I took my rocker boxes off my 90 to polish them up, and in the process i realized that the pushrods are adjustable. if all im doin is takin them out, and then putting them back in with doin nothing else, should i go through and measure for the length? the bike was recently gone through at the shop, and it ran perfect before i started doin winter repairs. iv also gotta take off the gearcase cover to polish it. is it a must to remove the tappet guides and tappets just to pull that cover? will the cams stay in place in the case when that cover is removed? ive got the service manual, so either way im better off than flyin blind. just figured id see if there were easier ways to do this kind of thing.

 

To pull off your cam cover you'll need to use a puller so your cams stays in place. You can leave in the tappets/blocks. With the pushrods out,there's no pressure on the cams. As for your pushrods, you should have numbered them from 1 to 4. #4 Is located at the rear exhaust. #3 is rear intake. #2 is front intake, #1 is front exhaust. Be very careful pulling the cam chest off,those cams can be a pistol to get back in order.

 

You can leave the tappets in while doing the cam cover. But do it will you have the rockers off, so there's no pressure on the cams. Then go ahead and take off the cam cover, if the cover sticks on the gasket, i've always used a rubber mallet it crack it loose, then from there just shimmy it off by hand. If a cam happens to slip off with the cover it's no big deal, just line it back up and slip it back in, the service manual has a picture of the cam orientation, and you can easily find pictures on google as well. Using a puller on the case won't prevent a cam from slipping out. And as already mentioned, don't mix up your pushrods, hopefully you marked them when you took them out.

 

yes, ive got everything marked and stuck in a styrofoam block. i was just wondering about the length because even with each cylinders valves closed, there was still a tiny bit of pressure on the valves. when i slid the rocker arm rods out, i seemed like i could see the rocker arms pop up just a little tiny bit when the rod was free of the rockers. as for the cams, i just wasnt sure if there was any pressure on them from the tappets that would cause them to bind in the case when i tried pulling it off. what kind of puller is recommended? ive got a selection of pullers, but they're only 2 and 3 jawed, i dont see how that would help anything.

 

There is always some tension on the rockers even with the valves closed.

You wont need a puller but make sure to remove the screw in the pick up. You can also hold a cam in behind the pick up while you wiggle the cover off. If your careful with the cover you can leave the cams in place. If the cover is stuck do what drum said and tap it with a rubber mallet

PS: the intake and exhaust push rods are different lengths.

 

the screw in the pickup? not sure what your talkin about, there.

 

Here is an excerpt from the link below.

Now go downstairs to the gearcase. You may have to remove the exhaust system and footpeg and/or brake pedal assembly to get enough access, depending on your bike. For an '03 or earlier, you'll want to remove the timing cover, remove the timing plate, and the rotor cup. Now remove all the cover screws and gently work the cover off. I generally push on the #2 cam, through the timing hole, to make it stay in the engine as I do this. Once you get the cover to pull free from the engine, you'll notice that it's still attached by the timing pickup plate wires (03 and older only) as well as a vent hose coming off the back of it. Often you can simply leave these attached and rotate the cover backwards out of the way.

 

Theres always a little pressure on the pushrods to the rockers from the tappets. They're self adjusting hydrolic to prevent valve clearance. The only time you'll ever have any clearance is sometimes if you put in new tappets that are completly dry, they will allow a little noticable clearance. Even in general, if you every started the bike up for the first time after winter storage, or even after you finish your project your doing now, your notice a definate valve tapping sound for about the first minutes of the bike running, which is because the tappets drained out allowing for clearance between the pushrod and rocker arm. but once the tappets refill, they eliminate any valve clearance. Before hydrolic tappets where around, you would of had a specified valve clearance to worry about and adjust by shimming the valves or adjusting the rocker pivot height. But chances are you're pushrods are just fine if the bike was running great before, but if in doubt you can measure them,......i'm not sure if the factory manual specifies a length or not, so you may have to do some research, or stop by a dealer and see if you can measure a stock pushrod.