Month: May 2017

Brakes not bled, front master rebuilt

Progress today

One step forward, one back 🙂

Filled rear brake reservoir and attempted to bleed at the caliper with the Mityvac.  Pulled fluid through the system, but could not get any hydraulic pressure – pedal does not push pads.  Tried several passes.  No luck.  Air in the master maybe?  Will learn more about that and try again later.

Filled front brake master cylinder and attempted bleeding, starting at the left caliper.  Could not get vacuum with the Mityvac.  As soon as I cracked the bleed nipple, pressure at the Mityvac immediately dropped to zero.  Same problem on the other side. Pulled no fluid.  Also tried manual method pumping the lever while nipple open, then closing.  No effect.

The only part of the system I haven’t taken apart by now is the master cylinder. It seemed to pump fluid when I first tested on the bar, but could be the problem.

So, I removed the master cylinder assembly and disassembled.  It was difficult to get the circlip out, but I eventually did.  Two rubber piston seals looked good.  Metal piston did not look exactly like the service manual in shape, but obviously functioned. Piston was scored and scratched with sharp metal edges in two spots. Crash damage from my slide, perhaps.

Filed the damaged areas, wirebrushed, and polished the piston.

Also cleaned the inner bore of the master.  It didn’t have any apparent scoring or crusting.

Reassembled the master with brake fluid lube and attached the lever assembly.  Piston action feels smooth. Ready to reinstall on the bar and connect lines.

Continued disassembly of the right handlebar by removing the grip.

Then separated halves of the switch assembly.  Pulled out and spent a while with sandpaper cleaning that once-bright orange kill switch. Looks much better afterward.

Not yet figured out how to get throttle cables disconnected and the switch housing and throttle tube off the bar.

Ran WD40 down both throttle cables until it appeared at the carb ends. Cables are clear and move freely.  Throttle twist action is still very stiff, and does not spring back.  Further disassembly, cleaning required.  Probably some clean and lube needed in carb linkages as well.

Next

Getting harder to avoid pulling the carburetors: the last major mechanical system on the list.  Probably need to do that to get the throttle cables off, anyway.

 

Flushed/filled coolant; rehabbed slave cylinder, bled clutch

Progress today

Flushed 4 cycles of fresh water through the radiator/hoses/pump loop. On first two runs the water was still quite green from the engine side.  All clear, no obvious grit or residue in the water by the fourth.  Filled radiator and half of reservoir bottle with fresh 50/50 antifreeze.

Filled clutch master cylinder reservoir and bled clutch line with the Mityvac.  Got good strong lever feel, but would not go full travel.  Felt like the push rod was not going anywhere.

Pulled slave cylinder from engine, noting the cylinder was out to the edge of the cylinder. Reconnected hydraulic line at the slave and bled again.  Used hydraulic pressure with the clutch lever to gently push piston out of the cylinder. It would not move by hand.

Pulled rubber piston seal, found in excellent condition after crusted gunk cleaned out. Polished both the piston and cylinder.

Lubed piston assembly with a little brake fluid, and reassembled.  Piston readily moved in cylinder when pushed against the spring.

Reinstalled the slave cylinder and bled the line.  Could feel apparent motion against the push rod, smooth lever action, but the clutch does not disengage. Tested statically – tried turning rear wheel while bike in first gear.

Next

Will need more thought, research, testing.  May be a good idea to disassemble the clutch and inspect/clean/lube.

PS. Further research shows this seems to be a common problem.  Plates may just be stuck together – by time or old oil/sludge.  Methods found online to “break” them loose by running engine, shifting into gear.  May try that after other systems’ overhauled and the engine is running.

Clutch master repaired, installed; metal bits polished

Returned from Wrightsville Beach last night.

Uploaded updated checklist [V9].

Progress today

Further polished the bar end weights (which didn’t improve much), clutch lever (excellent), and passenger grab rails, which look about right now.

