Modern Vespa

I used these topics as references along with the manual.
Successful Valve adjustment--no tupperware removed
Adjusting valves on MP3 500, how much plastic comes off?
Valves clearances..

As helpful as the above is, I felt it wasn't enough material for someone who has never done this before (like me). With the help of my neighbor Dan, we performed the valve checks without taking off the tupperware and documented the procedure. Thanks to the pioneers before me who helped make this possible.
This is of medium/hard difficulty in my estimation. Having someone to help you is a very good idea. Hand access is a big PITA and the main reason why you want the help.

TOOLS
Various metric wrenches and socket sets mostly with 8-10mm. Basically whatever it takes to get the 6) 10mm valve cover gaskets off and move cables out of your way for access.
The special adjustment wrenches found in the above links.
Large socket 27mm to fit and rotate driver pulley (variator).
Feeler gauges. Need .15mm, good to have .10, .15, and .20
NOTE on FEELER GAUGES: They do give you an exact dimension, but feel is a big part of the equation (hence the name). That is why it is best to have a variety so that you can FEEL what tight or loose feels like, especially if you are unfamiliar like I was. Amazing how fast you become adept at these tools by the completion of this project.
Standard and phillips screw driver.
A torque wrench is good.
A printout of the torque specs as referenced in the shop manual if you don't want to go by feel.
Work light and flashlight.
Patience and perseverance.

LET's GET STARTED
1) Place on centerstand

2) Remove left and right access panels near the pillion foot boards.

3) Remove the black plastic undercover [3) No.3 phillips screws]

4) Lift seat, remove contents in pet carrier and remove cover that is BEHIND battery compartment (2 phillips screws)
This is all the access you get, and small hands are an advantage.

5) Remove spark plus wires and label one with tape to differentiate them from each other. I marked the right one. Remove spark plugs and inspect them for wear and replace if necessary. I labeled spark plugs too.

6) There is a cable on the right side access port that is bolted down with a clamp and 8mm bolt. Unbolt it for easier access. I also unbolted and removed the fuel injector on top but it is not necessary. That was an attempt to extract the valve cover.

7) Unbolt and remove valve cover. Extract gasket from work zone as to not damage it. Valve cover will not leave work zone as it is too big. You will move the valve cover (VC) down to work on the upper(intake valves) and you will elevate the VC to work on the lower(exhaust valves).

Turn the variator nut so that the arrow on the cam sprocket is lined up with the timing mark as shown in the pic. These two actions are on opposite sides of the scoot and it is really difficult to line up by yourself and turn the variator nut at the same time.

9) Insert the .15 feeler gauge into the intake valve as shown in the pic.
Note on intake valve: They will become tight as mileage increases and will MOST LIKELY need to be adjusted looser over time.

10) Attempt to install a .20 feeler gauge if loose or a .10 if you cannot fit a .15 feeler gauge.
PERSONAL OUTCOME: Intake valves were ever so slightly tight at .15 and I made no adjustments on them.

11) Adjust valves if necessary by taking the special adjustment tool (tappet wrench I think)(the 8mm and the straight blade adjustment center). Loosen the nut (shown in picture) with the wrench while the straight blade adjustment portion is inserted in the center of the wrench and loosen (ccw) or tighten (cw) the straight blade to make the necessary adjustment. The increments we are talking are very little so the amount of turn will most likely be around an 16th-8th of a turn. WHILE you are making this adjustment you are CONSTANTLY removing and reinserting the .15 feeler gauge as that is what you are basing your final adjustment on. Tighten adjustment nut, and as you do it you want to keep the straight blade center adjustment portion of the tool from moving as this will change your adjustment. Do a final check with the .15 feeler gauge and repeat on the other intake valve.

12) The exhaust valves are exactly the same as the intakes in how you adjust them.
NOTE on exhaust valves: They tend to get loose with mileage and will MOST LIKELY need to be tightened.
PERSONAL OUTCOME: The bottom two valves were too loose (.20), and needed to be tightened.
The feeler gauge is easiest if inserted from the bottom.

13) You are pretty much done. Reassemble scoot in the opposite order you unassembled it.

14) Start up and test drive, check for leaks.


Tappet wrenches.

Pet carrier access.

Left side access port.

Spark plug wires marked for identification. Don't know if it matters but did it anyway. I think it would matter.

Let the work begin.

Valve cover off to the right and low. Good view of what needs to happen. Sorry I missed a picture of the arrow on the cam sprocket.

27mm socket to rotate the cam for proper orientation for valve checks.

View from above via pet carrier access.

Shows the harder to reach valves from the left side.


Last edited by mjm50cal on Sun May 29, 2011 11:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

Well done post...kudos on a job well done!

