Air Chamber 86 500 Stuck Screw Prevents Carb Access

I have been attempting to remove my 500's carb air chamber to get at stuck slides and have come to a screw that I can not get at to remove. I honestly don't know what to use to get at it. I have attempted right angle ratchets with #3 phillips tips, no go! This one screw has been attacking me in my sleep for two nights now!
Any ideas welcome. As mentioned in another thread this bike has been parked for 8 years. Gas goo removall with Vinegar working well on tank carbs are quite stick still. Screw location see image with red arrow.

Regards Wavey.

 

1st of all, you NEVER remove the plenum from the carbs when they are still installed on the engine. Quickest way to crack the fuel tubes, which are now very brittle from age and countless heat cycles.

Reinstall the screws you have removed and pull the carbs as one unit. You will then possibly gain some different angles of attack to get that screw when it's on the bench and can be manipulated more. And if it comes down to it and you have to drill the head off (which will be very easy), you're not doing it over the engine and possiblly down the intake tracts.

Heat the insulators (carb boots) with a low set heat gun or hair dryer and get them warm and soft(er).

Those carbs should have been coming out in the first place by what you describe. You will have more issues than just stuck slides I'm afraid. Time to do some more reading and research.

Good luck! Take your time, be methodical, take pictures and... read,read,read. You should have come across this info already.

Also, the very first attempt on those plenum screws should always be with an impact driver, with the carbs on the bench. It will probably still get that screw no problem.

 

Ah. I was hoping to just get working room to pull the vacuum diaphragms and sliders out from the top of the carbs without taking them off the bike as a first step. I have used this approach on my other bikes to free up the slides. They weren't V Fours though. If I am left with removing a big chuck of carburation from the bike I will.

Thanks. I will keep you posted.

DB

My last reno ----

 

You already are left with that.

Cool GS. Partial GSXR cowl?

Again, with everything you describe, stuck slides are VERY LIKELY not your only problem. If you continue down this path, they will for sure not be.

 

Appreciate the input. I was afraid of that, still am. I am knee deep in a Gen 1 KLR project now also I just happened on this low mileage VF for $500 bucks. It is practically showroom Q, except for the 8 year old gas! Wondering if Mike Nixons carb book for V fours is worth the purchase. I have Clymer's for the Bike not a fan.

The Cowl was from an 86 1100 slab side. GS was much more rideable that the GSXr.
KLR project below:

 

Any Nixon book is worth a purchase, but I have a digital Honda Service Manual for the VF500F if you want (you do). PM and I can email it to you. I couldn't find the download link I used.

There have been NUMEROUS V4 carb rebuilds documented here recently. Stop "working" and start reading before you go back in. Joe has a great write up over at V4 Dreams on another generation, but the info and tips absolutely applies to just about every set of V4 carbs.

 

that does the trick, impact + right-sized screw bit.

 

I continued my cleaning of the the gas tank today afterwork. I am moving back to the gas tank cleaning while I educate myself about carb removal and repair. What an amazing amount of crud came from the tank. By the way 6% vinegar worked amazingly. I am still concerned about how to get remaining water out of the tank, rinse water, before coating the inside. Another concern is the fuel strainer, I am not able to find an OEM replacement. Don't know if anyone has a resource or has created something to perform the same job.

Fuel strainer was mostly decomposed within tank.

 

No milk crate?????

 

Haa! Good one! That worked on the KLX250, afraid they don't make crates like they use to!

 

This for some history for myself, I found an OEM strainer on Ebay.

Issue I have now with tank as I wait for parts and keep prepping for coating is two fold:
1. There is a bit of water that I just can not shake out. So the inside of the tank once cleaned will flash rust in a matter of seconds.
I have seen recommended using Heet to absorb residual water and gunk.
I used 4 gallons of 6% vinegar for soaking, then about 4 gallons clear water to rinse. The tank looked
wonderful until morning where I found it to be rusted shockingly heavily again!
2. There are big flakes of hardened polymerized gas rattling around in the tank that are also not coming out.
I have seen a YouTuber put a hand full of screws in his tank to break up such stuff, of this I am wary!

Removed the Clutch Slave. The piston was completely seized I soaked it in some SeaFoam, took out the bleeder valve and applied some air to it the piston popped out in my hand nicely. I soaked it over night along with the spring, bleeder valve, and "Cup" as the OEM part is called. Measured O.D. of piston and I.D. housing they are exactly Shop Manual Spec Dimensions. Yay! My first victory. Next for clutch work will to remove master assembly and pull apart check out piston and o-ring. I bought what is advertised on ebay as a fit for replacement. It was like 15 bucks. The OEM replacement at Babbits is $64. The Lever when squeezed with full fluid and all fittings and hosed attached to slave had zero feel, this I did prior to removing the slave to discover forzen piston. I will root out all of the lines and banjos before retoring with fluid, if too icky I will look at scrounging/buying new.

Still studying carb remove and replace, wish I had smaller more nimble hands!

Wavey

 

This was the most not fun I have had in years. But they are off and I did not break anything but a sweat.

 

The right path is not always the easiest...