about to tackle the infomous valve issue, what gaskets? best place for parts?

so she's making a little bit of valve noises, runs great right now but i would like to keep it that way 42,000 miles and the previous owner admitted to not doing any maintenance in the last 15,000 miles besides oil changes. So I've read many of the older threads my best guess on what to do now is to buy:

valve springs, head gaskets and valve cover gaskets. hopefully that's all she needs.

what's is a gasket kit A or b? anyway to get this done cheaper? this is only a $300 bike! anything else i should do? will a typical valve spring compressor used on car motors work?

this is for a 86 vf500
thanks so much, Tyler

 

Unless you think us mind readers your model and year of bike would help.

 

A quick dig on past posts shows he's got an "86 VF500"

Wish I'd looked at them before posting the last comment on the original post. Did you get everything figured out on the carbs? I'd replace those springs if you still have good access to them (i.e. not on the bike right now)

 

sorry yea its a 86 vf500, yea i got the carbs figured out and she's running great now, I'll replace those springs when i get the idle lever that I'm missing. it's all in one piece now. I'm aiming for a short downtime like one day. but i guess a lot of things could go wrong after i crack it open.

 

Are the valve springs even available for the VF500?

Keep in mind the valvetrain is different between 84-85 and 86

 

Squirrel has been a bad influence on some of us I see.

 

I have to agree with this, unless you're like me and just like to do stuff that defies logic!

Actually, I'm going to put mine back together ASAP with the best of the used parts that I have, and ride it. Once I figure out what to do about replacement valves, aside from the pricey OE ones, I may tear back into it, if it lasts long enough! My ultimate goal is to restore the thing, but that's a very ambitious goal for me to achieve at this point.

 

I hope so! At least enough that people will start giving away their 500's to me for parts! Who's first?

 

The loud ringing of the bell of hypocrisy could be heard for miles......

 

Hey bussman, just thought I'd put in my thoughts on the matter.

I think it would be a great idea for you to get in there and check out the situation. Adjust the valve tappet clearances and check for mushrooming of the valve stems is a fine idea, as is looking at the cams for signs of bad wear that could be hurting performance or be a sign of impending doom. If the valve stems are all good and the cams are as well, thats where I'd stop. Don't fix something that's not broken. However, if you want to be thorough I'd suggest a compression test. First a dry/warm one, and then a wet/warm one.

Heres the order I would go about this:
1. Inspect valve stems and cams for problems.
2. Adjust valve tappet clearances.
3. Inspect timing.
4. Do a warm/dry compression test.
5. Do a warm/wet compression test.

--->If your compression jumps considerably between these tests, you have worn/stuck piston rings/pistons/cylinders. Theres should be a difference as your engine has 42k miles, but if the compression is similar on all cylinders then you have an engine thats ageing as it should- unless psi is ridiculously low, post it if you need help. If your compression after the wet test is under 171psi (which is what it should have been the day it was rolled onto the showroom floor) by more than 28 psi (says honda - I say 40+ psi for this age bike) then I would consider removing and measuring the valve springs for wear (I've got the proper measurements for them if you need it), pulling the head and checking the valves themselves, and a new head gasket.

--->If the wet test provides a psi within the tolerable range, do nothing more: NO HEAD GASKETS, NO VALVE SPRINGS. Your likely to decrease overall performance. All the moving metal parts in the head have had 25 years to break in, and replacing certain parts with new will not agree with the bond the current parts have made through time. This does not apply if your getting heads remachined and putting new parts in- but nobody is doing that to their vf500f.

Also, I reuse my valve cover gaskets on my vf500f without thinking twice, and have never had them leak in any way. Waste of time and money.

Also Also, if the test reveals you have bad cylinder/piston/ring wear here are a few things to consider:
- There are no over sized pistons for the vf500f, so you cannot have the cylinder bore altered.
- There are no cylinder sleeves you can slip in/out.
- Piston rings are almost impossible to find. I really mean that. I have 5 sets I managed to nab off eBay here and there, and I'm holding onto them until I absolutely 100% need to use them or I hear a millionaire is restoring the bike with no expense spared.

I hope this helps you.

 

thanks for the great tips, i suppose I'll do the check seclude as ferrarone suggests. Valve springs can be found here. Honda Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki Sea-Doo Can-Am Ski-Doo Motorcycle Parts ATV parts Scooter Parts personal watercraft parts Accessories. they also have oversized pistons and rings. i don't mind the labor investment but yea the parts are going to start adding up to. i'll post up with results of the tests.

 

I haven't checked on the '86 valve springs (I own an '84) but I did check with several large Honda parts dealers both here in the states and overseas and the inner and outer valve springs are NLA for the '84/'85 models. I've been doing some research into an aftermarket kit (based on the Honda VTR250 which shares the same OEM part number for the '84/'85valve springs) which I will post after I gather more intel.

Please let us know if you locate a stash of springs as I would be interested in purchasing a set as spares. Thx!

 

Hey bussman,

I've got an 84/85 and didn't realize you had the 86. While I still stand by my suggestion for maintenance, its good to know that you have more options such as springs, piston rings, and pistons if you need to go that route. Good luck!

 

Are used springs worth anything if they are within the factory specifications, or are people only looking for brand new? Theres a couple of heads floating around on ebay in the $50ish range, and some of those springs are bound to be fine.

 

Have you really checked to see if they have them?

Just because they list it doesn't mean they have it, ask me how I know this.

 

I love the first gen's and I've really enjoyed my 500 but when you start looking at long term benefits he has some good points. I do think he could come across less harsh but whatever (the man is to the point and I can appreciate that). I'm not planning on keeping my 500 or the myriad of spare parts much longer. I am browsing for a second gen though...

Back to the topic. Last I looked, springs for the '86s were still available. I would check them before replacing them though. If they're not bad and you don't see any other issues I wouldn't worry about it. Avoid pulling the heads if you can. If the valve cover gaskets aren't leaking the don't worry about them either. My $.02.

-Jake

 

well i couldn't secure a compression tester that fits this motor so i didin't have a chance to do that but i got the adjustment done and what a difference! she's quite as can be now, runs smoother too! I also got rid of the incorrect spark plugs the previous owner installed. all cams and tappets looked good as far as i can tell. only very light scaring on a few of the lobes. most exhaust adjustments were a about 2 whole turns too loose! i even had one intake too tight?

thanks for all the advice guys!