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Michael
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
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