Cleaned out the clutch master cylinder reservoir.  Used a brass wire brush and a lot of brake cleaner to get all the gunk.

Disassembled the working parts of the master cylinder.  It was a challenge and a little intimidating. First dug out the rotted rubber boot. Then had to clean and pick quite a bit before I could even see the circlip.  Got that out and found the piston assembly was seized/locked in place.  Eventually gently pounded it out from the other (banjo bolt) end.  Parts were highly gunked and metal somewhat corroded. After basic cleaning, I test fitted them back in the cylinder, and the piston would not slide in the bore. The inside of the cylinder had some crunchy deposits.

Sanded, wirebrushed, and buffed/polished the piston and cleaned the spring.

Rubber seals look ok and fit well.  Scraped and cleaned the inside of the cylinder bore. Reassembled all the parts and then had excellent, smooth action.

Installed lever and switch to the master. Fitted new master diaphragm and cover screws. Not yet loaded with brake fluid and needs new external boot.

Installed clutch master assembly on the left handlebar.  Connected clutch switch wires and installed the stainles braided line with the new banjo bolt and washers. Had to rotate the fitting about 90deg to get the right angle on it.  Fitted new handlebar grip.

 

Polished bar weights, levers

Progress today

Separated the clutch lever assembly from the master cylinder.  Took it apart, cleaned and polished components, and reassembled.  Freed up the adjuster, smoothed push rod, pivot.

Pulled brake lever from bike.

clutch lever after rework, brake lever before polishing

Polished brake lever assembly, greased pivot bushing and pin, then reinstalled on the brake master cylinder.

brake lever cleaned, polished

Polished two bar end weights. Had intended to wire brush off the old black paint, then repaint, but polishing worked well, and I like the way they look with black grips.

weights before and after initial wire brushing
after fine polish

Got the new oil filter and installed it.

Clutch slave cleaned & inspected, master off

Uploaded updated checklist [V8].

Progress today

Removed speedometer sending unit to access clutch slave cylinder banjo bolt.  Cleaned the inner plastic rotating head and the opening in the cover plate.

Disconnected both ends (banjo bolts), drained the little remaining fluid, and removed the clutch hose.  Removed the clutch slave cylinder.

clutch slave cylinder hole, before

Scrubbed and polished the slave end of the clutch lifter rod behind the slave cylinder and cleaned out the cavity around it.  The rod was crusty, but moves smoothly in and out of its bore.

before
after

Cleaned out the slave cylinder with particular attention to the area inside the bore next to the piston.  Without hydraulic pressure, I could not push out the piston, so did not attempt disassembly.  Both the rubber oil and piston seals seemed sound, flexible, and undamaged from what I could see and feel.

before
after

Cleaned out old grease from within the oil seal, applied fresh,  and refitted the slave cylinder to the engine.  Will remove and rebuild the slave cylinder later if shown to have failed/stuck.

Reinstalled speedo sender and installed the new stainless braided clutch line at the slave cylinder end. Torqued banjo bolt to 15 ft/lbs.  Ran the master end of the line to near the handlebar for later connection.

Removed the left handlebar end-weight, grip, switch assembly, and choke lever, disconnected the choke cable, and pulled of the master cylinder/lever assembly.

Thoroughly cleaned and smoothed the bar to remove old adhesive and some rough metal.

Cleaned out and scrubbed the left switch assembly which was full of crud and somewhat corroded. Used a toothbrush with brake cleaner, then contact cleaner, lastly WD40. This smoothed the switches’ action considerably.  Also cleaned and slightly greased the choke lever.

Flowed WD40 down the choke cable.  Pulling on the lower end showed the cable moving freely in its case. Motion still seems to be stiff at the carb end – will check, clean, and lube there after carb removal.

Reassembled the switch and choke lever assembly, polished the mounting screws, and reinstalled on the left handlebar.