+1

Great documentation and pics!

You get my thumbs up for this tutorial! Thanks!

Absolutely brilliant. I've bookmarked this for down the road


Thanks for your efforts..

great job and good pics.

Thanks for your support everyone.
Feel free to critique the procedure if you've done a valve job on an MP3 or can contribute in anyway. I would like to be as precise and accurate as possible so that when others do this, it's a one stop post that makes it easy. I will edit the OP if anything changes. Not taking off tupperware is great.
I'm not trying to take money away from the shops, but rather trying to help a bunch of people that have no shops to go to any more due to their closures.
I like understanding how to do these things myself and like being self sufficient if need be. Though I rely on this site a lot.
I know that I will need to adjust my intake valves at 24,000 miles for sure.
It is definately true what Stooterboy said, that there is no way to know unless you do or pay for the procedure. My scooter ran fine with no issues before I checked, and ran fine afterwards. Couldn't tell at all.
If anyone wants me to post pictures without the writing or drawing on them just ask.

Mike

Thanks for the info and I wouldn't be afraid to take it on now. I did do a valve adjustment on a JCL 250cc bike (Chinese) once and I had to take off a LOT of tupperware and drop the rear shocks to boot. Those bikes are notorious for getting out of adjustment and stalling after 800 to 1,000 miles. The valve adjustment took it from not starting at all to running like a top. It's a very important procedure and a great one to know. Your pictures make it look easier on the MP3.

I've just done my tappets, and I found that the RED-HANDLED tappet wrench (the 10mm one) in the first photo is really good for undoing and re-tightening the rocker cover bolts. You can't get a full turn using it, but you can get at the bolts.

Gonzo

A flex-head box end works great there too.

Don't know how I missed this. Maybe because I didn't have a 500 at the time and glanced over it but I am adding a link to the main wiki MP3 500

Thanks for taking the trouble to write up. This will be a great help to me when it is my turn.

Jegemba

I just bough a used 2009 Piaggio MP3 500e. Its has 1250km on it. Would it require to adjust the valve clearance adjustments? Thanks.

I ordered an oil filter and will change the engine oil and transmission oil myself. Any other maintenance that i need from your suggestions? Thanks

You should not need a valve adjustment yet. First one I think is at 10k or 15k kilometers.

If I had just bought that scoot, I'd focus on engine oil and filter and hub oil as you state. Tires are your call; depends on where and how it was stored if they are still OK (some would say your 6 years are up).

Check the coolant hose in front (there is a sticky on the main MP3 discussion page).
Check the torque on your steering bearings (this is very important).
Fill the steering tubes with grease (there is a special tool for this that is very handy to have).
If you see grease coming out of the top and bottom bearing covers on each steering tube, you should be good here.

There is a link to a bunch of things you can do to upgrade and maintain your MP3 in the wiki.

Great job, mjm. Now if someone could do this for the 250 or 400 MP3s.......or is this the same? I suspect access is different.

Thank you for the suggestions. How can you check the torque of the steering bearing and where is it (Picture would help)? Sorry I'm mechanically challenge. Thanks

Since threads never get merged here, a title search for keyword "bearing" in this section returns a plethora of relevant ones, including these:

How to remove the steering tapered bearings
Another do it yourself bearing issue
Piaggio MP3 - Latest gremlin curing updates!!
Piaggio release steering 3 Wheeler grease bolt tool...
Notch Bearing Part Numbers
Tool for bearing adjustment
steering bearing adjustment - notch
Update on my 400 steering column bearing issue
Uh oh... I think this is trouble.

A search for "notch" will likely return more.

There's also a spreadsheet with lots of forum topics, but I don't know how up-to-date it is.

Just access is different. Everything else should be the same. Check the Valve clearance spec though!

Should the scooter be cold when performing a valve adjustment?

I would say yes (it should be cool).

But in any event it takes an hour to get in there; point being, by the time you actually make the adjustment, the engine will be cool (or at least the parts involved with the valve adjustment).

Highly unlikely in my opinion you can get to it fast enough that the retained heat will significantly impact the adjustment.

The reason I ask is because I used to do cold valve adjustments on my Honda Accord. It was pertinent that the car was cold. In fact, I used to adjust the valves first thing in the morning.

yes a cold engine as not been run for the last 6-8 hrs is a must. The internal metal parts dissipate heat slower than the outer case parts.

I had no issues with adjusting the clearance for the intake (top) valves. However, no matter how much I loosen the out take valve screws, I cannot slip any feeler gauges. There's absolutely zero clearance. Has anyone else had a similar issue?

Eric

Being *very* careful how I word this - are you sure you're pushing your feeler into the right slot?

