Scan 'em if you got 'em - VF500F Head Gasket Patterns

HG-1057 is all front cylinder part numbers, and HG-1058 is all rear cylinder part numbers? Am I guessing correctly?

 

Wow. Just got out the svc manual. This is a huge job.

 

hey greg, it sounds like a water jacket leak to the exterior to me. Probably not a huge deal if you're not spewing coolant or overheating yet but will probably only get worse. the head gaskets sets are most definitely out there, I picked up a few sets from ebay trying to find the ones that fit the best. You can use two rear but not two front. You can use a rear on the front but you'll have a little excess loop to leave or cut off when you're done. As for the carbs, I'd just buy a whole new set of pilots, it's much easier than trying to clean crud out of the tiny crevices. They're only about $20 bucks for a set. They're keihin type 21 series slow/pilot jets #35, 38 or 40 will work fine. You might was well pick up a set of mains too, those are only about $10 bucks for a set from, just search around, they're most definitely out there. Send me a p.m. later and I can give you the exact websites. The carb bowl gaskets are also just a standard sized o-ring you can pick up cheap and very plentifully. Also, the intake boots are now in partzilla for only about $7 bucks a piece, brand new from Honda, very pliable and I think thinner than the originals...check it out. Pulling the carbs seems intimidating at first but I can pretty much plop em on and off in about 2 hours now. My bike was doing the exact same thing with the crappy idle, choke only running, new pilots made it run like new. If you do decide to pull the heads, it's much easier to pull the whole engine, it's not an easy job, not by any means but you can do it if you stay organized and follow the FSM verbatim. I have a bunch of spare stuff now, you're socal? I'm Chula Juana... I can sell you some of my excess stuff cheap if you have a hard time finding stuff on your own.

 

Thanks for all your insight, Jrodrims27.

Right now the only thing I'd be interested in buying (if you had an extra) would be the rear head gasket. And my thoughts/hopes were the same as yours after looking at the gasket examples in this thread: probably a water jacket leak. Wish there was a way to plug it without removing the head and/or the entire engine. The FSM instructions leave it in the bike to do. Probably harder though...

(Yep. OC here.)

I'll get some photos today just for fun.

 

http://www.powersportparts.net/EBC_Keihin_Slot_Head_Style_Main_Jets_100_KJ100_4_p/4131022.htm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Keihin-Genu...006-/231577384644?vxp=mtr&hash=item35eb1676c4

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-VF500...0FE-/351497910971?hash=item51d6e87abb&vxp=mtr

you can have the rear head gasket if you decide not to just buy a whole set yourself, they come with valve cover, exhaust, valve stem seals...

 

You have JUST the rear head gasket, OEM, somewhere? If so, that's all I'd need. I'd rather not buy the whole kit if I only need one.

 

no bro, I don't know of any place with OEM's, these are aftermarket ones, could be better than OEM (or worse, who knows?) you'd have to just get lucky to run across some NOS OEM's 30+ years old.

I have 3 or 4 rear AFTERMARKET, and you're welcome to have one of the rears if you don't find anything OEM.

 

Any idea who makes your aftermarket ones? Copper? Or same material as OEM?

 

The ones you need are considered composite, metal on the inside and a common head gasket material on the outside. T

 

You most definitely don't want copper, those won't work. Well, at least I wouldn't try it based on what I've seen here. The ones you need are considered composite, metal on the inside and a View attachment 33002 common head gasket material on the outside. This is the one I'm using but have yet to get the engine back on the road (hopefully in a week or two) The one with the link I gave you for ebay actually includes 4 head gaskets, 1 rear and 3 front, strange because you can only use the front on the front but you can use the rear on either the front or rear. There's a poor guy who wasted a bunch of time and money trying to use copper in THIS thread (post #75), you can see in my earlier posts with the picture of what they sent me from ebay.

 

Jrodrims27, did you need any other gaskets, other than the head gasket, in this repair? I've got a local shop (who incidentally won't quote me a price for the labor until he sees the bike...PITA) who is pushing hard for the full Vesrah $200 kit, though I'm more inclined to just get the one gasket (from you?) and only replace the one gasket, because, well, it's the one gasket that's leaking. That's the way I roll usually...

 

Here's some fotos to show you what I see...

 

nice bike! At best, old corroded gasket that gave way only to the outside. Worse case scenario is warped/cracked head or/and block. At minimum you need the flywheel/stator cover gasket too. It's one of those things that while you're there though.... valve cover gaskets because you'll need to pull both covers to make sure you line up the cam sprockets right. Also, the seals for all your coolant tubes would be good to replace and also some new intake boots because trying to get the carbs back in with old boots is nearly impossible. I couldn't do it and resorted to some flexible fuel filler hose pieces, super easy that way, but I have the new very pliable boots now ready to go in. The clutch slave cylinder gasket will break when you take it off but that one really doesn't hold any fluids so I guess you could put it back even torn. It's a lot of work overall but not very complicated so far.

 

at this point, I wouldn't take anything for MY bike to a shop unless I had zero time and a bunch of extra cash, the last time I took my bike in, they really only cleaned the carbs, replaced all the fluids and intake boots (I think) and rebuilt the clutch slave cylinder...it was $800 bucks.... there's a bunch of work involved but nothing you can't do yourself, now, if the head and/or block are cracked or warped, you'll need professional help to get those right if they're worth saving.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161487834473?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

this set was the best deal in my opinion, comes with a few gaskets and valve stem seals but if you still wanna go with the sole gasket approach, P.M. me your address and I'll have the wife drop it off at the post office on Friday during her weekly drop, just send me back the postage costs (whatever it turns out) when you get a chance.

 

I had one shop just tell me I'd also need the base gasket on that side as well. His thinking was that once you release the pressure on that head, the base gasket would need to be swapped as well. That sound right to you guys?

 

What base gasket? must just be the head gasket, maybe he thought you were considering reusing the old head gasket? who knows...

 

Yep. I think the shop guy must be confused after taking another look at the bike. There is no base gasket. Carry on.

 

oh wait... on some bikes, there is a base gasket under the detachable cylinder barrel, he probably assumed there was one on your bike.... carrying on...

 

http://www.npgaskets.com/who.htm

this is apparently who makes the "Royal Industries" gasket sets floating around on ebay... if anyone cares...