Gaskets n' things: Curing the no-more-parts-for-the-VF500F plight

So! I haven't been on here in a while; chalk it up to me riding as much as possible before I start school and run out of time. Bike has been running quite wonderfully, minus a couple of rough starts this last week (I blame humidity and cold weather). There is a lot of chattering noise, but it seems to stay constant at any engine speed, so I think the carbs have come out of sync. However, before I put it away for storage, I want explore something that has been bothering me a lot: the lack of gaskets (and thus my mechanic's desire to avoid valve adjustments, with good reason). Has anyone found a company that makes OEM spec valve cover gaskets (or just about any other important gaskets, for that matter)? If there isn't a company that doesn't make them, does anyone know of a company that has experience making replacement gaskets in general? I'd like to get a surplus of gaskets so that I don't have to sweat it in the future, and help out other VF500F riders

 

I bought the Athena gasket kit from Parts-n-more which for my application was much better than the well over $100 alternatives. The quality and fit were good, but others have complained about them. Invisible Cities has listed multiple options in other threads. Do a search here for find more info.

Your chattering doesn't sound like a sync problem. It sounds like your valvetrain. Get those clearances checked and adjusted! It is possible but probably unlikely that you will have any problems re-using the valve cover gasket. You will be able to judge their condition when you have them off before putting it back together.

 

Word, thanks man.

Yeah, I found that "Scan 'em if you got 'em" post seconds after posting this.
I think I may tackle the valve adjustment next season, as this season is winding to a close...

 

I bought the kit from partsnmore as well. All the gaskets that I've needed out of the kit have been just fine. I finally replaced the valve cover gaskets a couple weeks ago, since they had started leaking when I put it all back together earlier this season. They fit well, and sealed just fine from what I can tell after just a couple hundred miles.

 

If you suspect the valve train best to taxi your bike into the hanger bay.

Time to check the valve lash.

 

Doesn't Cometic and/or Vesrah still offer the cam cover gaskets?

 

I am sure if you called or emailed Cometic they could scare up the old pattern for you.
That would be the best choice.

 

Vesrah shows the valve cover gaskets as available in their current online catalog:

'84/85 part no. V V-1026
'86 part no. V V-1027

 

I just did my valve adjustment, and I re-used my valve cover gaskets... No leaks. I had to replace the side cover gasket because its paper and it came apart when i took it off. are yours torn/leaking?

 

Nothing is torn/leaking. I'm more and more being tempted to roll the bike to a shop... but, I literally have no money for that kind of thing at the moment. Bummer.

The new problem, that cropped up after I didn't ride it for about 2 weeks whilst I was in Austria, is incredibly hard starting. It takes about 5-10 minutes of cranking to get it start up, but after the first few tries it begins to sound like it's trying. I'm thinking fouled plugs? Once it's running, it idles rather low with the choke on, around 2k (which is exactly where it sits with the choke off once it's warmed up), but doesn't smell overly rich. It doesn't stall out or anything, unless I blip the throttle too quickly/ hard from idle. I'm pulling the plugs once I have a day off, so I'll update with their condition soon.

Thanks for all the help!

 

Have you checked the valve lash? If this is still on the To Do List you could pull the carbs and inspect the circuits while you have them off for the valves.

 

Valve lash is at the very top of my To Do list, so yes, I should deff check the circuits while I'm in that mess.

Despite the hard starting, I still love this bike to death. Just an absolutely fantastic engine, chassis, everything

 

Good deal. Proper valve lash is key to this engine's longevity.

It is a bit of a two for one as you have to remove the carbs for this. Once you have them off you can check all the circuits, jets and float levels.

Also, if you don't have one - a manometer is good tool to own as the carbs will need to be synched. You can have this done at a shop but for the labor cost you can purchase one and have on the ready when needed.

Most important thing is to have fun with it!

 

Time to find a warm garage in the neighborhood and make friends with the owner.

 

Sounds like a good plan. Add in a FSM and a digital camera (great for keeping track of what things look like before you take them apart) and you'll be good to go.

 

Check, check.

here's the bad news. It's totally dead. Last tuesday I was warming it up so that it would start easier when I needed later in the evening (big date, if you must know), and I completely unloaded the battery in the process. Hooked it up to my car, still no go. Started the car engine, and finally the bike started up, but it was idling very rough. So I started slowly revving to warm it. While doing so, I noticed a slight hesitation/ stickiness around 5 grand. For one reason or another, probably denial, I figured it was a sticky spring, and I could rev it out. Wrong. I revved it couple more times, then heard a... noise. To be honest, it happened so fast, I couldn't be specific what it really sounded like, but I think it was a pop. After the noise, the engine up and puttered out. Thumbing the starter button brought only the sound of rising and falling pistons, but not the sound of any sort of combustion or compression. (I should add, while trying to start the bike that day, I discovered that only the left front cylinder seemed to be firing, as it's header was the only one that was anywhere near warm). I checked out the whole bike, and discovered oil dripping around the exhaust collector.

That's it fellas, she's gone. I appreciate all the help, and I wish had the expertise/ time/ tools/ money to get her going again. We'll see. I may be putting it up for parts if I can't find a buyer who wants the whole thing.

 

Yep, sounds like a dropped valve. Bummer! I'm sure there is someone out there who needs some parts (too bad you aren't closer) so I'm sure there is a residual value with the bike.

 

Pretty much what I feared. So it goes.
Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, I have a feeling that parting it out may even be more financially intelligent than selling it outright.
Watch the Classifieds, I'll be putting the bike up today.

 

Unwelcome news if this is a dropped valve which has damaged the piston.

If I could ask, how many miles were on this engine and do you know the maintenance history?

The VF valve train requires diligent inspection - it is mega important to follow to FSM maintenance schedule to a T.

Sad to see a bike in this condition be parted, per you other thread, but if the piston is damaged rebuilding the engine would involve quite a bit of work.

Please let us know what you find when you remove the heads.

 

If you look at what causes dropped valves in the VF500's you'll find that maintenance doesn't play a role. Some people think that if they keep the clearances adjusted it will prevent a dropped valve - it won't.

The real cause of VF500 dropped valves is the design of the valve springs themselves. The allow valve float at high rpms, which destroys the keeper grooves on the valve stems. The 500's are underpowered and it's common for people to flog them to the max in an effort to squeeze out every last hp. The only way to protect yourself is to keep the revs down.