86 VF500 Petcock Rebuild Kit

Greetings everyone, First post here, although been reading these forums for a while. Wanted to share my experience with a petcock rebuild kit I used on my 86 VF500.

I purchased the petcock rebuild kit from the All Balls Racing website, "Fuel Tap Repair Kit # 60-1228" (about $30). Although this rebuild kit is not listed specifically for the 86 VF500, it is listed for various CBR1100's and VTR1000's that share the same Petcock Cover Set as the 86 VF500 (honda part # 16953-ML0-034). The honda petcock cover 16953-ML0-034 is the part that contains the vacuum diaphragm and is still available from honda, but I opted for the aftermarket kit since it also contains the o-rings and pieces for the "non-rebuildable" part of the petcock, i.e., the riveted cover that you have to file/drill to get to the internals. Basically, I wanted to rebuild as much of the petcock as I could, since I didn't know whether the leak was coming from the vacuum diaphragm or other petcock components. The differences between the CBR/VTR petcocks and the 86 vf500 appear to be how the petcock attaches to the tank and how the fuel selector knob attaches to the petcock (as evidenced by the different screws provided in the kit) and perhaps fuel outlet as well. In any case, since I was only rebuilding the "internals" including the vacuum diaphragm, the kit seemed sufficient for my purpose. Its been on the bike for a few months now without any issues. Below is a pic of what the kit includes - vacuum diaphragms, o-rings, screws, etc., as well as the drill bit used for drilling screw pilot holes, once you've filed off the rivets from the "non-rebuildable" fuel selector. As described in other threads on this site, if you opt for this rebuild method, you'll need to file down the rivets to get to the fuel selector internals, and then use the screws provided in the kit to seal the fuel selector back up. One thing that the kit does not include is the circular plastic plate (about the size of a quarter) that sits between the vacuum diaphragm and a spring within the petcock cover. You'll need to reuse your existing piece accordingly.

On the ABR website, it shows that this part is also distributed under the following reference: Parts Unlimited #0705-0462 (in case someone wants to check out other websites selling this kit).

Equally as satisfying as finding this petcock rebuild kit was finding a replacement for the fuel Strainer Screen that sits in the fuel tank over the petcock fuel tube. As many of you know, the fuel Strainer Screen is NLA for the 86 vf500, however a viable replacement is Honda part # 16952-MBB-003 which also is from various years CBR1100s and VTR1000s. Its not a perfect fit in that the replacement part is just a bit shorter than the original part, but the diameter is exactly the same and the shorter length does not appear to impact its functionality. See pic below.

Hope this is helpful for anyone considering the rebuild route versus other options to fix petcock leaks.

I'll look for pics of my VF500 and 09 VFR and post some background on these bikes in the Intro forum. Cheers.

 

Excellent report. Thank you!!

 

OUTSTANDING!!

 

This is what is called an excellent first post.. - although it could have been improved with a bike pic... lol but I won't hold that against you...

 

Thanks, Captain and Pete.

I posted a couple of pics in my introduction thread "Howdy, from North Texas". As I mention in that thread, I realized that I don't have many pictures of the actual bikes - (however, plenty of pics of my bike components - carb jets, caliper pistons, etc. while I've worked on it).

Here's one of the VF500 from about a year ago. Its in fairly decent shape as its been garaged most of its life. You'll notice however, that it has a scrape on the top left fork tube. I inherited that blemish after letting a buddy of mine ride it for an unexpectedly lengthy ride many years ago.
He never confessed on how it happened and to this day I have no clue. (still a friend though ) Funny thing is, that I've seen a very similar scrape on pictures of a couple of other VF500s. Must not be all that uncommon. I'll probably take care of that someday but just never made it a priority.

 

Thanks, sixdog as well!

 

now that is lovely...

 

Ill tell you exactly how it happened. At some point the turn signal got bent down ( typically from a tip over, but can be bent by being bumped into) and the back of the welded turn signal mount rubbed the fork. Its hard to find a 500 that doesnt have that damage, its a close fit. Check them both and adjust as needed. I usualy put a very slight upward angle for insurance.

