow the loosening and tightening sequences as specified.

The mechanic at the shop where I purchased my 390 said to save my money on the first valve check and wait until the second one due to the fact they haven't had to adjust any valves at the first check.

That is bad advice. Mine needed significant adjustment at 600 miles.


Engine in or engine out is a close call. Having done the valves with the engine both in and out of the frame, I'd say that next time I'd leave the engine in... unless there is a problem such as a stripped thread or other needed work. If I had the $55 jig for holding the engine during removal/installation, that might sway me to remove the engine next time. Hmmm, a justification to buy another tool.... ;-)
 

mmatusacebo

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Doing the first service in an Autorized KTM Dealer is really important in the case of a future warranty case. It is not imperative, but it is a plus for you.
 

mauromj

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Page 193. 11 Nm. Be sure to follow the loosening and tightening sequences as specified.



That is bad advice. Mine needed significant adjustment at 600 miles.


Engine in or engine out is a close call. Having done the valves with the engine both in and out of the frame, I'd say that next time I'd leave the engine in... unless there is a problem such as a stripped thread or other needed work. If I had the $55 jig for holding the engine during removal/installation, that might sway me to remove the engine next time. Hmmm, a justification to buy another tool.... ;-)

What is the said engine removal jig you are referring to? I will need to do mine this winter.
 

fostytou

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11Nm / 8.1ft lbs
Bringing this zombie back from the dead (it was only a little dead)...

I don't have a 2017 service manual for the RC390 but I did notice that the 2017 and 2018 Duke manuals recommend 10Nm / 7.4 lbft for the cam bridge bolts. Considering the comment above about someone stripping them out with a torque wrench (and possibly torque magnification from oil) I'm wondering if this is an updated / better torque figure. The 2017 Duke and 2016/2017 RC 390 do have the same part number for the cylinder head (the cam bridge is not listed separately) - though they do have different valve clearances.

EDIT: My 2017 RC owners manual and 2014 RC service manual show possibly incorrect valve clearances compared to the 2018 RC owners manual and 2017/18 Duke Service manual. I'm thinking the newer numbers are more correct.

Image from page 257 attached:
 

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1JZSupra

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That's a good question, on a side note I am happy to report that I have logged 17k miles more miles (Putting me at 20k) and I have checked clearances 2 additional times since the incident with no further issue. The Heli coil I installed seems to be holding up quite well and I have had no issues. I daily my bike to work year round and I was concerned about it vibrating out, but nothing to report.

I will shamelessly say that I have reused all of the gaskets up until this point with no issues either.... But to be fair I did order a valve cover gasket from a local shop, only to find it wasn't for a 1st gen.
 

fostytou

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Sounds great to me! I did actually find a post about the valve clearances and someone had written KTM who said their new values were a result of testing and it should be OK to use either range. I guess that means the range really just opened up, but I'll stick to a bigger gap if I can since tappy valves are happy valves (though if they are not changing that much for others you could potentially get a minor (stressing the minor) power increase from a tighter tolerance).

I've also found a number of posts that suggest they mixed a bunch of things up on earlier owners manuals and service manuals. That leads me to believe the new torque value is better. That said - they did also revise the head without issuing a new part number (supposedly to help prevent head gasket failures).
 
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