On the very first warmup laps it suddenly whined loudly and then died completely on me. Out with the plugs and the engine was pretty seized up, only with forceful jerks of the back wheel could the pistons be moved, damn! It turned out to be main bearing failure (or that's the clear indication I get from the bits and pieces I could find in the left engine casing after removal): https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/66744_10201187218476765_2001502591_n.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1003002_10201187218516766_1427406571_n.jpg Not a good thing mid-season with 4 (paid) tracksdays coming up! I think I will try to find another engine and do the repairs during winter on the broken one. Jim
Ouch. Just out of curiosity did that lot come out of the sump when you drained the oil or one of the filters?
thats one thing that scares me about ducati ownership having come away from japanese i4s. engine quality seems shit. especially on 999 series
I found the pieces in the left engine casing but there was a pretty little Xmas tree growing on the drain plug magnet and a piece of a bearing ball in the oil... Jim
Same thing happened to mine last year. Was cheaper to pick up another engine rather than get mine fixed
I am working to get the engine out and I will get help to fix it by a friend with a lot of experience in 999 engines. He has the knowloedge and the tools to do engineblock work, crankshaft shim stuff, bearings etc. With a little luck it is only one of the main bearing that will need changing. If I get it fixed and working well again I will continue trackday racing with it but I think I will have a limited patience in the future about engine breakdowns like this. Any more serious trouble and I will be looking for a newer, reliable, standard-engine YamSuHonKaw 600-something for trackdays fun. Jim
I had the same problem last year as well. The worst thing about it was that it cracked the side casing of the engine, so I had to find one of them. My engine was fully rebuilt despite it only having done 4,000 miles from new (748R). The main bearings are pretty expensive. I needed new big ends on mine on top of all the other carnage. It's best to go through everything if you are going to rebuild it.
Almost ready to remove the engine, I can't see any cracks from the outside but you never know what you will find! And - yes I will get everything a solid workover, I'm not racing full-tilt with an engine I don't trust. Jim
Left main bearing is shot - there are part of the bearing missing, all the balls are dropping to the ottom and the middle plastic part can be found in pieces in the bottom of the engine. I'm gonna neednew main bearings - where to get at a reasonable price? I will also need belts, gaskets. br Jim
I think they are a Ducati only item because of the plastic cage. The casing also takes the outer bearing which I think is a separate item. Try contacting Ducati John he can supply parts and give you advice, new big end shells might be good idea at the same time.
Latest update, I got help from a fellow Ducatigeek who is deeply into building 998/999 engines and he rebuilt my engine from another set of crankcases with low mileage bearings, new rod bearings and he reshimmed the crankshaft and gearbox axles. Monday we spent 10 hours reassembling the rest of the engine: Cylinders, heads, belts, valve check and he did the magic cam-angle adjustments too. My ambition is to get the engine mounted and the bike started in 2013 :tongue: IMG_2659 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! br Jim
And a deep sump engine by the looks. Or did it always have a deep sump engine . Picture had me a bit as I thought it was a base with those forks but maybe im wrong.
This bike is assembled from bits lying around so don't expect to be able to spot the model/age or anything. I bought it from a guy who has several shelfs of part lying around - enough to assemble a bike at a reasonable price. I should have bought a newer engine I guess! Yes, it has the deep sump 999S engine with high-lift camshaft and titanium rods with lighter crank balance weight to match. The non-S has fewer HP's with lower cams, steel rods and a larger counterweight on the crank. The S is good for racing as you have more oil in there for cooling and you also don't risk that the oil pump can't suck oil if you ride it hard in a long bend with the knee down. Jim
