Jim's $400.00 1986 VF500F

Discussion in '1st & 2nd Generation 1983-1989' started by Jim McCulloch, Jun 25, 2019.

  1. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Understood, lot of items to look at. HOWEVER, all the sudden the idle is fine. WTF? I got out on a main street and got it up to about warp 5 and it got REALLY hot. Not sure what was up but I headed back to the house, and in frustration revved the crap out of it and an bunch of shrapnel hit my truck

    WTF????

    Turns out there was a massive mud dauber wasp nest in the right silencer. Blew big chunks out and they were all over the driveway!

    It now idles fine and is not overheating. Not sure this was the issue but I am going with it until further notice. Fingers crossed!
     
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  2. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    :Laugh:
     
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  3. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    No way!!!!!
     
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  4. jeremyr62

    jeremyr62 New Member

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    I hope you rehoused the poor,suffering, traumatised insects :)
     
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  5. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    put a sock innit lad.
     
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  6. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    It's going to be in the mid 90's tomorrow so I will ride see if the theory is true.

    Not sure how to get the rest of the nest out of there as it is like concrete.

    The hot exhaust is just acting like a kiln so the mud is just getting harder and harder like ceramic.

    Never saw this in any troubleshooting manual although this has to happen all time. Wasps love holes and caves and this bike sat for almost 12 years.
     
  7. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    s'why i always store bikes with rags plugging the exhaust.
     
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  8. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    @jeremyr62 , what was the maximum temperature you saw at idle and where were you taking the temperature readings from? I am going to take a temperature gun with me tomorrow on a ride and see what temperatures I get. THANKS!!!!!!!!!
     
  9. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    I believe it would be best to get a direct reading of the actual coolant/water/cocktail, but that is going to require a temp sensor. I would also recommend reading the temperature of the water entering the radiator from the engine and one where the water is exiting the radiator to the water pump. This way you can check the efficiency of your radiator(s), as well as the actual coolant temp. I know it's a big ask.
     
  10. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Any idea what the temperature delta should be across the radiator? I had to straighten a TON of fins that were folded over. Not sure if the radiator is 100% at this point/
     
  11. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Most modern sportbike engines make their best power when the cooling temp is in a range of 195F and 205F. The lower range is controlled by the thermostat, the upper range is controlled by the cooling systems ability to shed heat. An average temperature drop across a radiator isn't all that much, typically 10 - 15 degrees F.
     
  12. jeremyr62

    jeremyr62 New Member

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    Temp drop across the rad isn't something I measured but it wont be huge. Using a remote infra red temp sensor is a waste of time btw. I inserted type K thermocouples into the fluid flow after the thermostat. The temperatures vary a lot. They vary with rpm, they vary with speed, they vary when the fan kicks in and they vary for no reason at all that I could tell :)

    My fan would kick in at about 105degC and the temps would fall quickly to less than 100degC. As soon as the fan stops they would climb again very quickly if the bike wasn't moving. I found a 95ON fan switch online and fitted that, but all that did was make the fan come on nearly all the time, even when I was actually moving so I ditched it and went back the to 100ON. I suppose Honda knew what they were doing....

    As long as your fan is coming on and you have coolant and you are moving most of the time you will be OK. Having an efficient rad is a bonus but even a shitty rad will shed plenty of heat at 90mph.
     
  13. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Yes, the temp across the radiator will not be huge, but it will show you whether or not the radiators are functioning as they should. If you aren't seeing the 10-15 degrees F drop, then you can assume that most of your cooling issues are starting with inefficiency at the radiators. This is a good thing to know if you are trying to determine that your cooling system is functioning as it should and the condition of the cooling system in general. It will also allow you to see whether or not the system efficiency is degrading over time. I can understand the economics of not wanting to do it, if the machine itself isn't deemed worth the effort and it's working "good enough".
     
  14. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Thanks for the responses, it appears the cooling system is a pretty dynamic in it's cooling performance.

    I took a ride just now, got pretty warmed up (city driving) and it showed 192F on the thermostat housing top cover. Admittedly this is surface temp so it is not entirely accurate. I also checked the temperature drop across the inlet/outlet of the radiator and it was between 10 and 15F. So that appears to be on par from what you all have seen. My fan switch is acting a little wonky, the fan just stays on all the time. Sometimes it resets overnight but then gets stuck again in the "on" position. Seems like my old VFR800FI did this same thing back in the day.

    IMG_9810.JPG
     
  15. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    I wish I had the ability to install a thermocouple, may have to "borrow" a set up from work! Unfortunately I am stuck with what I have and that is the infrared gun. Anyway, I am glad to see you have run up there at 100-105C and that is OK. I am sure I am hitting that number. All that being said, I am hearing that this bike needs to be moving and at decent RPM. I did not remember this from back in the day when these bikes were new. I don't remember any customers complaining about running hot when I worked at a Honda dealer in the 80's. This was on any Honda V-4. They DID complain about crappy and loud cams however!
     
  16. jeremyr62

    jeremyr62 New Member

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    You need a new fan switch then. You can get these on EBay for cheap. You can get cheap thermocouple thermometers on Ebay too if you really want to go down that road. All the VF bikes run hot ime. Installing an override fan switch is a common mod.
     
  17. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    a necessary mod imo
     
  18. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    So............I need to flush the radiator and engine. I replaced the fan switch and had a look inside the radiator and it looks like crap. Being the cheap bastard that I am, how do you all weigh in on using 50/50 mix of distilled water and white vinegar to clear out the cooling system?
     
  19. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Radiator shop shouldn't charge a whole lot to have them put it in their hot tank and get it cleaned up. Then you could repaint it with some heat dissipating paint and make it look spiffy.

    https://www.eastwood.com/ew-radiator-black-12oz-satin-finish.html
     
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  20. sixdog

    sixdog Member

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    Love that word Norcal.......SPIFFY. Haven't heard it in a while! Far Out!
     
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