uncledj

The mufflers are the first thing I looked at. It seemed (and seems) like I get more exhaust flow from the drain hole at the front of the left muffler than the right. With that in mind, I thought the left muffler was bad, although I could see no evidence of it from looking into it. I ended up getting a replacement muffler on e-bay and put it on with no difference,....besides, the loud sound isn't coming from the rear of the bike, but rather from where the collector is. When I start it and try to isolate where the sound's coming from, it comes down to the collector. I can neither see or feel any evidence of exhaust leakage from any of the connections, and it doesn't sound like an exhaust leak anyway....just loud, and something has changed, and isn't right. I've removed all exhaust parts with the exception of the rear down pipes and inspected thoroughly and can find no reason for the change. I've seen on old threads where the collector baffles can break, causing such a problem, and that's what I'm down to. Anyhoo, that's where I'm at with it.

Pulled the exhaust apart again today, planning on replacing the collector. Before pulling it apart I started the bike and quickly took temperature readings as it heated up. The front pipes heated at about the same rate, the collector seemed to heat evenly, except for where the front left pipe enters, which did heat up faster. I couldn't get a read on the rear pipes, but when I pulled the system apart, I slid under the bike and saw as much as I could, and both rear pipes looked ok on the inside, from what little I could see. I inspected the insides of the front pipes, and with a small inspection mirror I was able to see into the pipe a little ways, and both looked good. I'll change out the collector with one I'm hoping to get off of Dingy, and hopefully all that'll be left to do is sync the carbs and put the plastics back on, do a quick cleanup and I'm ready for next week's trip. Wish me luck.....I really want to put this issue to rest. Thanks all for the help so far.

Seems pretty effective http://www.infowars.com/how-to-stop-a-massacre-surveillance-video-reveals-simple-low-cost-solution-that-works-everywhere/

Now THAT sounds interesting..... Where did you check for the temperature difference, up near the head or down near the collector??? Is it repairable, or would it need replaced. Also: What are the bolts in each exhaust pipe for? I figured they must be some sort of exhaust gas test port to isolate the cylinders when testing.

I couldn't do it. I took the entire exhaust system off again. This time it only took about 20 minutes from start until the entire system was off. I could pretty much do it blindfolded at this point, and with never seize on everything, it slips right apart / together. I had the collector in my hands, and looked carefully over every square inch of it. It had a minor crack (1/2") on the mounting bracket, which did not go down to the case of the collector itself. Nothing else externally, barely any rust. I looked down the tubes with a small flashlight and can see the perforated screen, ...not rusted at all. I took a small inspection mirror, and was only able to get it through the outlet pipes into the collector, and could get a fair view of the inside.....tricky, but with the mirror and the flashlight I got a pretty good view. The screen looked great. I looked it over again and again looking for inconsistencies but found none. It looked so good I couldn't make myself cut it apart. I put it all back together and tightened the bejesus out of the clamp bolts, and the sound is still there. I'm gonna try changing the collector and see what happens.

Amazing [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3j6HaAieEU&feature=email]NEW TECHNOLOGY (AMAZING)[/ame]

Being that you're in Iowa and I'm in Ohio, I can't help you directly, but a used unit should be fine, and should be readily available among the local HVAC guys. A lot of folks like to upgrade, thinking a system 10+ years old is due for replacement, with salesmen happy to agree with them. The fact is that you can easily get 20+ years from a maintained system. There's really not that much to them, and as long as the filter is replaced regularly and the outside unit is cleaned when needed, 20 years should be no problem. I work on a commercial unit in nearby Marion, OH with original components, although the fan motors have been changed over the years, and it was first started up in July of 1969. Having said that, the trick is to find a 18,000 btu, or 1 1/2 ton system that has been removed from a home that's had the "upgrade". That would be the smallest split system I'm aware of, so it'd be just a bit uncommon, but they're out there. You may want to try posting on your local Craigslist, either in "wanted" or, better yet in "services offered", since HVAC guys looking for work would regularly browse that category. Given a bit of time, you should be able to find one that way, or if you have a friend of a friend who's an HVAC guy, have them put the word out that you're looking. I'd expect to pay somewhere around $500 for a used system, with the inside coil and outside unit, and the same guy who sells it may install it for another ??? $750 ??? or so. Another option may be to install a ductless mini split system. You can buy them off e-bay for under $1000, and if you're handy, you can even install it yourself. They work great, are whisper quiet and fairly easy to install, with the only downfall being that they don't have the ductwork to distribute the air throughout the home. This may not be a problem in the small space you're looking to cool. After writing this, I think if I were you, I'd opt for the ductless mini split, if you think that'd do it for ya. Feel free to pm me if you need a quick response to any questions. Hope this helps:080402gudl_prv:

