Countershaft seal replacement on a VF500F

Okay, more pics are coming...I've been taking them as I have been reassembling but haven't made the time to download, then upload, and then paste into my thread..yet, but i will.

Current status is green despite breaking off a tension assembly bolt into the crankcase...did i cry...well, let's just say I won't admit to it. Its out now...over torqued the bolt to what i read as 14-19 ft-lbs on a 6mm bolt...STOOPID...folks like me, smaller 6mm bolts only get about 7 ft lbs...lucky i didn't break more.

But the halves are together and the camshaft and cam sprockets are fully installed...just need to torque the top end all down, do a valve adjustment, install the cylinder head covers and then start rebuilding all the assemblies that fit on the left and right side of the crankcase....not saying it will be a snap, but can't be harder than what i just went through...quite happy with the results though but only time will tell once i get to fire her back up...pics coming...thanks, ron..

 

Excellent news Ron. Way to stick with it!

 

So here are the pics as promised to bring you up-to-date on where I am...

Engine halfs just put back together:


this is how you can look through the oil pan area to check on the shift forks:


torqueing down the crankcase bolt I believe


Cylinder head in place (do NOT tighten down yet) and the cam chain tension assemblies....this is where I broke of the bolt...it is only a 6mm bolt...7 bls -foot torque is all u need


Stuff the cylinder head with rags so things don't fall down...like a socket or a bolt...u learn ur lesson quick when you have to break out the long magnetic thingy and u realize your stupidity could mean having to open this sucker up again.


Alternator back on


The bolt to the upper left of the tension assembly is the one that I broke off and finally got out and put a new one in...must have been pretty happy cuz I took a pic of it


YEs!...camshafts going back in...this feels really good now


Rear cylinder...cam sprockets in place with their appropriate marks lined up with the top of the cylinder head...this will take some messing around with once you actullly put the shafts back in through the sprockets


Now the cam holders...see the rear/exhaust cam shaft is now covered by them


Cam covers and oil pipes in


Top cam chain guide in place and all bolts ready to be torqued down...very scarwee...if i break one again...i'm walking away.


Looking good...no broken bolts



Valve adjustment next and then the cylinder head covers...n then, well lots more re-assembly to...thanks!...ron

 

Great work Ron! This is really a fun thread.

It shows what an owner can do with a decent set of mechanical skills, a good workspace and a good amount of patience.

Way to stick with it. I can't wait for you to hit the start button ;-)

 

Thanks invisible...well said and i would say, a flask of irish whiskey helps with the patience thing

 

Hi all...re-assembly question on the external shift mechanism...I am trying to install gear shift spindle and its 3 triangularly arranged gears onto the drum shifter which sits inside the gear shift drum. The drum shift has a punch mark with is suppose to align with the mark on the drum with the drum in neutral...easy enough...the problem is when I put on the gear shift spindle and their gears which interlock with the drum shift...the drum shift always moves in front of or behind the mark by the time I have the gear shift spindle in place...any recommendations?...does this have to be dead on?...thanks, Ron.

 

Thanks TinkW...I need all the encouragement i can get...kinda burning out of it lately and am going on vacation to my cottage n doing more trail riding...just as, I think i was starting to rush....i luv the saying i learned while working on one my past bikes, "rush a miracle, and you get a lousy miracle."

On that note, I think i have the shifter mechanism just a little behind the drum mark....don't know what else to do on this one. I've tried it at least a dozen times...which reminds me of einsteins definition of insanity, something like "doing the same thing and expecting different results." From the pics in the FSM and clymer's, it looks like the little fly weight, wingy things should be positioned so they are not fully extended...if I move it any more forward, the fly weights which are spring load move out into a wider groove of the shifter drum...so, i hate crossing my fingers on this one but its looks like this is where I'm going to leave it....probably look at it one more time when i return home and then tighten it up and move on....fingers x'd.

then the water pump and water pipes, and then the right side of the engine, drive sprocket, starter clutch and clutch along with the starter motor. I will then prep the frame removing some of the rust and do some spot repainting for now. Also, hoping to find the dough to send the gas tank to a paintless dent remover...the last time i had a guy do a really nice job on my cb450 for $100...not cheap, but cheaper than a new tank....then we put the engine in!!!...once I drag my helper friend back over...already have him warming up....then the exhaust, carbs, air cleaner, hook up electricals, put the gas tank on, and see which one of a thousand things that could have gone wrong, has gone wrong...or maybe, the cycles gods will smile upon me...we'll see...i'd say August knowing how I work for the first turn of the key.

 

Okay, back at it after vacation....always surprises me what a break from an obsession such as rebuilding this engine can do...was having trouble getting the shift drum and shift mechanism to align before I left as noted...was just going to leave well enough alone but decided, wtf, lets see if i can get this thing better aligned....3 tries later, practically dead on....so put on a new gasket and the shift mechanism cover.

