Article How to Navigate Honda Parts Diagrams

[CYYJ]

Many of us are aware that Honda parts diagrams are available online from sites such as Partzilla and similar businesses. As long as the parts we need are on one single illustration, it's easy to find the details.

It gets more difficult when one parts diagram makes reference to an assembly that is illustrated on another parts diagram - the references given, such as 'E20' or 'F20' don't appear to make any sense. But, if you know the history behind the parts diagrams, it becomes much easier to follow references from one diagram to another.

Honda began distributing their parts catalogs on microfiche in the early 1970s. Each 'fiche' contains up to 100+ illustrations, arranged in rows and columns identified by letters and numbers. The illustrations are too small to allow identification by the naked eye, so the fiche reader has a matching grid with a pointer to enable the user to slide the desired illustration (for example, Row E, illustration 20) under the lens.

The photos below show a fiche (it's about 4 by 6 inches), and a fiche reader.

Parts Fiche


Fiche Reader
The arrow points to the grid on the machine that is used to navigate to a specific illustration.


Below you will see two illustrations from the same fiche (Honda ST 1300), one showing the upper fuel tank and the other showing the lower fuel tank. In the red circles, you can see that the upper fuel tank diagram refers you to illustration F20 if you want to see where the hose that connects the two tanks goes to, and likewise, the lower fuel tank diagram refers you back to illustration F19. On the actual fiche (the 4 by 6 inch piece of film), these two illustrations are side by side. Unfortunatly, this is of no help to us if we are viewing the illustrations when they have been digitized and put on a website.

Illustration F19, with callout referring to illustration F20


Illustration F20, with callout referring back to illustration F19


There is a trick that we can use to make life a little easier when navigating between illustrations on a website. Note that in the lower right corner of each illustration, there is a combination of letters and numbers. Ignore all the letters except for the last one, and only consider the first two numbers shown. For the two illustrations shown above, this yields 'F19' for the upper illustration, and 'F20' for the lower one.

Illustration Numbers




Now, all of a sudden, it kind of makes sense. We can't navigate directly to a cross-referenced illustration on an internet site, because the parts providers don't post the illustration numbers on their website - instead, the two diagrams above are identified as 'Fuel Tank' and 'Fuel Pump', respectively.

But, we can take a general guess at what the name of the cross-referenced diagram is, and then click on it, and all we have to do is look in the lower right corner of the diagram to see if it is the one that has been cross-referenced. Most times, we only have to look at the first two numbers (20 or 19), but occasionally, we will need to pay attention to the letter as well - note that in the diagram of the lower fuel tank and fuel pump assembly above, there is also a cross-reference made to diagram E21. Most of the time, though, there will not be two diagrams with the same number but different letters on one fiche, simply because the difference between diagram F20 and diagram E21 is that E21 is the next diagram in sequence, but it appears one row further down on the physical fiche.

Hope this information helps save you time.

Michael

 

[AV8R]

They could put hyperlinks where the old microfiche cross-references callouts are, then navigation would be easier online than it was on the old system. I wonder if that would be a worthwhile project to host here.

 

[SMSW]

John's project sounds like a stroke of genius, but didn't someone say genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration? Never having spent enough time looking for parts has made me do some thinking. When the part I want is not on a given diagram, a quick look at the assembly with the arrow and fiche number and a scan of the titles of the digitized pages usually gets me to the right page fast enough to avoid frustration. The real problem is knowing or rather NOT knowing on which page the 5-way tee can be found (or other small part not named in the page title). For this, an index would indeed be helpful. If, however, you don't know Honda's name for the part (thingamajig doesn't work too well in your average index) you are up the creek and back to assemblies and adjacent parts.

 

[Mellow]

I've shied away from posting this on here because although modified, the images are not my property. I'll alert @Mellow see what he thinks about posting it - maybe in a group private conversation which would keep search engines away from it ? But in the meantime, you know how to get hold of me.

Trouble is - I've just checked - its nearly 19MB - probably way too big. Mail me.

yeah, that's pretty big.. would slow the site down a lot during downloads and not sure if the server would allow the upload due to limits. Maybe some type of cross reference that isn't so many images?

 

[Andrew Shadow]

The electronic version of the Honda ST1300 parts manual is available for purchase from Honda or Helm. I have never seen it so I don't know if it has internal links for quick navigation but I would hope so in this day and age.

This is one area I find Honda is lacking in. Many years ago when my brother-in-law ordered the service manual for his BMW to his surprise he received both the paper manual as well as an electronic version on CD. The electronic version makes it so much easier to find things because can you can use the search feature. I purchased a legal paper copy of the ST1300 service manual direct from Honda. I would really like to have an electronic version as well. I would be more than happy to pay for a legal electronic copy but I have never been able to find one even from Helm so I have assumed that it does not exist. If anyone knows differently do share.

I already know about the illegal 2003 copy that can be found on the internet.

 

[SupraSabre]

Thanks for the explanation! Now it makes perfect sense!

 

[FrogmanDave]

Thanks for the explanation! Now it makes perfect sense!

I totally agree with Sabre. I have wondered what those references meant in the past. Now I don't have to wonder anymore. I can't believe I didn't figure it out myself.

 

[Ron_WI]

Here's a PDF cross-reference chart I use for my 2007 ST1300 that lists the diagram reference codes in order. When I see a reference on a parts diagram to another diagram, this makes it easy to look up what the cross-reference diagram is named. It was pretty handy when I was looking at hoses on the Water Pipe diagram.

 

[Ron_WI]

I ended up labeling the cross-reference codes on the water hose diagrams in case this might make it easier for others.

Also, here are a couple of photos with the hoses numbered with the part numbers from the water pipe and radiator parts diagrams along with a sheet listing the OEM part numbers for the hoses and associated clamps. In the photos, RED numbers refer to the water pipe diagram and GREEN numbers to the radiator diagram. The PDF is a listing of the hoses and clamps with part numbers that correspond to the photos and parts diagrams.

 

[Honda-st-team]

Thanks for the information