Definitely feel like I got a bargain. I think the PO assumed I was gonna take it to a dealer/mechanic for the servicing required, and lowered the price accordingly. I have champagne taste but a beer budget, so it's DIY all the way! Did I mention I have zero experience working with desmo motors? Brake & clutch fluids replaced today. Fluid clear in the master cylinders, but dark in the lines after 10+ years. I tip my hat to whoever thought up including a magnet with brake-bleeder kits... On the other side, the heat shield didn't seem to be sitting right. Unscrewed to find a snapped plate for the upper bolt. Recovered the plate from behind the heel guard. What's the best way to reattach apart from welding?
I'm already finding it more enjoyable to work on than any japanese or american machine I've owned. Crikey, that bloke on the 916 belt change clip waffles on a bit too much for me, sorry! Doing the belts this week and prefer Chris Kelly's methods (shown here on a Testa motor):
Today's agenda was replacing the timing belts. Used a variety of sources to do the research, but mainly followed ducatitech's now-established method. With the bike stripped and belt covers off, first step was removing the spark plugs. Pretty sure the NGK spec for 4V motors is DCPR9E, old ones were one step colder (8E). Vertical plug was looking the worse for wear... Next, I rotated the engine to TDC on the 'orizontale' cylinder. Had bought a crankshaft turning tool for $25 from motomfg.com. They make good quality tools, specifically for ducati and I got great service. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend. With all the marks lined up, it was time to paint the belts. With white dots on the crank, intake & exhaust cams, I now removed the belt by easing off the locknut and tensioner pulley. Did the same to the vertical cylinder and removed that belt, too. Officially, the old belts were OEM, with ducati part# 737.4011.1B printed on them..... but what was that faded writing next to the ducati branding...? I compared with the new $30 Gates belts I picked up on amazon... Apart from being made in France, not England, they appear to be identical. I can't say how much they would have been if I went to a dealer, but I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark and say significantly more than the $60 I paid for the pair online. Time to count teeth and transfer the marks to the new belts. The key things I needed to remember was a) The O cyl has 21T between marks, the V cyl has 12 and b) to count back 3 teeth for the correct crank mark on the V cyl. With the brushwork done, I now installed the vertical belt. No cam holder, but with a bit of patience it went on fine. Put on the horizontal belt now and although this was supposed to be easier due to no compression on the exhaust cam, it gave me a bit more trouble but it, too, went on after pushing hard up from underneath on the intake side. Ok, so on to tensioning. I was intrigued with the Gates 'Carbon Drive' app so gave it a try. How accurate it is I don't know, but it gave nice consistent readings compared to the guitar tuner apps I use. Managed to get the O belt to 108hz and then rotated crank backwards to TDC on V cylinder. Tensioned that and nailed it bang-on at 110hz: Torqued new locknuts to around 20ft/lbs, then rotated crank several times to make sure nothing was hitting. DONE :] So for a first time doing timing belts, it was pretty straightforward and if I can do it, anyone can(!)
Very pleasing when you do the belts for the first time, I've never bothered marking the belts, so long as all the timing marks are lined up you won't have a problem. Your plugs look to be running rich from what I can see. Steve
First time my belts needed doing was satisfying, I paid Glen at Moto-V, feck this diy malarky Nice thread and the bike looks quite nice, they loved their lockwiring
Probably right re: putting marks on. Made it feel easier, I guess. Yep, I agree bike appears to be running rich. Service history indicates OEM chip... but aftermarket Termignoni slip-ons without a remap would mean bike should run lean? Not sure what's going on there... new EPROM might be a winter project.
Mate- this thing is covered in lockwire! Murphy's Law the bits that fall off will be the only parts not secured...
Great job. I too was a timing belt virgin until recently. It's actually quite easy, although there's always the thought in the back of the head, 'what if I get it ever so slightly wrong?'. But, actually, use the white dot method and you just can't go wrong. Interesting observation on the Renault belts, I think I did read that somewhere else on the forum. However, the ExactFit ones from @Exige (or probably direct from CCW in your case) are about the same price, after forum discount, as you paid. Worth noting for the next change.
Thanks mate. I nearly feel like a real mechanic now! What is this CCW forum discount you speak of? Their website lists belts for $US50 each, which is $C65 currently...
Maybe I made a mistake in the FX conversion. I paid £GBP 71 (after a discount for being a subscriber to this forum) for a pair of ExactFit belts (exactuk.com). But they come from a dealer member on here. Originally they were designed and made for CCW but I'm not aware whether or not they give a discount to members on this forum.
The discount is an EU based discount from me (the CCW importer www.ducati.tech ) inclusive of import fees, import tax, delivery and vat.
You could get a thin strip of metal sheet long enough to touch the back of the welds, mark and drill the hole for the exhaust guard then lock wire the new piece on to the rest of the remaining bracket on either side.
Coolant drained, rad flushed, and new coolant added today, along with an oil & filter change. Old oil filter was an absolute bitch to get off. My wrench didn't fit so improvised thusly with a G-clamp... Mobil 1, 15W-50 went in along with a new Fram PH6019 filter. Only about 2.5 litres came out of the bike (was at a good level in sight glass before draining), so I'm guessing the 4 litres as specified in the manual is incorrect(?)
As your bike’s been stood for a long while you ought to check the air filters. Over time they become brittle and break up when touched. They’re not expensive to replace and it’s better than bits of foam being sucked in.
