HeatShieldInstallDesmogged

 Detailed Installation Instructions for a

This procedure is easier with the fuel tank nearly empty, because it is lighter.

1.    Start by evicting any cats from the garage; cats die from drinking coolant spills (ethylene glycol). 

2.  Put the bike up on a jack and tie the front wheel straight forward, to prevent handlebar damage to the fuel tank.The picture shows a cord tied to the right rear foot peg.Tie both sides if jacking up the bike.

3.  Remove the pods on the Interstate model with a 5mm hex wrench.They are held on by three bolts:Front, top, side.Leave alone the two back bolts, the ones just above the adjustable air louvers.Gently pull the pods straight out sideways to pop them off the rubber grommets on the engine crash bars.Put the pods on a soft rag.

4. Remove the engine crash bars. 

5. Draining the coolant:  Undo the radiator cap set screw, unscrew the cap and let it sit in place. This keeps debris out of the radiator. Undo the bolt under the water pump housing and let the coolant drain out into a bucket.Reinstall the drain bolt, being careful to not lose the copper or aluminum sealing washer.No sealing washer? Check in the bucket.If you’re going to flush your coolant down the toilet, you should measure how much you drained out first.Expect around 97 fluid ounces from a Valkyrie on a jack. Still no sealing washer? Check in the toilet.

6.  Detach the little overflow hose and the big upper and lower coolant hoses from the radiator. The lower big hose comes off easily, but it will be a little tedious to get the big upper radiator hose off.  Just do it slowly and be careful not to dent the fittings – they are fragile.  Unbolt the radiator and remove it very slowly, so you don’t smoosh the fins on something.  

My radiator had a half cup of coolant in it, but not for long.   My shorts absorbed it.  I put that purple towel there in case my shorts didn't get it all.

7. Detach the #1, #2, #4 and #6 intake manifolds.  If you don't know what number is where, the spark plug wires have the numbers on them. It is possible to do the remainder of the work without removing the intakes, but it takes way too much trickery.  You should keep at least two intakes (#3 and #5) attached, to keep the carb assembly held up in the air by more than just the bolt at the back of the air box. For each intake manifold you take off, immediately put a yellow plastic plug into the intake port of the head.  This keeps debris out.

7. Detach two electrical plugs from the thermostat housing sensors, and unbolt the lower housing.  Click on the picture to see the third electrical connection, a ground wire attached to one of the bolts.  Just let the wires hang out over the front of the engine.  Pull the thermostat housing forward and remove it complete with the radiator hose still attached to the top. It will take a little tugging and twisting to break the thermostat housing loose from the two coolant pipes, if it has not been disassembled for a decade.

 8. Use a 10mm combination wrench from the front, or a 10mm socket from the rear, to undo the little coolant pipe’s hold down bolt. You don’t want the bolt to disappear into the coolant hole of the head. First get that screw out of there. Then pull the little coolant pipe out of the clutch-side head.

9.  Use a 10mm combination wrench to undo the long coolant pipe.  You don’t want this bolt to disappear into a coolant hole either.  First get that screw out of there. Then pull the long coolant pipe out of the head.      

10. The Heat Shield hits the Air Dam: It may be necessary to cut off the lower inch of the air dam, where it goes over the motor mounts. This last inch runs into the heat shield. It is probably best to go in sideways with some tin snips. The picture shows the Interstate air dam, after the cutting.

You can use an X-acto knife to clean up the edges of the heat shield. Don’t let any trimmings fall into the holes in the heads where the coolant pipes go, because they could clog the radiator. 

 Move the thermostat's electrical wires to be on top. Push the shield down over all the projections sticking up from the crankcase. Install the five stainless steel washers with the five bolts, using antiseize compound on the threads. Torque to 9 ft.lb, if you feel an overpowering desire to use your torque wrench.

11.  Replacing seals on the water pipes:

• Remove seals and clean pipe.

• Put a dab of fast drying hard setting gasket adhesive (e.g. Permatex #1) on one finger and spread it around the grooves where the seals go.

• Wipe off any mess, slide the new seals on there, and wipe off any more mess.  Acetone might get the mess off your fingers.  Why didn't I use my blue nitrile gloves?  I have a box of 100 of them.

• Leave the pipe alone to dry for an hour.  If you’re impatient, use a hair dryer for 5 minutes and let it sit for another 15.

