Hi all, Has anyone tried these?? DUCATI CAMSHAFT NUT HEAVY DUTY RACE CAM ENGINE CAMBELT MOTOR RACING SERVICE DC | eBay If so, have you had any problems/issues?? Cheers
Road - custom build (in progress). 2 out of 3 are in bad condition so I'm needing to get new ones anyway, saw these and just wondered if anyone had used them. Am I right in thinking they are cheaper than the 'castle' type?
Doesn't look like there is any deformity in the conical section to provide torque prevailing. I'd stick with the std Ducati ones.
Can't recall price off top of my head. Two things strike me though.... They need Loctite, or its suggested anyhow and look deeper than stock. Theres not much cam shaft protruding out of the stock nuts anyhow so may result in excess nut hanging over the shaft, and Loctite will fill the key slot making stripping a pain in the future. i really can't see a benefit over the stock self locking nuts.
Cheers for the replies guys. I've got the tool for the OEM nuts so will prob just go with the 'can't fix what aint broke' philosophy. The only benefit to me would be ease of removal/install as the slotted tool is a bit 'dodgy' at times. Ta.
Agreed Phil...........I discussed the question of the OEM nuts with a well known Ducati dealer who also have race prep facilities.....I was told they even re-use them at times. However, I wish the nuts had flats instead of the notches. AL
Howdo!! Using these on my ST3 motor with no issues and prefer them compared to the standard ducati items IMHO....plus no requirement for specialist tool
These cam pulley nuts, and special tools for undoing the standard 4-slot nuts, are made by an engineer in Derbyshire named Kevin. On eBay he goes under the name of turbosuzukis and he can make lots of special tools and parts for many models of bikes, mainly Japanese. I have found him extremely helpful and constructive. A special tool he supplied was not quite right, so he went through three versions of it to develop a tool which was exactly right, a precise fit, easy to use and very strong - all at no expense to me and sent very promptly. The original 4-slot nyloc nuts always struck me as an unnecessary inconvenience. The steel is not very tough, and too easily distorts. The nyloc can only be used once. Why not use a hexagon nut to suit an ordinary socket, made of stronger steel, Loctitable, and re-usable?
I wonder if it is because there is so little room to get a conventional socket onto a hexagon nut, when a pulley holder is in place........the pulley holes can't move out further to accommodate a different (larger) pulley holder without the holes being to close to the the edge of the central 'web' of the pulley. I made my own four tooth socket and pulley holder from an old socket and a large spanner........Took about an hour at most.
The early alloy pulleys don't have holes, they have two lugs. But I don't really like locking the pulley in place because this places a lot of stress on the keyway (which is barely strong enough anyway). Surely better to lock the camshaft against rotation rather than the pulley. Unless someone says otherwise, of course.
I agree with locking the camshafts, Pete..... I stuck mine in gear, and put a piece of 2" x 2" across the swingarm legs and allowed the rear wheel spoke come up against it. An alternative, is to stick it in gear and then shove either the front or rear wheel against a wall depending on which way the nut needs to be turned.
Indeed, Steve. But I have actually had the keyway in a cam pulley develop play on the Woodruff key. Had to reassemble temporarily with lots of Loctite 601, and fit a new pulley later when obtainable. Steve Wynne also advised being very careful not to overstress the keyways & key. As a result I am perhaps over cautious. As you rightly say, it is quite easy to chock the camshafts against the head casting (on 2-valve engines). Using an old toothed belt around the pulley is basically a version of a strap-wrench, which you can buy for use on oil filter housings and the like.
Slightly off topic, but I thought that keys were not for passing any drive forces, rather to locate the parts in the correct position while the forces were transmitted through friction in the mating faces
Well yes, in theory. But the camshaft pulley has a parallel bore not a taper, the pulley may not be an especially tight fit on the shaft, and the mating faces are quite small. I suspect that the key may contribute a bit to passing the forces in some cases.