YAMMER DAN If you could send a pic that would help a lot, but if, as you say, there's room, then they should absolutely have put it back into the room as far as possible. You can easily make adapters to conform to the situation. Sheet metal work is becoming a lost art, and many outfits use all purpose plenum kits to do installations which do not allow for lateral repositioning. If I were you I'd make an issue of it, expressing that you want this system to fit in the room where it originally was. If you make enough of a stink, they'll do it. It can be done at a relatively low cost to them....only a few bucks for the metal work, with the main cost being labor to have their guys re-do it. Personally, I wouldn't accept it.

Cool...Thanks... Knowing there's a decent one out there takes some of the fear out of cutting apart the one I've got. I'll get into it tomorrow after work and see if I can identify the problem. The thing that gets me is that what I can see from looking in the inlet / outlet ports looks very healthy. I'd think that if it was rusted or blown apart I'd be able to see some evidence.

Must be somethin' in the air....I did mine today as well. Same grungy look to the old stuff as what you experienced. I think I'll make a point of doing it every other year or so.

Been round and round with this exhaust problem. The good news is that now that I've had it apart 3 times, and have lubed the pipes and collector with a hi temp never seize, it all comes apart and goes together quickly. I pulled it all apart to get the closest inspection of the collector. I was sure there would be some visible signs of failure, but there's not. Externally it looks great. No cracks, all metal seems solid, but put it back together paying special attention to all gaskets and connections, and she still has "the sound" .....you know...the "hotrod" sound. I'm out of options. The baffles must be having an issue inside the collector. My question is: If I cut a square as big as possible out of the bottom of the collector, will I be able to gain enough access to weld the naughty baffle (s) back in place? I did a search and found only pics of the collector with baffles removed. I'd like to keep mine as quiet as possible, so would a competent welder such as myself have anything to work with once I open it up, or should I spend the big bucks and get a replacement...??? The ones I see on e-bay right now are going for $150 , which is OK, but the ones I'm seeing look to be in worse shape than the one I have. I'm planning on pulling it back apart tomorrow, but I don't know what to expect when I open it up. Anybody out there who's done this before? Thanks:confused24:

My Dad had a Rat Terrier / Pomeranian mix. She was given to us because at 3 months she didn't get along with her mother, so they needed her gone. That dog had a mind of her own, and she was smarter than most people, but she knew Dad was boss. I swear, when Dad would speak to her, she understood much more than simple commands. My entire family loves dogs, I have three, but in my 50 years I've never seen a smarter dog. She was definitely Dad's dog, but she was always happy to see me, and would always spend a little time whenever I'd stop by to say "hello". She died about 4 years ago, and it broke my Dad's heart. He still talks about her and grieves to this day. They were inseparable. Here's to you Little Dog....that's right,...that's what Dad called her.

If they're in decent shape they should bring $40 or $50 on e-bay or Craigslist. I personally have 5 or 6 sets and rarely use more than one at a time.....I keep 3 sets in the van. I'd keep 'em if I was you. Ya never know when you'll want a way to read pressure on just about anything, and they'll look impressive hanging on the wall in the garage. lol:cool10:

What a great site. So many top mechanics willing to offer any info to help another Venturerider. For what it's worth, I'm a pretty decent HVAC Tech, although I do commercial / industrial work, there's not much to the residential work, which is where I started. Since I can't profess enough knowledge about these bikes to help in that manner, if any of y'all need help with the home furnace or a/c, right down to a house call if you're within a reasonable distance, please let me know. I've never been shy about helping out when I can. I live in Central Ohio and would be only too happy to help a fellow Venturerider. PM me if you need help. I'll get it on my phone and I'll get back to ya shortly. Pay it forward. Thanks for being there. John:)

I found a picture that shows two mounting points at the front of the collector. Working outta town until Saturday evening, so Sunday I'll pull it apart and see if I can weld it up. Thanks. I love you guys......no, really. LOL.