Next:

Disassemble and evaluate the guts of the clutch master cylinder. Hopefully it just needs cleaning, but may need rebuild with new seals.  Also polish up the clutch lever and its adjuster, and lube the pivot.

Right engine cover & subframe painted, reservoir in

Progress Sunday

Wirebrushed, sanded, primed, and painted the right engine cover. Used DupliColor black gloss engine paint. Hung in the cooler, lower humidity sunroom to ensure good drying and hardening.  It was 90deg F, 80% humidity outside.

Progress today

Cleaned old gasket off of engine crankcase with a small, sharp wood chisel, having covered the internal components with shop towels to keep dirt/debris out of the clutch and gears. Installed new gasket on the locating dowel pins.

Nudged cover over the pins and starter drive pin/bush (which had fallen out when I took the cover off).

Bolted up the cover with new stainless bolts and washers (M6x25, M6x30 hex head) from Lowe’s, except for one original bolt at top holding pulser wiring clip. Looks very nice now.  More of a semigloss finish, which goes well with other black bike parts.

Sanded, degreased and masked off the upper part of the rear subframe.  It had some rusty patches and scrapes in the steel. Painted the subframe, using the same Rustoleum metallic matte nickel color.

Ran a 6mm bolt through the right upper fairing mounting bracket a few times and freed the formerly jammed threads. I was lucky it worked. Installed my hand-made “frankenstein bolts” on each side.

Reinstalled the new coolant reservoir bottle with existing cap and hoses.

Mounted muffler; right engine cover off

Progress today

Made extended tailpipe gasket from 0000 steel wool and blended over the existing gasket portion on the factory header pipe. Fitted up new Delkevic muffler and tailpipe with supplied brackets and hardware. Wiggled a bit to get the pipe behind the passenger peg bracket and up under the bodywork edge.

Test fitted the right rear fairing piece to check clearance and alignment with the muffler.  Looks really good and the bodywork just clears the muffler mounting bolts and hanger.

Later … removed the right engine cover for repair/repaint. It’s significantly corroded and has a scrape at lower left.

This exposed the clutch and assorted inner bits to view.

Had issues with 3 of the 8mm bolts holding the cover. Eventually used a bolt extractor, 1/4″ deep socket, and breaker bar (thanks to Dan) to get them broken loose. Organized them all on cardboard to be sure they go back in the same holes.

Carefully scraped old gasket material off of the inside of the cover and mopped out old oily spots.

Next:

Clean the mating surface on the engine case. Clean, sand, prep, and paint the outside of the cover, then reinstall.

Oil out; front brake lines, chain guard installed

Progress today

Drained the engine oil. Very thick and black. Not much sediment, however.

Cleaned, reinstalled, and torqued oil drain bolt.  Removed old oil filter.  Fitted new, but found the one I had belongs to 1982-88 VF700/1000s, not this VFR.

Will find another filter locally.

Scrubbed, wire brushed, and cleaned the center stand with WD40.

Side stand looks good, too, after reinstalling spring.

Installed two stainless braided front brake lines.

The double banjo arrangement at the master was a little fiddly. Fit only with left side hose down. Instructions a little ambiguous on that, but probably consistent.  Torqued all three banjo bolts to 15ft/lbs.

Installed the chain guard and routed the new rear brake line through the slots on the guard.

New chain installed

Progress today

Checked/tightened rear brake banjo bolts with torque wrench – to 15ft/lbs – as recommended by Galfer.

Removed old clip-type master link from the nasty old chain.

Used the old – now split – chain to pull the new chain around the front sprocket. Used WD40 to free up sticky rear hub (eccentric) adjuster.  Adjusted rear end to forward-most position. Fitted new clip master link to the new chain.

Also have new, gold, rivet-type master link for the new chain.  May either buy tool to do it myself later, or ask shop to install it.

Adjusted chain slack and retightened the rear hub pinch bolt.

Also scrubbed, primed, and painted side stand gloss black.