Possible Overheating? 1985 VF700

The big space under the 2 arms that go to each valve is what I'm talking about. Is there some tiny gap under there I'm missing? The illustration in the service manual isnt much help.

 

Place the feeler gauges here - between the tappet stem and the top of the valve stem:

 

if that's the case i believe its the opposite problem. They're so close together i couldn't tell they were 2 separate stems.

 

Do you have a copy of the FSM for reference?

There are very good diagrams in this manual that show the engine in detail - usually these are drafted as an exploded view. On a side note, it is amazing to think these drawings were all done by hand back in the day. Anyway, staying on topic -

These drawings should give you a clearer picture of the parts that make up the valve train.

Please keep in mind that the lash adjustment needs to be very carefully done.

Too tight and the motor oil will not have space properly lubricate the cam and follower surfaces - too loose and you will create a hammering effect which will lead to mushrooming of the stems.

 

my manual is the Honda manual, not a clymer or other brand.

Another question is do the carbs have to be re-adjusted after the valves are done? The shop I took it to rebuilt and synced the carbs without doing any work on the valves so i'd hate to have to get it redone within 2 months of them being rebuilt

 

Long and short of it...Yes.

You will need to sychronize the carburetors after setting the lash. I would recommend checking out the Morgan Carbtune Pro:

http://www.carbtune.com/

 

Well, the valve lash has been set all around at .006in. I believe every valve was about the same before i adjusted them (same being quite a bit too small of clearance but no mushroomed valve stems)

And after all this was said and done, i managed to break off a valve cover bolt..... I'm going to hang myself
Anyone know an easy way to fix this?

 

Most stock bolts are really soft and stretch easily. Pull the cover off and there may be enough broken bolt sticking out to turn it out by hand. It is disheartening for sure. But take a rest and then check it out.

 

Well I went out at 1am to the cold ass garage to get that sucker out and ended up getting it out. It wasnt sticking out but after an hours work it's gone. Looks like I'm waiting on an alternator cover gasket, replacement bolts, a thermostat and my Lockhart fairing and hopefully everything's good

 

Good deal. Glad you were able to extract the bolt.

 

Way to stay with it!

 

I avoided it for a whole day after I broke that bolt off but it was bothering the hell out of me so I had to do it.
New lower temp thermostat is in and I'm still in the process of finding a lower temp fan switch to screw in the radiator. Everyone local has it on Special order or they don't know where to get one.

 

Here you go, one vc bolt. Honda Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki Sea-Doo Can-Am Ski-Doo Motorcycle Parts ATV parts Scooter Parts personal watercraft parts Accessories
You can get a lot of OEM parts here. They ship fast and have lower pricing than most. Check them out. All my dealings with them = no complaints.

Actually if your going to do that then get 8 of the rubber grommet #5 part. They hold the tension on the valve covers to keep them from leaking. You just need to bottom the valve cover bolts snug and no more. As you found out.

 

Yeah, I actually just went on fleabay yesterday and ordered a whole set with washers and seals for under $15 shipped just in case I decide to go and break off 7 more.
And when changing the stat I think I found the culprit of the intermittent temp gauge. The temp sensor connector female end was hanging half off of the male end screwed into the stat housing, woopsie.

I guess the only logical next step is the Dave Dodge oil kit, I only wish it wasn't right about $300 shipped. I might even repaint the upper fairing with the new craftsman spray gun that's been sitting in my garage for years. The only problem with that is that my tank doesn't match the rest of my bike so even if the fairing gets repainted it'll look a little odd

 

Also, with the temp sensor switch in the radiator, it ISN'T a 2 prong connector. The one on my bike goes into the lower radiator instead of the upper like other bikes and only has 1 flat pronged connector. I'm looking right now for a lower temperature compatible one from another vehicle i could just screw in.

 

The original fan switch says KF3 and 100-ON
I'm guessing that means 100 degrees celsius which is 212 degrees fahrenheit.

Now I just have to find one with a little lower temperature that for some reason only has 1 prong because Honda can't make up their mind about anything

 

Actually, upon further inspection I believe one of the prongs could be one of 2 things

1. the switch also serves as the temp sensor to the temp gauge (instead of being on the thermostat housing)
2. It could be a ground terminal because there is another flat prong that seems to be brazed onto the body of the radiator itself just an inch or so from the sensor

Any smart guys know if either of these are right?

 

Are you sure that you aren't looking at the gauge sending unit? The sending unit and fan switch are two separate parts.

 

Not at all, I was just speculating that since the fan switch had 2 bayonet connectors instead of one connector like my fan switch did, it might somehow serve both purposes. The gauge sending unit is the single bayonet connector up on the thermostat housing as far as I know and it works fine.
I'm 99% sure I'm going to somehow rewire the fan switch connector to be compatible with the 2 bayonet connectors because those are the only switches I can really get a hold of.

 

I have the same exac problem. I have bypassed the fanswitch so the fan is always on and took out the thermostat. evenso, I can see the temp guage creep up as Im idling and if its warm out like 80 degrees it will creep up even on the freeway. if the engine was cooler i think it would idle fine. I cant figure it. the valves are at .005 and the carbs have been through 10 or 12 times. only thing i can think is that the engine is running lean and causing the warm temp, but what would cause it to run lean? theres no mixture adjustment for main jets.