I have an 86 vf 500. i have had a problem with it blowing oil to the exhaust. so i took all the spark plugs out and put my fingers over each hole. 3 of them are blowing the air out pretty hard but the front left one isn't pushing anything, when i put a rag in the hole it came out with oil on it. so im leaning towards the rings being bad on that cylinder. any other possibilities? how hard is it to change the rings, do i need to pull the whole motor out to get to it? and is it necessary to change the rings on all 4 cylinders if just the one is bad?
clear a spot on the bench, pull the motor and do all 4. if you did just the one and had another ring go out then you would have to pull the motor and do it again. if you have never done this your bike is not a good thing to pratice on. if you want to ride it again.if you have a friend that knows about engines you might want to get his help. also get a manual.
new rings alone probably wont be the quick fix that your looking for. i would at least do a honing on the cylinders as well as replacing the rings. but if money permits boring out the cylinders and replating them, with matching over-bore pistons would be the way to go.
Do a leak down test first to make sure that you know exactly where the leak is coming from. I'd hate to buy all the parts for a piston ring replacement and find out a valve is bad.
i have no idea how to do a leak down test. that just tests the valves right? or the head to? dont i have to take the head off to replace the rings. so couldnt i just check the valves when i get it all pulled apart. or would it be something that isnt noticeable by eye. are rings for these bikes something that are readily available at any auto store or just honda specific shops?
Do a search for how to perform a leak down test - google is your friend. To replace the piston rings, you are going to have to split the engine case - basically you have to completely rebuilt the engine. Rings - if you can find them - are specific. Check with your local Honda dealer. Last I heard, they are very hard to come by. And removing the head means you are going to need new headgaskets - not made anymore by Honda - also very hard to come by. It will probably be cheaper and easier to swap the engine out with a good used one. But before you go through all that trouble, you first need to know what the problem is.
after you do a leakdown test and figure out what your going to do, if you can find rings. here is a web site for your head gasket. cometic.com you will have to call because it is not listed on the web site . other gaskets partsnmore.com
i just called the junkyard that i got the bike from. they have another motor they say is running. he said he'd give me it for $500 plus the motor out of the bike i have now. i think that sounds a little high since i paid them $500 for the bike i got from them. is $500 average for one of these motors or would i be able to find a better deal somewhere else? He said without the motor he'd give me the whole motor and carbs for 1000$ which i think i could find a non salvage bike for?
way to much MONEY , you could find a parts bike that is trashed but motor is still good for less than that. saw on e-bay some heads for 29 bucks or so also there is an 84 or 85 interceptor on e-bay it says 81 but not likely. going for 199.00 depends where you live. here the item # 320352846329 that's the whole bike . here's the heads # 270362100771 just keep looking around you'll find one
yea i thought it was outrageous so ill go out there tomorrow and see if i can talk to someone with a bit of sense in their head
I don't think 500 would be too bad for a GOOD used engine with a gaurantee. You could easily spend far more than that fixing the one you have. This may be your best option. Offer 'em 250 and see if he'll budge...and get a gaurantee!! You'd be in your bike for less than a grand and that's not too bad. Mason45 is right...locate the problem before you tear it down. 500 'ceptor's are NOT a good beginner project for engine rebuild. They're a pretty complicated machine. If you don't know what a leakdown test is...I question a complete rebuild is something you could tackle with success. Other skills you would need...cylinder bore, piston cylinder clearance, ring end gap...all very important measurements. And that's just a start. On the other hand, it's entirely possible there's just one problem with your engine...and all you'd need is a valve...or one set of rings and a gasket set. I see no point in assuming you need all four pistons, rings and boring until the engine is tore down, inspected and measurements are made.