Nice to see that they care enough to go through that effort for the rug rat. Many parents just buy them a x box or playstation and hope that keeps 'em quiet.

I posted a week or two ago that I was having muffler issues with my 87 standard. I was getting significant flow from the drain hole at the inlet of the muffler on the left side. I found a replacement muffler, put it on, and while the tone changed, it still has the "hot rod" sound. As cool as it sounds, it's not the sound I was looking for. This problem started after loading / unloading the bike on a trailer, after I noticed that the bike hit pretty hard on the trailer when the back tire dropped down onto the ramp. I'm now figuring that the topside of the collector has gotta be cracked. I can see no evidence on the underside of a crack, but it's gotta be there. (on the topside) When first looking into this problem, I pulled the mufflers, pulled the front two pipes into the collector, loosened the clamps on the back two pipes to the collector, and planned to remove it for inspection, but it wouldn't budge. After a few tries I looked it over again and thought "there's nothing wrong with the collector" and gave up on removing it. Well, now I know there IS something wrong with it, so it's gotta be removed. Which brings me to my question......What's the trick??? I'm sure it's gotta be bolted on, but with all the crud down there, I saw no bolt heads. If I can get this thing off, I can weld up whatever's broken, but I don't want to chance breaking anything worse than it is by pulling / prying too hard when it's still attached somehow. Any advise on how to remove this sucker will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Dat's da one. Thanks a bunch.

Playin' catchup on my 87 Standard....it's been going on for a couple of weeks now, (not much free time to work on it) and I'm getting ready to sync the carbs, but was hoping for some info on the procedure. I figured there'd be an old post with instructions but can't seem to find it. If anyone has a link, or can give me the quick and dirty on it, lemme know. Thanks.

Wow, if that's what my '87 looks like with the fairings off, I'll leave them on. LOL ....and to be serious.......considering the cost....you just can't beat these first gen's for looks, reliability, power and overall utility. Go ahead and spend the big bucks to get yourself a hardley davidson, I'll keep my first gen.

Marengo is about 45 minutes North of Columbus, off of Interstate 71. Marengo is my mailing address, but I actually live just outside of Sparta, which is about 10 miles West of Mt. Vernon on Rt. 229. I live out in the "boonies" and that's how I like it. Thanks for the carb sync offer, but I've ordered a Carbtune of my own, which I'll need to learn to use. Skydoc had synced my carbs for me at the maintenence day in 2010, and it seemed pretty quick and easy for someone who knows the routine. Back in the day I've done it with an old mercury manometer, but don't know what happened to it, so with the carbtune, I'll be back in action. At this point I have 4 - 4 cylinder bikes, My Venture, a Honda Nighthawk CB700sc, an old Honda 900 custom that needs brought back, (low mileage, but sat for years) and an old Suzuki 600 Katana, same situation. I'd like to get the 900 custom going this Winter, don't care much about the Suzi, but it's doing no good sitting there so I should give it some attention as well. Point being, I'm sure I'll have other uses for the Carbtune in the future. At this point I've ordered a new clutch slave cylinder assembly, a left side muffler I found on e-bay for around $50 , and the Carbtune. Now I just have to wait for it all to arrive. I'll be working out of town this weekend anyway, so everything will be on hold until at least the middle of next week. I sure hope I have no further issues, since my two regular, running bikes are the Venture and the Nighthawk, and I've promised to lend the Nighthawk to a buddy to ride on the upcoming road trip. Thanks everyone for the sage advise,.....I'll keep ya'll updated as the situation progresses.