• At installation time, Honda says to use coolant as lube.  This is insane because the rubber repels coolant.  A drop of oil won’t kill your cooling system, and oil is needed.  I cut a brand new seal using coolant as a lube – see the picture.   Grrr.

 12. Put the water pipes back into the heads.  With that drop of oil as a lubricant, there should be a “foop” moment, where the pipe suddenly goes in.  If there is no “foop” moment, take the pipe back out and look at the seal.   Maybe you cut it, or maybe the seal slipped.  You might need to let the gasket adhesive (from step 11) dry some more before reassembling.

 13.  Tighten the bolt for the long coolant pipe to 9 ft.lb, says Honda.   The short pipe has to float around for the next step, so just finger tighten that bolt. 

 14.  Put a drop of oil on your finger tip and smear it around the seals of the coolant pipes where they attach to the thermostat housing. Also smear around the holes of the housing. Then push the thermostat housing onto the two pipes while holding the little pipe in place. Don’t tighten the bolt for the short coolant pipe just yet.

 15.  Reinstall all the electrical fittings to the thermostat housing, coat the threads of the housing bolts with RTV gasket sealant or something similar.  Tighten the two mounting bolts with the closed end of a combination wrench. You probably can’t get a torque wrench in here, because the air dam is in the way. So just use common sense. Honda says torque to 9 ft.lb.

 16.  Now you get to tighten the bolt for the short coolant pipe.  Torque it to 9 ft.lb (or whatever you want).   As the picture shows, access to this bolt is a bit limited.

 17.  It will be necessary to trim the lower inch of the air dam, where it goes over the motor mounts. This last inch runs into the heat shield. It is probably best to go in sideways with some tin snips.  The #1 and #2 intake manifolds are removed to make room for your tin snips.  The pictures show an Interstate air dam, after cutting, and a standard air dam after cutting.

 18. Aside, Before Radiator Reinstallation: If your bike suffers from “the annoying buzz” from the front cross pipe bolt, you can permanently fix this by installing a piece of brass tubing tightly around the bolt, inside the steel pipe. The size to get is K&S Engineering No.136 (13/32”OD x .014” wall) brass round tubing, a foot long, available at train/plane/hobby stores, for example W.W.Grainger #48KU81 .

 This tube’s inside diameter is too small to fit the bolt, but you slit the tube to allow the bolt to push through. If you drop the bare bolt on concrete, you’ll hear it ring at one of its annoying harmonic frequencies. However, with the brass tube installed as a tight jacket, the bolt now goes thud when dropped on concrete: Its harmonic resonances are dissipated through friction.

• Remove all stickers from the brass tube with solvent. There isn’t enough clearance for the stickers!

• Put the tube in a vise and slit the brass tube up the middle using a hacksaw (or a 4” hand grinder with a 1/32” metal cutoff wheel, or a Dremel, or …).

• Scrape any burrs off the slit.

• Push the bolt through this slit tube with lots of itsy bitsy blows from a rubber/plastic mallet.

• Check again for burrs on the slit. Use light taps with a tack hammer to flatten burrs. There isn’t enough clearance for burrs!

• Reinstall the bolt just like OEM equipment. Honda says torque it to 33 ft.lb.

 19. Reinstall the radiator, and it might be best to get the hoses started over their fittings before you bolt the radiator into place. I use a tiny bit of Hylomar or RTV silicone rubber as a lubricant and sealant. I don’t use old fashioned gasket adhesives for coolant hoses, because it makes a wretched mess for “next time”. Put a dab of it on your finger tip and smear it around inside the end of each hose, before getting the hose started. Don’t forget the overflow hose, which may be hiding behind the frame. Radiator bolts get 20 ft.lb torque.

 20. Put the coolant back in the radiator. Reinstall the cap. Screw in the set screw.That will keep little kids from getting scalded.

 21. Check very carefully for leaks at the ends of the coolant pipes. Any new leak is going to pool on top of the engine, so look under the shield.

22.  Reinstall pods if you have an Interstate.The bolts are decorative and fragile, so be careful to fully seat the hex wrench before turning. 

 23. After the bike is down off the jack, take it out for a run to get it warmed up.Check again for leaks at the ends of the coolant pipes (lift edges of heat shield to see)

 24.  Check for leaks the next day, too.