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1260 Duc-ee Fitted - Exhaust Valve Woes No More

Discussion in 'Multistrada' started by Rainman, Apr 30, 2018.

  1. I ordered a DUC-EE early last week and it was delivered last Friday. So, decent service for a US to UK delivery. I had already started to experience a sticky exhaust valve at just 1800 miles and since my nearest Ducati dealer is now a 60 mile round trip I figured it would cost me less to just do this rather than take the bike to them for them to diagnose and then go away whilst they order a replacement exhaust ... yada-yada-yada ... you know the drill.

    Vizi-Tech don't have the 1260 on their website as yet, but I'd emailed them some weeks ago and enquired as to whether the XDiavel unit would work, and they confirmed that it would. So, I ordered that, fitted it and it works a treat.

    The servo plug is a little harder to reach than on the DVT, as it's buried right underneath a pair of similar looking plugs which are held in place by a rubber retainer, which is also fixed in place with it's own plug which is pressed in place into a hole in a bracket. It takes some effort to pull them out of the way, but don't worry about being too careful as it's a pretty robust setup and the rubber retainer goes back into it's hole with some positive effort. Once the pair of rubber-bound connectors are moved out of the way you just need a thin flat-blade screwdriver to lift the plastic lug on the servo connector and pull the ECU side of the connection free and connect the DUC-EE onto it instead.

    Don't be tempted to plug it into one of the same type of plugs that is contained within the rubber retainer as that for the suspension. You will get a DSS light on your dash (don't ask me how I know).

    No exhaust valve noises, no engine management lights on the dash. Starts easier, spins a bit quicker off idle and sounds better - all traits we know well from this product and ones like it.
     
    #1 Rainman, Apr 30, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 30, 2018
  2. I assumed that the unit from my 2015 DVT would fit my 1260, I haven’t got round to it because, as you say, it’s harder to get to, I’ll have to check with the supplier
     
  3. Just ordered one myself, did you leave the cable on your bike down to the exhaust or remove the lot?

    Thanks
     
  4. For now I've left everything in place as I've got a few things going on where it might upset the apple cart. I'm short on time at the moment and I'm in and out of the dealer whilst I get the QS issue resolved and I don't want to give anyone an excuse to not do some warranty work if they happen to consider the modification to be too intrusive. I'm also trying to get Ducati UK to make a contribution to the purchase of the DUC-EE, or provide an alternative solution.

    So until I've bottomed out all the issues and options, it's all staying put with the DUC-EE performing the job of allowing me to use and enjoy the bike as per it's advertised capabilities, and without an engine management light coming on. I'm fucked if I'm paying a penny more than £18,500 to get something to work as advertised.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. After fitting the DUC-EE to my DVT I felt a slight loss of engine response, I came to the conclusion the engine had been tuned to suit the std muffler/valve set up and removed the DUC-EE. Could you comment on any performance changes at this stage ??
     
  6. I can't possibly see how fitting a DUC-EE would cause a loss of response. The valve is a noise cheat device and nothing more, but strangulates power when it fails. The DUC-EE's job is purely to stop the engine management light coming on should the ECU sense that the valve has failed - ie when you disconnect the cable.

    Unless you've not got the valve cable disconnected and set the valve fully opened, your issue lies elsewhere and has nothing to do with the DUC-EE.
     
  7. To ease your worries on warranty, many a person has reported the dealer fitting these units. I had mine fit and had no issues with my dealer during my warranty period. Also, I believe they now need to prove that add-on attributed to the failure.
     
  8. I understand what it does, ie stops the signal going to the servo thereby leaving the flap in its spring loaded open position, its just that I felt my motor ran as touch crisper a certain throttle positions with a bit more back pressure ie std
     
  9. You're absolutely right but it's not the adding of the DUC-EE that concerns me. It's the removal of all the other stuff which superfluous as it might be, they might consider it a modification too far. If for whatever reason (ie, I rejected it) the bike had to go back then not presenting the bike back in the condition and configuration that it was supplied in would potentially be a an issue.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  10. Not quite. You still have to remove the cable. The DUC-EE does not influence the position or make the valve move at all if the valve is partially seized to the point that the servo could move it but the spring wasn't strong enough to return it to open, then whatever position the valve was in when you connected the DUC-EE is the position it will remain in ... unless you disconnect the cable and manually set the valve.

    In normal operation the valve doesn't change it's position, only at idle. Once you're moving it's fully open and it doesn't change after that and does not create any back pressure of any kind. What you're describing simply can't be attributed to the exhaust valve - unless you've left the cable connected and it's partially closed with the DUC-EE connected.
     
