Hi I am new to Ducatis, i just got a 1990 900ss which has been lying around for 4-5 years. So far I have replaced the battery, in the process of replacing the cambelts but cannot get the cambelt static tensioner off, found a dud fuel pump, and amazing sluge in the tank. Any suggestions what else to do before attempting to fire her up? Thank you for any advice Tony
looks like you're doing fine. Have the hex screw heads become rounded? they always used shallow head fixings here for some reason. Unless severely corroded within thread, you can usually free them by punching on head with a suitable flat faced drift. This not only shocks/compresses screw with a view to loosening but also crudely 'restores' the hex recess hopefully enough for an allen key to have some purchase again.
Unfortunately it seems those cambelt tensioner bolts get Loctited in and because they are made of cheese, the problem is obvious. I have had to drill the heads off mine, take the tensioner off and fortunately with the tension on the bolt reduced, I unscewed the remaining stubs with my fingers......if they had been loctited in, the a Mole grip might have dealt with them. To replace them, I tried new Ducati ones which were as softer than the originals, so I used a couple of spare brake disc bolts shortened to about 18mm I think........they are the low head socket cap type. To stop the problem in the future, I can't see any reason why a hex head HT bolt can't be used, as long as it it is low head.....IE grind one down a bit. AL
I replace mine with full height cap head as clearance is still adequate. No reason why a conventional head bolt couldn't be used either though. EDIT When you get the belts off - carefully inspect the tongues on the rubberised backing plates behind the camshaft sprockets. These can perish and distort or even be fitted badly eventually causing the belt to fail if they rub.
Hi thanks for the replies. I can take the hex allen screws off the adjustable tensioner ok, but the static one with the smaller diameter roller, has a 10mm flat bolt it is not a hex bolt, just the 10mm flat and then rest of the top is round. You cannot put oa hex socket on it and using a 10mm open ended spanner just tends to distort the flats. Without removing the static roller there is just not quite enough free play in the belt to take it off the lip of the cam sprocket. It must have been loctited in and some.
You can remove the outer steel ring on some cam wheels to remove the belts but not sure which older models had this type the ring just taps off and back on, some one with a little more model specific info needs to chime in The ring can be removed with out the camwheel nut/cam being removed. if its the type im thinking of. brian.
If you slacken the bolts from the adjustable tensioner, then you can take the belts off easy. Once they are slack, pull the belt outward slightly and flip the adjuster to the other side of the belt. Failing that, take the adjustable one off completely. At least it will give you room to get at the static one..........It's what I had to do. AL
They will come off the earlier pulleys, but I wouldn't bother to try as thay can become loose a lot easier once they have been moved...... .........I got my belts off in the aforesaid manner without removing the pulley rings. AL
did you have your right knee skimming the tarmac when it came off and the ring fell away from the belt? Guess if its the other way round it might have been sucked into the belt drive and shredded the belt.
Phil (Ghost) had a sprocket 'ring' experience with a Desmo engine that would qualify him for entry into the Magician's Circle
I always pull the rings off the cam pulleys and throw them away. It doesn't need them and the later bikes from about '94 don't have them. They just get in the way when you have to change the belts.
Hi AL yeah got the belts off like you said. Can get new ones on sort iut a few more things then fire her up.
