Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

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fish
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Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by fish »

For any scooter nerds out there...
Yesterday completed another first service item: valve clearance check.

Scooter sat over night - engine must be stone cold.
If you waited while dealer did your valves - he didn't do them on a cold engine.

Tools I used:
Torx driver from tool kit > seat bucket & front center panel. removal
8mm T-wrench > 3 valve cover bolts
8mm 1/4" drive socket on small ratchet > the hard to reach 4th valve cover bolt
wire cutters > clip off hose clamp
.10mm feeler blade > check valve clearance
19mm socket > turn the engine to timing mark
flashlight
dab of grease > keep 0-ring in valve cover for re-install

My steps:
Chock front tire & bands on fr. brake lever - secures scooter.
I removed lower shock mount - to slightly raise front of engine. It helped get to that 4th bolt, some.
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remove seat bucket and front center panel (panel lifts up and forward - tabs-in-slot) See owner's manual for photos.

cut rear clip off of breather hose from valve cover - valve cover cannot be moved away with this hose still attached back there.
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remove black cover over front CVT bolt - turn engine here for timing mark
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remove spark plug cap, push hoses out of way, pull off the breather hose from its rear attach point

use 8mm T-wrench to loosen 3 valve cover bolts, and 8mm 1/4" drive socket and shorty ratchet to loosen the lower/right 4th bolt. Patience here! There IS room to do this with that hard-to-reach bolt!
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remove valve cover
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rotate CVT nut clockwise to bring timing marks together. CHECK that there IS movement of the rocker arms once aligned. If NO movement rotate again until timing marks re-align AND you can feel movement.
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check gap with .10mm feeler blade. Large blades will not work due to tight space to work. My 3 valves checked spot-on.
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If your valves need adjusting - see the many utube videos on adjusting GY6 scooter valves w/screw & lock nuts.

I added a dab of bearing grease to a few points around the 0-ring grove of valve cover to keep the 0-ring in place while re-installing valve cove. Pay attention to the 0-ring seal on spark plug hole as well - keep it in place when replacing valve cover. Snug the 4 bolts slowly, in lug-nut rotation fashion (clock face - 11 / 5, then 2 / 7, etc.) Use very low torque when tightening these little bolts. I do hand snug and STOP! Personally, do not trust torque wrenches for such small fasteners.
Reattach the breather hose - use a new clip or zip tie it. It is jammed in there so tight on the tube - I didn't mess with a clip.

Replace rear shock bolt, if you undid it.

I ran the engine for a time - then checked under for oil leaks. Let it cool and felt around & under the valve cover for any sign of oil leaks. Nothing - then I replaced the panel, seat bucket.

First time into the valves on this scooter - so took a few hours working slowly and carefully. My Kymco LIKE200i is SO much easier to do the valve check. SO much more room to work than this little Piaggio. Robot does this engine OUT of the scooter ---- not at all a fair representation of the things in your way, and spaces to work.

Manual says valve check due again at 6,200 miles. I will do them every 3,000 miles, now that I'm familiar with this scooter.

Fish
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by Mel46 »

...and I thought the PCX was difficult!
Currently own:
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by aguim »

No need to check rockers for free play once the cam timing mark (arrow) is aligned.
This alignment forcibly correspond to TDC/Compression. This is true of many other SOHC engines with a 'top' marking of some sort stamped on the cam (like the Forza: one should simply rotate the crank till that marking is facing UP, and proceed with the job--no need to align any flywheel/variator other
markings.

Flywheel markings are only really needed when timing/installing cams. 'Near' TDC is good
enough for valve adjustment.
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by you you »

So you checked it and it didn't need adjusting in the slightest? And you are going to half the next interval to check again?

OK.
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by gn2 »

fish wrote:Manual says valve check due again at 6,200 miles. I will do them every 3,000 miles, now that I'm familiar with this scooter.

Fish
Guess some people just enjoy doing annoying fiddly jobs more often than necessary.
I'll stick with the manual's recommendation of 15,000 miles for mine... and have someone else do it.
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by Gil »

Mel46 wrote:...and I thought the PCX was difficult!
I think the PCX is still more difficult as he didn't even bring up panel removal, I don't think he had to remove many. That 3 valve engine is cool even if it does make less power than the PCX ;) .

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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by fish »

Gil wrote:
Mel46 wrote:...and I thought the PCX was difficult!
I think the PCX is still more difficult as he didn't even bring up panel removal, I don't think he had to remove many. That 3 valve engine is cool even if it does make less power than the PCX ;) .

Gil
Correct, sorry if I made this seem complicated. First time through, figuring things out.
Underseat bucket pops out, front center panel pulls out after 4 phillips screws.
Hardest part ? Cutting that blasted thick clamp buried on breather hose without damaging hose. Correct BIG cutters would have been better.
Next time won't jack scooter or remove lower shock.
Not mentioned - is that engine is angled a few degrees to rider's left. ?? Wonder why?
Not much of a "power" guy - recall that I traded a newish 400cc Burgman for this 155cc Italian.

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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by Gil »

fish wrote:
Gil wrote:
Mel46 wrote:...and I thought the PCX was difficult!
I think the PCX is still more difficult as he didn't even bring up panel removal, I don't think he had to remove many. That 3 valve engine is cool even if it does make less power than the PCX ;) .

Gil
Correct, sorry if I made this seem complicated. First time through, figuring things out.
Underseat bucket pops out, front center panel pulls out after 4 phillips screws.
Hardest part ? Cutting that blasted thick clamp buried on breather hose without damaging hose. Correct BIG cutters would have been better.
Next time won't jack scooter or remove lower shock.
Not mentioned - is that engine is angled a few degrees to rider's left. ?? Wonder why?
Not much of a "power" guy - recall that I traded a newish 400cc Burgman for this 155cc Italian.

Fish
Thanks for the clarification. :) I was joking about the power, one more hp isn't make or break.
On a separate note, what mpg's do you get with it?

Gil
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by fish »

Still playing with the throttle settings per break-in instructions.
Don't know how that affects mpg's....but ranging from 80 to 96mpg depending on in town or country road rides to distant coffee village. ..like this morning.
The Burg was @45-55....my 163cc Kymco gets @72mpg.
This 155cc Liberty has at least as much pep as the Kymco.
Kymco tops out @58 mph....won't try the Liberty until @1000 mile point.
Even if it gets the claimed @60mph - I'll never ride such a small, light scooter at that speed. Big wheels or no...and it IS noticeably more on rails that my 12" wheeled Kymco.
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by gn2 »

Gil wrote:That 3 valve engine is cool even if it does make less power than the PCX ;) .

Gil
The Piaggio 3V 125 is marginally more powerful than the PCX 125 and the 3v 150 is only 1hp down on the PCX 150 so there's very little in it.
For me the Piaggio wins for being aircooled, less to maintain and less to go wrong.
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by fish »

gn2 wrote:
Gil wrote:That 3 valve engine is cool even if it does make less power than the PCX ;) .

Gil
The Piaggio 3V 125 is marginally more powerful than the PCX 125 and the 3v 150 is only 1hp down on the PCX 150 so there's very little in it.
For me the Piaggio wins for being aircooled, less to maintain and less to go wrong.
Aircooled is a big selling point for me.....an old VW nut. You can squeeze a few more HP out of a watercooled engine.....but I still choose a/c when the option is there.
Actually, I'm pleasantly surprised a new, EU-passed scooter can still be a/c
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Re: Valve check on a 2018 Piaggio Liberty 3V w/ i-get engine

Post by gn2 »

Honda's CB1100 is Euro4 compliant and air cooled.
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