  11. I Don't believe you have to, It would only be needed if your valve was stuck in a partially closed position and had to force the valve to the open position.
    At rest its spring loaded in the open position and will remain there once DUC EE is fitted
     
  12. I Don't believe you have to, It would only be needed if your valve was stuck in a partially closed position (mine never gave me trouble) and had to force the valve to the open position.
    At rest its spring loaded in the open position and will remain there once DUC EE is fitted
     
  13. That's not correct. It won't return to the open position when the valve seizes, which is the whole point of using a DUC-EE in the first place. I think you're missing the point of the DUC-EE completely. Think it through, but better still read the vizi-tech instructions which tell you to remove the servo cable.

    It's only job to the stop an engine management light from coming on. If you disconnect the servo cable from the valve then the load-cell in the servo will sense there is insufficient load and send a signal to the ECU indicating an error. The DUC-EE's whole and only purpose is to stop that error reaching the ECU. Plugging in the DUC-EE effectively isolates the servo, leaving it dead in the water, and also sends an "ok" signal to the ECU in place of the servo.

    The reason to isolate the valve is because it stays closed, sometimes partially, even though there is a spring. The spring is not strong enough to overcome to resistance of the seized valve mechanism. In fact, sometimes the valve seizes so badly that the only way you'll get to move it is with a pair of pliers. Forget the spring, it's as much use as a one-legged man in an arse kicking competition and it won't guarantee your valve stays open - which is the root cause of the whole problem!

    So, if you have a partially seized valve and you don't disconnect the cable and don't manually set the valve to the correct position then all bets are off. You just defeated the whole point of installing a DUC-EE and you might as well not bought one at all, because as long as the cable is connected then you wouldn't get an engine management light anyway, so why bother buying the thing that is designed to stop the light coming on?

    Do yourself a favour - disconnect the valve cable, or don't use a DUC-EE. Don't do both.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Or ensure it’s in the open position, then install the Duc-EE and do nothing else. It won’t move to get stuck in any other position.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  15. This is exactly what I did
    Once again my valve has never given me trouble and is always in the open position at rest
    When the DUC EE has been fitted the signal to the valve server has been cut and the valve remains in the open position
    I do agree if your valve is stuck it would be necessary to do as rainman suggested
     
    • Useful Useful x 1
  16. Right. So this begs the question ... why did you buy it if it's working ok?
     
  17. Because it 100% will go wrong. Easier to catch it and disable it whilst it is open
     
  18. I had a V MAX, on that it helped engine response noticeably by disconnecting the valve (once again spring loaded to open) I simply hoped for the same on the DVT
     
  19. Just got my DUC-EE, exactly where does it fit on a DVT system?
     
  20. A quick update - we've removed the DUC-EE, and here's why.

    I contacted Ducati UK to get the ball rolling on recovering my out-of-pocket expenses on resolving the issue of the sticking exhaust valve. The bike had done 1800 miles when it started playing up and I didn't see why I should have to put my hand in my pocket for a penny more if they couldn't sort this ridiculously drawn out and very well documented issue.

    Since there are so many people on here that have had to address the problem, and because it happened on my DVT, and because my dealer also described this as a "perennial problem" I thought I'd jump straight to the tried and tested resolution and get a DUC-EE. At the time I didn't see why I should have to have the inconvenience as a trip for diagnostics, a separate trip for repair, or front the cost of the DUC-EE myself.

    Since contacting Ducati I've simply had an brief emailed response that this is the first 1260 that they know of with a faulty exhaust valve and that my dealer hasn't had an opportunity to diagnose the bike, therefore they won't be making any contribution to the DUC-EE. They didn't make any suggestion about how to get it resolved, they just left it hanging right there. So I'm very disappointed with Ducati UK. Having had a lot of first hand experience in motor vehicle litigation I should have known this would happen, but I don't think it was unreasonable to expect them to offer up an alternative course of action even if it was just to have another crack at a replacement exhaust. But no, nothing from them at all. I've since emailed them again explaining my frustration and four days later they've just ignored my email.

    You need to give the dealer/manufacturer an opportunity to attempt a repair. The fact that this is the same fault that has affect countless bikes in numerous Ducati model lines, as far as the law will see it, is an irrelevance as it's a new model.

    So, I've removed the DUC-EE and blathered the valve in ACF-50 which had the affect of making it stick intermittently. So now I've removed the cable and I'm currently riding around with an engine management light permanently on. My bike is due back to the dealer on Wednesday next week, two days before my scheduled trip to Germany, for a replacement quick shift but I'm also hoping that the dealer will be able to get a replacement exhaust in before then and do both jobs at the same time.

    Right now I've got no indication of whether this will get resolved before I leave for Germany and I'm starting to think that this might be the last Ducati that I'll ever own. It's certainly brought into focus any thoughts I had about trading my MT-10SP in for a Panigale V4S. Ain't no way that's happening at the moment.
     
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