86 vfr700 Fuel rail leaking

Hey all I'm the new owner of a 86 vfr700 that I purchased about a month ago and so far to my knowledge the bike Is complete besides the fuel pump that I replaced. I found one at a local salvage yard and it works fine. The problem is when I went to prime the carbs I noticed a few leak at the fuel rail. Where the tube ends go into the carbs themselves. From what I've read about cleaning the carbs I'm sure I can handle this but I think the fuel rail leak is a bit more involved. Is this correct? Do I need to separate the carbs to do this job? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

If memory serves correctly, yes, you will need to separate the carbs to replace the fuel link o-rings. It's a bit of a PITA holding it all together while trying to tighten everything up. LOL

Make sure you get the proper o-rings - if you put the wrong ones in, the fuel will break them down in no time. Do yourself a favor and grab a service manual as they are a bit tricky to put back together, the linkages in particular.

 

Thanks for the reply Jeff. I figured it was gonna bend me over... Haha

 

Sure it's the o-rings and not the plastic crossover tubes themselves? There are aluminum replacement tubes available on eBay. The o-rings may just be dried out and shrunken from lack of exposure to fuel. Oftentimes, they will swell back up and function fine after soaking in fuel overnight.

 

Yes I'm almost positive it's the o-rings. I filled the fuel line going into the splitter and blew into it forcing gas down the line and held flashlight to the rail at the carb and seen it dripping right at the seam between rail and carb.... Damned o-rings! I'm gonna look into the aluminum rails, might be worth the swap....

 

Its also my guess this bike hasn't been on the road in quite some time judging by the odometer... 14,xxx. I'm willing to bet the o-rings are toast. Do the aluminum rails also require o-rings?

 

Wait a while they may swell up and seal

 

Definitely gonna let em sit for a few... I have my fingers crossedcrossed

 

I'm hoping your seals swell up, but personally I'd pull the carbs and replace the rings. They're Buna-n nitrile rubber, and won't last long with alcohol fuels. I'd recommend replacing them with viton parts. I just bought a full set of o-rings and fasteners from Billy Carr for my '86 VFR, they worked very well.

When you pull the carbs, do it as a complete rack. I usually (very carefully) pry them up off the spigots with a large slotted screwdriver or jimmy bar. Then take the carb bodies off the plenum one by one. They're each fastened to the plenum with two screws and located with short steel sleeves. Don't twist the plastic fuel tubes in their sockets or force the carb bodies apart - it's really easy to crack the nose of a tube right off, and they can't be repaired. I'd swear they're antique Bakelite plastic given how easily they crack.

 

Ya I didnt get so lucky on letting them swell up. One did but the other still leaks bad so it looks like I'm gonna have to pull them after all. I heard it's a bitch putting them back together though. Or am I just paranoid haha?

 

And also, will they need synced after assembly? Thanks for the feed back btw...

 

If it's your first time doing them, yes they're a PITA ... sync isn't too bad if you have vacuum / mercury gauges, and a good lift table to work on so your not crawling on the ground trying to adjust the screws.

 

I've noticed the couple Honda dealers I called won't even touch them. That was my first suspicion it wouldn't be easy... Thanks guys

 

Too bad you're not in Manitoba - I'd be willing to do them for you in exchange for some company and beer while fixing them for you.

 

That's a hell of a nice gesture my friend... Road trip! Haha.

 

Squirrelman to the rescue of another VFR: send me your carbs for O-ring replacement; i'm just a box and a truck away, 10-day (or less) turnaround.

PM me for de-tails