Yes. I followed the photos above in this post. I did the intake valves without a hitch as well. The scoot is still at TDC. Now, I'm concerned about where to tighten the valve. :p

Both exhaust valves will not give me any clearance no matter how much I loosen the adjustment screws. I'm worried. 😳

You don't need to be at top dead center, the exhaust valives need to be closed. They are closed during the intake cycle, and can be checked then.

my money would be your not at tdc.
take out the round black plastic lug ( tdc window ) by the exhaust next to the oil top up and match up the tdc marks in there
do your oulets ever open up at all when you hand crank the engine? no matter what tdc marks you have lined up they should open up at some point or they are in dire need off attention before you fire up the engine again.

Thank you Motovista. This makes sense. So, how would you adjust the exhaust valves to .15mm if they're closed at TDC? Should I turn the variator nut until the exhaust valves open and then adjust their clearance to .15mm?

Eric

Yes. I was definitely at TDC. I lined up the marks perfectly. I thought about cranking the variator nut to see if the exhaust valves would open. I will check if they do.

Worst case scenario, the valves aren't closing properly and I will have to get them redone.

Eric

There seems to be some misunderstanding creeping in here. The recommendation to adjust valve clearances at top dead centre means at the top of the compression stroke when all valves will be closed. If you are 360 degrees out the mark on crankshaft or flywheel will line up but in the wrong position.
(At top dead centre on/after the exhaust stroke both valves will be slightly open because valve overlap is built in).
There are other ways which are equally valid. For example observe where the exhaust valve is open at maximum lift and then rotate the engine 360 degrees ( which means rotating the camshaft 180 degrees of course). No matter what cam and follower mechanism is used the clearance is always measure at the top of the valve stem or the bucket that sits on top of it if applicable.

Thank you for the explanation Roadster. So, when cranking the variator and the mark lines up in the TDC hole, the scoot may not be at top dead center? If I wasn't at top dead center with the mark aligned, and I adjusted the intake valves to .15mm but could not adjust the exhaust valves, would this hurt the valves if I ran it as such?

Eric

I have done many of these valves on this engine and when using the side window by oil top up for aliening the 2 timing marks. I have always been able to adjust inlet and outlet to perfection. if it was me id get someone else to hand crank the engine with the nut on the crank in variator while you watch to see if the valves ever open up. don't even think of starting the engine till your happy there open.
if you over shoot the timing marks never ever turn the engine back the other way. always keep going till they come up again. anti clockwise is the correct direction .

No it is at top dead center but if the marks are on the crankshaft it can be on the wrong TDC. The engine completes a cycle in two revolutions and the valves are only closed at the top of the compression stroke just as the firing stroke begins. One revolution later the piston is at the top again but its between the exhaust stroke and the inlet stroke when the exhaust valves are beginning to close and the inlet valves are beginning to open. Adjusting the valves in this position would be disastrous because you would end up with huge clearances and a very noisy and badly running engine.

Thanks Roadster. I just turned the variator nut while my girlfriend watched for the mark to come around in the TDC hole. Once it lined up, I proceeded to adjust the intake valves, but I could not adjust the exhaust valves because there wasn't any clearance no matter how tight or loose the adjusting screws. I closed everything up and ran the scooter for a while. It idled well. I took it out for a quick spin and my windscreen shuttered less, but not much less. Therefore, my thought is that I need to open the valve cover back up, realign the TDC mark and have another go at it.

I think I found TDC. After watching MicBergsma video, after lining up the mark in the TDC hole, he points to the sprocket and chain next to the valves. There's an arrow on the sprocket that must line up with two dots on the casing. If both the mark in the hole and the arrow and the dots are aligned, the scoot is at TDC. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thx

Eric

exactly

Oh what a difference valve adjustments make! It's like a massage for my scoot.

After a nice 5 miles ride on a hot NorCal evening, the scoot feels like it did during its first 1000 miles.

One hitch, I managed to break one of the lower valve cover bolts by applying a little too much pressure. I inspected the cover and gasket after my ride and I don't see any signs of leakage. I've always wanted to strip the tupperware. Now, I'll have a good excuse to do so after I order a new bolt and reverse the broken recessed end from the casing.

P.S. I found a fantastic long 1/4" 3/8" inch combo ratchet at Harbor Freight. Just $29 and you have a great tool to get to the bolts in the tightest areas.

Just done the adjustment. Great tutorial but decided to remove the Tupperware as I have large hands.

It was sounding what we used to call tappity at idle before adjustment. It's certainly sounds quieter now. Just need to see if it makes a difference to performance.

I Like that it is Not a shim under bucket style, and that I can easily adjust the valves, cudos to Piaggio