Yamaha Grizzly hard to start: tight valves

Applies to: Grizzly 660, 700 (Yamaha), 2001 on

Symptoms

  • Cranks a long time before firing
  • Worse hot or cold
  • Loss of power, popping

Why it happens

Valve clearance closes up with wear, especially on the exhaust side, so the valves don't seat fully and compression drops.

How to fix it

  1. Let the engine go fully cold.
  2. Remove the valve covers and set the piston at TDC on compression.
  3. Measure clearance with feeler gauges against the manual spec.
  4. Adjust (screw-and-locknut or shims, by model) and recheck.

Tools and parts

  • Feeler gauges
  • Valve cover gaskets
  • Wrenches

What the factory service manual covers

Engine: valve clearance spec and adjustment procedure. The full procedure, specs and wiring diagrams are in the factory service manual for your machine.

Get the factory service manual

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