I went ahead and ordered the complete slave cylinder assembly, and have my eye on a set of mufflers on e-bay.. I need to compare the pics to what I have now before I go ahead with the order. I'll grease the rear spline and bearings as well. I'll see if I can find a moderately priced carb synchronizer and get that out of the way also. A project I'd like to do this Winter would be to change the valve cover gaskets as well. They leak a bit....not a problem, but should be done. It doesn't look like there's much clearance to lift the covers off; especially on the rear head. How tough a job is that?

I've always considered myself a pretty good mechanic. I'm a commercial / industrial HVAC tech, and I'm one of the better one's you'll come across. This isn't just my ego talking, it's confirmed by the respect I get in the National company I work for, as well as my piers in my Union Hall, as well as those in my local area who know me. I think I can figure out anything, fabricate anything, and repair anything. Every once in a while I need to be put in my place. This old Venture is trying real hard to do just that. (87 Standard) I've been following this site for about 4 years now, and am doing many of the things that I've read that others do to their bikes, and am finding out just how difficult many of these repairs are. Kudos to all of you, and thanks for all the great advice / info I've gotten over the years, and you have my utmost respect for making them sound so easy. I don't get a chance to ride nearly as much as I'd like to, since with my trade, I'm usually working long hours / 6 days during much of the prime riding season, and this year has certainly been no exception. I'll be going on a road trip with friends at the end of August, typically putting 1,000 miles + over the 3 day trip. I know that doesn't sound like much to most of you, but for me it's a bit of an event. In any case, I'm having an issue that caused me to break the bike down somewhat and I figured it'd be a good time to play catch up on some of the things I should have done in the past. What I've done over the past two weeks, in the evenings after work, when I've been able to get home before 9:00, is to replace the carb diaphragms, all of which had small holes. That was the only easy task. I also replaced the spark plug wires, which wasn't too bad, but the right front one was a PITA. I also changed the final drive fluid, but didn't grease the ?spline?....how important is this? The issue that started all this was the exhaust issue where I was getting quite a bit of exhaust flow and noise, some backfiring out of the drain hole on the left side muffler. I thought I had a miss, but after changing the diaphragms and wires, I pulled the exhaust all apart and examined what I could see of the inside of the mufflers and the collector. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I didn't actually pull the collector off, but pulled the front pipes off and the mufflers off and saw no cracks, nothing loose, no evidence of exterior leaks. I put the front pipes back on and started it with the mufflers off and it seemed to run well. No backfires from either side, and it ran relatively smoothly. Put the mufflers back on and the sound's still there. I'm convinced that the left side muffler has something blown out inside of it. I don't know how the inside of the muffler is configured, and don't understand how it could develop such a problem all of a sudden, but I can think of no other explanation. So that brings my first question.....are there aftermarket mufflers available that will fit this bike, or does anyone know where I can find a good used replacement. Second question is with the clutch slave cylinder. It's been leaking for a couple of years now, causing me to refill the reservoir once or twice a season. I want to rebuild it, but it seems to be tucked in behind the ? output ? casing, making access difficult. If I pull the two bolts that hold it, how difficult will it be to remove and rebuild? If I can get the muffler situation resolved, and the slave cylinder rebuilt, all I should have left to do is to change out the brake fluid (never been done and looks nasty in the window) ...and I'll feel comfortable that I've done my due diligence to keep this old beauty maintained. Any advice with these issues from those of you "in the know" will be much appreciated. I know this was long winded, thanks for staying with me to the end.

I'm going over my 87 Standard, trying to resolve this miss that the ol' gal acquired. While I'm at it, I'm changing the carb diaphragms, which has needed done for a while, small holes in the first two I changed out. (A much easier job than I thought it'd be) I got a set of replacement spark plug wires, and a set of used coils on the way just in case I need one. The coils don't seem easily accessible, and I'll need to get at them to replace the wires, and I'd like to check the coils themselves while I'm at it. Do I need to remove the entire fairing, or can I get at them by removing the battery or what? I'm sure if I do a search I'll find the checkout procedure for the coils, but if anyone knows the quick and dirty on that, please lemme know. I'll also take a look at the plug for the TCI that I've seen mentioned so much. Any info on not making more of a job of this than need be would be appreciated. Thanks.

I missed out on the last buy and kicked myself for it. When you do the next buy, I'm in. Thanks for setting this up.