I can't get the damn thing off because the points are rounded off and a 17mm socket just slips round. A juicy point of karma awaits anyone who has an ingenious solution for this.
Cheers guys

17mm 6-point socket. You might be surprised how much better they are than the usual cheap 12-pointers.

take the cover off and get at it from the back...

They seem to be common enough, so you might have to beat it out.

If the 6 pointer does not work of course...

with amorti all the way on this one.

a 6 point socket will grip much better than the multi-point ones that grip on the 'corners' rather than the flats.. they tend to round things off.

If all else fails either remove the clutch cover and attack it from the rear as Mark has suggested or get a dremel with a cutting disc and put a slot in it, you can then use a big flat screw-driver to undo it.

New covers are easy to pick up.

Thanks for the quick replies, chaps. I must've got a flash of brain-power because I dug out the deep 6-point socket that I bought for the rear pinch bolt, and hey presto!

But now that I've started the thread I need some guidance with my valve clearances. A 'firm, sliding fit' is what I'm after, but how far should the gauges reach between the rocker arm and shim? For example, the really thin leaves such as 0.02 will go all the way through and will wiggle out either side. How far should the leaf/leaves go under the arm to constitute an accurate reading?

Man_Named_Dave wrote:Thanks for the quick replies, chaps. I must've got a flash of brain-power because I dug out the deep 6-point socket that I bought for the rear pinch bolt, and hey presto!

But now that I've started the thread I need some guidance with my valve clearances. A 'firm, sliding fit' is what I'm after, but how far should the gauges reach between the rocker arm and shim? For example, the really thin leaves such as 0.02 will go all the way through and will wiggle out either side. How far should the leaf/leaves go under the arm to constitute an accurate reading?

It is only the tiny spot/place in between the rocker arm and shim (vertically), just the tip of the leaf(s) is more than enough. But if you try to slide the leafs in between the arm and shim in order to measure, keep the leaf(s) not under tension but straight as is (horizontally, not bend).

Cheers Micpec.
I did these just now and it wasn't too bad in the end. At first I felt pretty clueless and thought I'd have to give up, but I think I sussed it eventually. I would just slide in a leaf that should always go under easily (such as 0.10mm) and work up from there. Although I just couldn't see a way to get at the exhaust shims for cylinders 2 and 4 no matter what angle I tried, so I couldn't check them whatsoever.

So overall, 2 intake clearances were out. Not too bad!