awakening the viffer from a LONG sleep

OK, first off I want to thank you all for helping me along the way. I received a "hand-me-down" 1986 vf500f that was just sitting in someone's barn for 5 years. With fuel in the carbs. In the past year I have taken the bike apart down to the carbs, cleaned them out and given the bike an overall clean-up. I was given a new clutch side cover, thank you matt1986vf500f, and have used some very useful tutorials, thank you JamieDaugherty. There are others who have helped with advice along the way, but I couldn't start to remember everyone's names. I have the bike back together as of last night. Today, after work in 6 or 7 hours, I'm going to put new oil in it, and new gasoline in it. I topped up the brake fluid, the coolant was still at a good level. My plan is to try and start it tonight, to see if it'll run.

Some questions:

1) I am still in need of a new battery, but have been told I can just hook the leads up to a car's battery using jumper cables. Is this correct? Any details I should be aware of?! I'd like to try this, as I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on a battery for a bike that won't run.

2) Since the carbs are drained, having been cleaned, the gas tank is drained, and all the lines between, is there anything I should do to help get the gas flowing so it'll run good?

3) I bought some sea foam, is this a good idea? If so, the packaging is confusing me. Do I add it to the fuel or the oil?

4) What octane gasoline should I buy?

thanks!

 

1) I don't know why you couldn't do this.

2) Just turn the petcock on and let the fuel flow for a few minutes. I know the '84-'85 petcocks are vacuum operated. If this is the case for '86 you will also need to pull a vacuum on the valve to get fuel to flow. I use a syringe for this. Your other option would be to suck on the vacuum hose.

3) If you cleaned everything then it's not necessary. Seafoam can be added to oil and fuel. You don't have to add it to both for it to work.

4) 87 (RON+MON/2) i.e. Regular.

-Jake

 

wow, that was fast, thank you!

 

One question comes to mind; which one is the vacuum hose? Obviously it comes from the petcock, but is it the one which hangs open clamped down the bike's left side? Or does it connect somewhere and I would be detaching it to apply the vacuum, then replacing it? Is there an online tutorial somewhere for this? Thanks again!

 

I would only recommend running Seafoam in your oil on an oil flush, you can run it in your gas every now and then to give the carbs a little cleaning.

 

1) yes you can do this... just dont short something out. i've used one before and it works just fine. 12 volts is 12 volts. car batteries are just larger and can handle larger/longer cranking loads than a small motorcycle battery.

2) others have answered this already.

3) others are right on this as well. in the oil for a flush only. gas occasionally for keeping things nice and clean.

4) regular octane is just fine.

 

OK I got it together, no leaks! Hooked it up to my car, and had trouble getting it to start. I had my blackberry out there with me and recorded a sound clip, hoping to capture the sound of the engine coming to life after 5 years of neglect. I had some trouble at first, but playing with the choke I got some bursts out of it, I heard its voice! But it wouldn't keep running. I'm nothing if not a beginner to everything motorcycle & engine related, so here's a link to some sound clips I recorded:

wadsworth pilgrim: Trying to start the bike...

The last one is the last couple tries, it bursts at first but then dies & goes back to empty cranking... but between the third & fourth sound clips, one time I hit the starter and it ran. It sounded good, as far as my inexperienced ears could tell... I rested the bike on the side stand so I could reach into my pocket to grab my phone and start recording, but as I got my phone out the bike died. It was probably a good 6 or 7 seconds. Then, it would start for a second or two then die, like in the fourth recording... I do need to get new spark plugs, does it sound to you like they are the problem? Someone else said it sounded like I'd flooded it? What can I do to properly start up the bike? Please remember I won't understand if you start using technical terms! Thanks very much for your help.

 

It sounds to me like the fuel isn't getting to the intakes. It may help you to go to Auto Zone or Checkers and get a clear fuel filter that will fit in the area given on the bike. This way you can visually see the fuel travelling through that part of the system and you'll know definately when the fuel is moving by watching the level change. These are relatively cheap, but be aware of hose sizing. Most of them use a smaller hose than is already on the bike, so you'll want to bring your old filter and fuel line with you in case you need a foot or so of line.

Next thing you want to do is fill your float bowls. In the clips I can hear the engine start to catch and then start reaching again. You're simply not getting enough fuel in the carbs to do the job, which either means you still have air in the line and it's not able to flow or that you don't have enough fuel in the float bowls to sustain normal fuel flow. Make sure the petcock is open, tank FULL (extra weight helps to pressurize the line) and turn on the key. Hitting the kill switch to "on" will turn on the fuel pump and start to suck the fuel and push it into the bowl. Turn the kill switch off and then back on again. You'll need to do this several times to get the fuel to flow. If after the 5th or 6th time it doesn't show a level in the filter, then open the line between the filter and the pump just enough to allow air to escape and fuel should rush into the filter. Have a cup or towel handy to catch any spill.

Once you have visible fuel level in the filter, continue to feed the bowls by cycling the kill switch on and off. You'll see the fuel level drop and rise each time. It takes about 12-15 hits to get the bowls to a high enough level. The fuel pump is only 3-4lbs of pressure and can not over-fill the bowls so don't worry about that. There is a way to jump the pump and run it continuously to fill the bowls, but that takes knowing what you are doing and this way - although a bit more time consuming - will not destroy the $180 fuel pump.

Now try to start the bike with the choke on fully and a fully charged battery. A low battery may not have enough cranking Amps to rotate the crankshaft fast enough to get it running. If it starts and dies again, repeat the process. If it still does it after priming the system again, then there is an underlying issue - but my bet is that it'll start up just fine.

 

make sure you have the fuel line and the vaccum linses on the carbs hooked up correctly....I know this sounds very basic but I did it with mine the first time and it would spit and sputter..

good luck....also don't have the car running when you jump it. just leave it off....... I would get a battery anyway.. but thats just me....

 

update: the spark plug wires turned out t be all dry-rotted, and two of them were very badly damaged, one of them actually broke when I pulled the cap off the plug for the third time in one day. It shouldn't do that... wires shouldn't snap... Lazy, I don't think my bike has a fuel pump, it's just gravity-fed. The fuel line is about 6 or 7 inches long and goes right into the carb's fuel intake. I've got the vacuum line and the breather line hooked up, the fuel line hooked up, I'm pretty sure the BIGGEST problem right now is replacing my spark plug wires. If it still doesn't fire on all cylinders with new wires (still contemplating whether to spend $119 at the dealership for brand new original parts, or to go to NAPA and get bulk wire and make my own), then I probably have to take the carbs apart and clean them out again. Cleaning the carbs was the first thing I did, I thought I did an adequate job at it, very detail-oriented and very thorough, but I AM a newbie, and might have missed something... I'll keep y'all posted, and thanks VERY much for all the great advice. I know I wouldn't have made it nearly this far without vfrworld. When I get it running, I'll be after a decal!