Then the water pump and water pipe...on this I found that reusing the bit of rubber hose worked better then replacing...i can find aftermarket water line hose a little smaller and a little bigger but not the same probably cause of the metric thing and the length of the hose if also important so you can fit on the top end into the opening up top...I did replace all o-rings though on the water pipes...of course pics to come....next up, the right side of the engine.

 

Okay, here's the pictorial update...

Assembly of the right side of the crankcase with the clutch...








and the left alternator cover, and new sprocket, etc.





Still need to tighten the sprocket bolts but will once I get the chain back on.

So, this bad boy need to go back in the frame next...and then of course the small matter of let's see, the exhaust, cooling system, carbs, air filter and gas tank and hook up the electricals....hmmmm, well best not to look to far ahead...will be focus on getting the bike and jack ready for my buddy to come over...and of course, will have pics of that!

 

Okay, here's a little tip...put the rear exhaust pipe back on BEFORE you put the engine back in the frame.

The engine was back in, then out, now back in...with the rear exhaust pipes in...funny how good you can get at something with a little practice...I was able to install, remove and re-install without a helper. The trick is to have the right crankcase cover off...you then have enough room to maneuver the engine on the jack...a helper would have been nice but not necessary for the insanely determined.

pics coming...ths, ron.

 

Good tip. I've wondered about this. Another option might be to remove the monoshock to gain access, though I haven't tried this.

Keep up the great work!

 

Thanks...and yes, clymers or the FSM suggest marking the orientation of the pipes on the crankcase...I didn't not discover this notation until after it was all disassembled.

That would make sense as the rear pipes have to fit into the exhaust chamber mating pipes mounted beneath it. What I did as, tighten the rear pipes with the exhaust chamber loosely fitted, then removed the exhaust chamber so i could re-install the engine.

 

I bet...the right side cover kept wanting to hit the lower frame rail unless you could jack the engine up higher, which then meant the number one cylinder head hits the top frame rail...wiggle, wiggle wiggle.

I put the exhaust chamber on last nite...man, what a job...the front mounting bolts on the exhaust chamber would just not line up with the receiving holes on the bottom of the engine till finally. I think the exhaust chamber as to really well mated to the rear exhaust pipes...i.e. in completely before the will line up. I put a jack under the engine so the weight of the bike would push the chamber up onto the rear pipes after getting them aligned properly...which is another story.

In order to get the pipes aligned properly, despite my best prep work, I had to loosen the one exposed exhaust ring nut and wiggle the pipes into a better spot. The left one in particular...the bottom end the exhaust pipe on the side has little clearance between the engine and the pipe which then prohibits the exhaust chamber from going on until you get it just ready...oh boy, almost as much fun as digging my trail bike out of a swamp.

 

I wonder when tackling a full rebuild, where you have removed/reinstalled the rear downpipes, if it would be advantageous to take the extra step of removing the monoshock. A bit more work but it would give you more access. I can imagine it was tricky to get these lined up!

 

Yes, very tricky...exhaust always seem to be a big pain in the petunia.

Good news though...I had the engine running last night!...the new seal appears to be holding well. I did have a small oil leak from the shift cover gasket and then promptyly f*ckd up by over tightening a bolt...and breaking it...some peeps (me) never learn...shouldn't be too bad to repair though...and I have a new gasket on its way. This time I will use some gasket shellac before installing.

Then I need to put the new chain on and reassemble the hydralic shift thing...oh and install a new battery cuz I burned the old one up or it just wasn't holding a charge.

But!...when it was running...it sound really nice...nice to my ears...well glorious to my ears but just from a mechanical pov, I didn't hear any problems...so there's hope.

I do have pics of the engine going back in the frame etc but just haven't gotten around to posting...but hope to this weekend...thanks all.

 

Congrats! Great news on starting the engine!

Really well done and way to stick with this. Look forward to the next post.

 

How much do you think you have into parts for this build Ron? Also, do you have a complete list of all the parts that you had to buy? I'm in the same boat with my 500, the bearing is toast. I've got someone that will do the labor for me but I need to know how about much the parts are going to be before I pull the trigger on the project. Thanks.

 

Boy, i dunno...head gaskets and the bearing on the countershaft (used) was about $250...then I replaced bits and pieces along the way as I needed, including other systems like the exhaust...I would guess budget between $250 and $500.

Well here's the bike put back together...she looks good from a distance..lol...really, it needs lots of cosmetic work, tires and front fork seals but...man, she is a kick in the ass to ride....still trouble shooting in fact, I don't think my #2 is firing so I may have a bad coil, spark plug or etc..but working on it...and thats alot easier than tearing this engine apart.

Here some pics from the rebuliding the clutch to the engine going back and then the bike as she stands right now.







and this very special pics of the new countershaft seal successfully in place...remember thats why this whole adventure started.


engine going back in

engine in...


and the bike