Where to start with 86' VFR700F that hasnt been touched in over 5 years?

I checked mine before I rode home today, and with the fairings on, and my head next to them, the exhaust dominates everything. Next in loudness is the whine of the gears, and then, very faintly, the valves can be heard ticking against their seats (or the cams, whichever it is). Very, very, VERY different from your video, which does not sound good. I'd pop the valve covers off and just take a real good look to double-check everything. If it started immediately after the valve adjustment, then it's likely something to do with that.

 

Is this bad? The gears are not aligned.

 

No, it is normal. The thin gear is spring loaded to take up the back lash. Would sound like a box of marbles withoot it.

 

That's the scissor gear I was talking about (I think that's the right term). Without the spring-loaded gear, it supposedly sounds like a ducati at idle, ok for race use (and race abuse/teardown/rebuilt schedules), but not for street use.

 

Uhhh, I think I found out what was causing the noise... I'm missing a nut from one of the intake valve seats on #4.

 

That's what I was afraid of. Now, you have two problems:

1) find the nut, do NOT do anything else until you find the nut
2) re-adjust that valve and put a new nut on it, and double-check the torque when you do so. You have a torque wrench, right?

 

And with it, why was the front making the same noise? (or have you not gotten there, yet?)

 

Right now I'm trying to figure out places it could be and how it'd get there.; I do have a torque wrench; I assume the rocker arm was just rattling like crazy.

I was in the middle of rechecking lash and once I got to number 4 thats when I saw it.

 

the nut is to big to go down the oil galley.... but look EVERY WHERE for it...

the engine oil is for the transmission so your oil filter is your transmission filter there is also a screen attached to the oil pickup...

 

You mean the oil gallery? the tube that runs sideways through the bike? I cant find an image in the FSM that shows how oil gets from the heads back to the pump or crankcase or wherever it goes after. I assume it went down the middle of the heads under the gears.

 

Do you have a small magnetic "thing-fetcher" could be good to probe all the dark corners and crevices in the head to see if it can be found.

 

As Woody said, do not run it again until you locate the nut. Worst case is it get caught int the gear drive....... :kaboom:

 

yeah I was brain cramping on the dam thing... the nut will totally fall down to the oil pan.....

 

That's where it was. I put it back in its home.

 

Have you checked each of the locknuts on the valves you adjusted to ensure that they're properly torqued?

 

I'm re-doing everything, ya. I'm even cranking the engine over again and rechecking values lash and torque to make sure everything is perfect.

Also, I cant believe how lucky it was that it didn't get caught in the gears. I was so happy when I saw that thing in the pan.

 

Getting it caught in the gears (or a valve) would have been very bad, it was good that it fell into the pan. Hope it's back together soon.

 

I get the oil pan gasket Monday so that will be the day.

 

At least it has a pan. My wife's hawk is a clamshell design... now THAT is a pain to work on.