 

Really outstanding post and lovely bike. I wish mine looked that good!

Mine also has the exact same damage on the forks. Thanks Captain 80s for explaining how it happens. That was driving me crazy.

 

The other thing that A LOT of 500 have is a gouge in the swing arm about half way for a similar reason. After a tip over the muffler and foot peg bracket bend in just enough for the muffler mount nut and end of the bolt to gouge as the suspension compresses. Get down on your ass, put your feet on the wheel and give the muffler a tug. You'd be surprised how easy it is to move it back out. Everybody should check that too.

 

I think you’re right, Captain. I looked at both turn signal mounts and the left one looks a bit crooked and pushed in, so that the turn signal itself is level. Finally an answer after about 30 years!

Jim, I’ve read a good bit of your build thread. Great work, looks like you’ll be putting more miles on it very soon. By the way, I’ve been doing the ethanol free gas for the VF500 as well. There are a couple of Buc-ee's by me that sell it – one on I-75 and the other on I-35. And yeah, its not cheap. Still probably cheaper that a gallon of regular unleaded in some states.

 

Nice post Jess. Wish I had found this kit when I rebuilt my petcock.
I was wondering if it is possible to reassemble so that the regular and reserve positions are reversed? Last week when I switched to reserve the tank was empty. Did I put it together wrong or is the reserve passage leaking by somehow. has anybody had this happen?

 

Karl, when you say the fuel tank is empty, do you mean literally empty, as in both the normal and reserve quantities of fuel in your tank used up? Or do you mean that your normal quantity of fuel was used up and you cannot access the reserve amount of fuel in the tank? I ask because my petcock was also clogged up and affecting only one of the fuel settings (On or Reserve, can’t remember which one). I simply rode it on the working fuel setting and always filled the tank after about 120 miles or so. Of course, this would not happen overnight so if you never experienced this before, its not likely to be your issue after only reinstalling your petcock.

It might be possible to have reassembled it out of position, but I can’t say definitively as I don’t recall whether there was only one or multiple positions for reassembly of the fuel selector. However, if you did install the fuel selector out of position, your fuel selector knob would not line up with the 3 indicators on the fuel tank – ON-OFF-RES. Unless, of course, you install the fuel selector knob out of position as well. The fuel selector knob technically has only one position for installation but its very easy to install it out of position with just a little force to get it on the fuel selector. The correct installation of the knob requires no force at all to get it on the fuel selector, if fact, mine has a bit of “wiggle” which disappears once the screw is installed. You’ll notice that one of the 4 corners on the fuel selector is rounded, which corresponds with the knob for a correct installation of the knob. Although after many years, and since the knob is plastic (I think), it’s likely that more than one if its corners will get slightly rounded over time which can lead to the knob being re-installed out of position. I have a few pictures of when I did mine that might be helpful.

Pic1 shows the fuel selector on the petcock (with the rivets filled down). It shows the rounded corner on the bottom left (as you would see it when installed on the tank). This corresponds to the OFF position and consequently, you would install the knob with the red arrow pointing to the OFF position on the fuel tank. Pic2 is the “backside” of the fuel selector and Pics 3 & 4 show the petcock for reference.

With the fuel selector in the ON position, the rounded corner would be on the bottom right, and the red arrow on the knob should point to the ON position of the fuel tank. See Pics 5 & 6.

Hopefully these help you to resolve the issue.

 

Thanks Jess. The pictures will be very helpful for me to check assembly without removing the tank. I was on the side of the road, so not entirely sure if the tank was dry. I couldn’t hear any sloshing when I tilted the bike. Reserve always worked before. My rebuild did not include the black disk with the holes in it, so I guess it could be pushing past.

Just to close the loop on this, I took the tank off the bike and with the petcock in the ON position some fuel was still leaking through.
I opened up the petcock and saw that the rubber disk with the 4 holes in it was deteriorated. So at least now I know why I ran out of gas.
I ordered the rebuild kit. Thanks again for posting the kit and pictures.

 

Great write up, Good Looking Bike too !