Hey Without removing the heads and checking yourself, is there anyway to check the valves have actually been checked/adjusted? Cheers
Honestly, the level of cynicism on this forum sometimes shakes me to my core. If you are familiar with the characteristic smell of feeler gauge steel you could whip the covers off and have a sniff, but if they were done more than a few hundred miles ago the smell will be diluted in the oil by now
I'm not familiar, hence why i sent the bike off to a pro. OK, here is the back story: In March i picked up a 999 with 6 1/2k mls and did belts, all fluids, etc myself but not the valves. Speaking to several known Ducati mechanics they said better to leave to 7 1/2 - 8k as that's when they start to go out. Took 999 week before last to local(ish) independent i've not been to before but seemed OK on the phone and has good reports on the internet and only one negative. Booked job in for valve check/adjustment ONLY and a dyno run to see what the fueling is like. Called a week later to ask if it's done: Me: All finished? Shop: yes sir, all finished and sending for the re-map now. M: i don't want a re-map, they are £300 odd and i can't afford that, just a dyno run please to see how she is now. S: OK, not a problem. M: Valve check all OK? S: yep, all good, by the way the belts were looking a little old so we replaced them. M: what?! No, they are 800mls and 6 months old. I only wanted the valves done. S: you sure? they looked pretty old? M: Yes, i did them myself and have the receipts for parts. S: Ah, maybe i'm getting confused with another 999 we have in. Don't worry, come pick her up. So I pick her up Saturday and they have no bill for me as he can't work the new IT system. Get a call yesterday and i'm asked for payment of £216. I ask if that includes the dyno run as it's quite cheap and I was quoted £250 for valve check and £30 for dyno run and i'm told not to worry, they won't charge for the dyno run. All good then. Lucky me. Got the bill and "maintenance schedule" today and it shows as below. They have put in fresh oil and filter as I had a Hi-Flow filter on and it now has (had, i dropped the oil Tuesday after a track day not knowing it was fresh) a Ducati one and oil was not the lovely Motul red I use. Not checked the belts yet as not taken covers off or checked if spark plugs are new/different or not. So it looks like i've had a full service but not charged for parts! Which is great, except that the "valve clearance" section has a '-' against it not a tick and "valve clearence" is written at the bottom of the "notes" in different hand writing. I also have no chart showing the valve clearances like I received off Geoff@Baines when he did my 996 last year. I did ask but was told they don't do that. So, my fear is they go the job confused, have taken a loss on the parts for the oil, filter, belts, etc and and haven't actually done the valves but I don't know how I can check. I know the tank has been up/off as one of the fuel lines was not routed correctly but that would be up for a belt change. My fear is I now run her another 6k mls taking her to 13k mls without a valve check. But I don't want to take her to someone else and pay £300 if it HAS been checked! I'll call them Tuesday (closed Monday) and speak to them but i was dreaming I could look at something to check without taking the heads off. Fuel economy seems lower and starting from cold is harder since the service, not sure if that's just my imagination or the cooler weather though or if it would be an indication of the valves being adjusted or the spark plug clearance not being quite right. Starting from warm is perfect. Cold she has stalled after running for a second a couple of times and 3 or 4 goes to start where normally starts 2nd press.
Belts are different, they don't have the pen marks on I used when I changed. I can't make out the righting, should it have rubbed off after 100mls? Do they look like Ducati belts? Does this horizontal head look like it's been off?
Called bike shop, they swear belts are brand new from local Ducati shop. Say mix up in shop floor and they did the service then the office said it needed valves so valves were done after. Promise that valves were checked/adjusted. It's me, Geoff @Baines or @nelly from now on!
I've got old stock new belts that were manufactured in 2001 that have done 600 track miles that still look new with all the writing intact. They did stuff you didn't ask for because of a mix up in the office ? I'm a pessimistic cynic on a good day so you can guess that I'd have no confidence in what I'd been told. Andy
The rubber feels new(ish) not dry or brittle. Maybe i'm just paranoid. All they needed to do was what I asked in the first place and give me a valve sheet and I'd be happy.
I've got a set of used 916 belts with 2 years & 5-6k miles of use on them hanging in my workshop that have more writing on than those...
Perhaps double check the idler bearings are free, that is the only thing I can think if they are indeed new?
Morning Could loose belts have anything to do with poor cold starting? Following on, if you retention belts should you put then slightly looser than a new set to allow for initial stretch of new belts? Cheers
Interesting reading, especially in the light of subsequent events... To attempt to answer the question about belt tension affecting starting, I presume if the belts were slack enough, it could affect valve timing but they'd have to be dangerously slack. It is perfectly possible to rotate the adjustable pulley the wrong way, which would prevent the belts from ever being tensioned enough. It would also put the belt runs dangerously close. What makes you suspect slack belts CR?
Those belts look worryingly scuffed to me. How close are the opposing belt runs where they go round the adjuster/tensioning pulleys?? Pic ??
Belts seemed loose looking at then yesterday but english was not at TDC, so maybe that needs checking. Just trying to figure out what the hell my garage has done.
