Brother graduates from OSU in 4 more days bought him an 84 VF500

Best of luck with the weekend work. I know it's 10F over on this side of the state. You stay warm.

 

Good deal and good luck. Let us know how you make out.

 

Not any better over on this side, going over there prepared with my propane space heater this time :wink:

 

Made some good progress today... Carbs came off without a hitch. That pry bar worked wonders. I didn't even have to lube up those intake boots. I went against suggestions and started the bike up with starting fluid into the intake. I just HAD to do it don't ask. I was very pleased, the bike fired right up and it sounded nice and healthy other than that damn clicking from the fuel pump. No it's not the valvtrain making that noise it's coming from the fuel pump tail section area. Carbs are now off and all the jets, floats, slides etc. are all out for cleaning. The bowls are HORRIBLY filthy, varnish everywhere. Took off the rear head valve cover to take a look at the valvetrain. The cam loves look to be in extremely good shape no scoring or wear anywhere at all. The valves and springs and everything else looked really nice. Everything is oiled up nice in there too. Big sigh of relief, I think the motor is good. Next trip over there the radiator is coming off so I can get at the front head. Valve clearance check will be in store and carbs will be thoroughly cleaned. Once the motor is all buttoned up and we get it running we will be tackling some other issues like forks and chain. All coming together nicely So far...

 

Good news! I look forward to hearing the results of the compression test now.

 

Glad all is going well. Please keep us posted on the progress.

On a side note, if I could ask a favor, would you mind posting the jet needle, emulsion tube and main jet orientation on the carb set you have along with the carb number (i.e. VDA, VDB, etc.). Thx!

 

Damn I knew I was forgetting something. I made a mental note before I went over there to write down the orientation to sumbit to the thread you made about carb specs. I'll make sure and get that info to you next time i'm over there.

 

Much appreciated, thanks!

 

Been a while here's an update, and I need some help:

Carbs are clean and ready to go back on the bike, only problem is, I need new float bowl gaskets. I was going to make some with a sheet of viton rubber but I see they are o-ring style and fit in a grove on the bowls. I located some from an OEM supplier but they are 40 bucks a piece and it pains me to pay that much if I can make them. Has anyone done this and do you have any advice?

 

If they're the preformed square-ish o-ring gaskets, then I've heard quite a few people say that they just get a big o-ring and use RTV silicone gasket to tack it in a few places in the groove.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. One more question on that issue. Which type of o-ring should I use? I believe I used viton type orings on my float needle valve seats but I also read that buna type are gas, water, and oil resistant as well. Any recommendations there?

Also off hand does anybody know the width of o-ring I should order and whether or not I should use square type or round type? I guess I could always measure the old one with my digital caliper but I would still like to know if it would be better to use square or round since I have rolls of both in various thicknesses.

Thanks again.

 

Carbs are all assembled and ready to go. Went to adjust valve clearances today and noticed one of the valves tips is broken. Rear head on the right side. Outter exhaust valve. The very top of the valve ,the tappet?, appears to be broken. So here is my question: I have a spare motor with I am sure at least one good valve that I can replace this one with. Is it possible to remove the rear head without pulling the motor? Also, where might I find a head gasket when I am ready to put it back together? Thanks in advance. It made me sick to my stomach when I found that broken valve Put's us back a couple weeks I am sure...

 

Also, does anyone have a good exploded view of the orientation of the valve parts? I am curious as to what part actually holds the valve from dropping into the cyclinder.

 

Here is the entire manual:
Honda vf 500 c 500 f 1984 1985 Service manual intretinere - Download service / repair / owner / maintenance manuals, motorcycle tutorials, microfiche
Hope it helps.

 

From the '84 FSM, section 9-16:

 

Thanks guys. After a little more reading it appears the engine must be pulled to remove the rear head, bummer. I think we're gonna inspect the spare motor's valve-train and if it checks out we will just swap motors. If something looks wrong on the SPARE then we will remove the rear head from the 1st motor and swap out a valve with one from the spare. Running out of time damnit, it's getting warm out!

 

Worst fears became a reality. The spare motor has a broken valve as well, but on the front head whereas the motor in the bike had a bad valve in the rear head. The plan going forward now is to pull the motor from the bike and swap rear heads with the spare motor. My brother and I pulled the rear head from the spare today and the piston and cylinder looked absolutely fine. Hopefully this will be the same case for the cylinder and piston on the motor in the bike. Gonna try and get the motor out of the bike this weekend and give everything a thorough inspection before we proceed further. ARGHHHHHHHHHH.

Few questions:

For those who have been this far into the motor, what is the likelyhood that the head will need to be resurfaced before the install? Also, the head gasket is still attached to the head that we are going to use. It appears to be in pretty good shape. Can we reuse this head gasket with a supplemental rtv or equivalent gasket maker to get a good seal or should I fork over some dough and buy one of the head gaskets listed on ebay? Is there anything I should be looking out for when it comes to buying a head gasket for this bike?

It looks like the install shouldn't be too bad of a job. I am going to mark the cam gears and chain to retain the cam timing, and I will of course double check all timing marks and turn the motor over by hand slowly for any signs of parts not being timed correctly. Is there anything else I need to be looking out for or any tips on the install?

Thanks guys

 

I would recommend resurfacing the heads and installing new head gaskets.

More info on head gaskets can be found here:

Scan 'em if you got 'em - VF500F Head Gasket Patterns

 

Sorry invisible cities, that thread must have been the most confusing thing I have ever read in my life. It seems as though there are 100 different gasket designs for 3 years of bikes. This is what I took from that thread you linked to me.

-Front heads on all 3 years share the same head gasket
-Rear head gaskets for 84 model do not fit 85 and 86 rear head
-85 and 86 year rear head gaskets had a few variations in head gaskets over the years.

I am still confused on which part number I am to look for.

I see recommendations to contact cometic and have one made, but I also see recommendations to NOT use them because copper head gaskets do not do well on this motor. Basically I am being pointed in a bunch of different ways that all end in, sorry you're shit out of luck.

 

No worries, the thread I mentioned is an ongoing research project.

The takeaway is that the gasket coolant passage patterns changed over time with the '86 version being the most 'evolved' design. The actual coolant passages in the heads did not change so in theory you can use an '86 gasket on an '84 head.

Copper gaskets are not recommend.


VF500F Gasket Round-Up

OEM
'84 Early Front - 12251-MJ8-405
'84 Late Front, '85 Front , '86 Front - 12251-MJ8-306
'84 Early and Late Rear - 12252-MJ8-405
'85 Rear, '86 Rear - 12252-MJ8-406

Vesrah
'85 | gasket set - complete | part no. VG-1070
'86 | gasket set - complete | part no. VG-1071

Athena
(not sure of the part no., more info can be found here)
http://vfrworld.com/forums/1st-2nd-generation-1983-1989/31074-scan-em-if-you-got-em-vf500f-head-gasket-patterns-3.html#post276619