Stalled again

Yeah, yeah...I know I haven't posted anything in a while. What can I say, life got in the way for a bit.

Most importantly (related to this blog, anyway), I keep having issues with the little things on the CX 500. Nothing major is being done, nor will get done, until the motor is back in the frame. Why? Simply put, I don't want to spend the money on paint, powdercoating, fiberglass fabrication, and whatnot, if I can't get the motor to run.

Since November, this project has come to an almost complete stop, all the result of whatever was hiding behind the rear engine cover. There were two things that needed attention, and while those usually do not present a challenge, this time they did.

Issue number one was mentioned in previous posts: Cam chain tensioner and guide. The 'no longer available' status from Honda complicated things in regards to obtaining a new guide. The tensioner is still readily available and arrived within days, but the 'NLA' guide took some browsing, searching, and bidding in order to obtain one. Once it arrived, and I installed it in the motor, I thought I would swiftly move forward. But no, not so fast...

The current issue, which I've been dealing with for about a month, is the mechanical seal on the water pump. Simple problem, really - someone in the past installed the ceramic disc backwards, which in turn tore the rubber bed and damaged the mechanical seal. Well, not being fond of half-ass jobs myself, I ordered a new mechanical seal as well as a new oil seal, plus all the other seals that go in the rear cover. So, once the cam chain guides were all set, I moved on to the seal issue.

I popped the old seal out, cleaned out all the crap that was in there, and got ready to press the new seal in. With the case heated (per manual), I took the mechanical seal out of its bag, got the right size socket to use as a press-guide, and .... found out there was no way the seal would fit in. Hmm, the diameter was off by about 0.6mm (the hole being smaller than the seal). there was no way the seal would press in without suffering some serious damage.  

Fortunately, the online parts supplier accepted to take the seal back. I then went to a local Honda dealer, confirmed model and year, along with VIN twice, and ordered a new OEM seal straight from Honda's warehouse. A week later it arrived, only to find out that it did not fit either. Same issue as the other seal.

It turns out (per some online forums), that the early CX 500 had a 27.5mm dia mechanical seal, and the later had a 28mm dia mechanical seal. Funny enough, Honda offers only one variety, the 28mm version.

So, tired of all the mess and staring at an open motor for two months, tomorrow I'll be taking my rear cover to a machine shop to enlarge the opening so I can fit in my new seal. Being the Holiday season, it may be a while before I get it back.

Well, at least I did some rust cleaning.

The other current projects are: Prepping the CB750F for new paint job (yes, she is in pieces again), and making a custom seat for my BMW 650GS (I found a used seat online and bought it to make a seat shaped just for me). Both projects will be posted once I actually accomplish something.

Carburetor fun, CB750F

While I was waiting for parts for me CX 500 Project, I decided to overhaul the carbs on my CB750F. A while ago, I bought a spare set, so this downtime was the perfect opportunity to make these like new again.

First, I ordered a set of new rubber parts, jets, and O-rings for crossover pipes. Unfortunately, Honda does not sell these individually. The only place I was able to find a complete kit was from Randakk's, but I ultimately decided to go a different route. His kit is amazing, well priced, and has all the rubber components, but I also needed pilot screws, and a few other things, so I searched the web and acquired different pieces from different places. This may prove to be unwise in the end, but only time will tell.

So, my spare carbs started life looking like this, after sitting outside for some time:

Eventually, after different cleaning methods, hours of playing with brushes, and buffing wheels with polishing compounds, I ended up with this:

And, a couple of hours later, looking like this:

These carbs were completely overhauled, and all fasteners were replaced with stainless steel, buttonhead screws. Of course, I used Loctite to prevent seized fasteners down the line. Not only the new screws look better, but they also allow for an easier removal vs the old, Phillips head kind.

I can't wait to get this set of carbs on and try them.

Finally

I was finally able to find the needed cam chain guide and tensioner, so I'll be soon able to proceed with my work on the CX 500 project. Since the OEM part is NLA from Honda, I was searching eBay until this set showed up. It's exactly what was holding me up for the past month and a half.