Anyone got the details of the special tools required to strip and rebuild the heads on a 916...? The head torque-down tool is on ebay at about £50 but I think I can make one out of 14mm round bar, a 15mm ring spanner and a 1/2" drive socket, the cam pulley locking tool and retainer socket is on there too for £20 so I'll buy that one, I'ts the other stuff for the valves and desmo work I need, unless there is an alternative solution?
On eBay there is a small tool for measuring the shims for the valves which you might find useful. Ducati valve shim measuring tools 749 748 848 851 888 916 996 998 999 1098 1198 | eBay I believe there is a spring hold down tool that can be used also but I have never seen one for sale. If you check the front part of a Ducati parts manual you will see the tools listed along with a small picture.
As well as the tool for measuring the closer shims you will need a puller of some sort to pull to the rocker spindles, they have an M4 hole in them. I use a small slide hammer. There is a spring holding tool for the 2V engines (and believe me, you need it) but not for the 4Vs. Apart from a micrometer and feeler gauges you shouldn't need anything else.
OK, thanks, I'll look at getting the pulley lock, the shim tool, I have a mic and feeler gauges, I will make a small slide hammer and then will need to make one of these.......... does anyone have the dimensions for the head torque tool?
This one might be a cheaper way to do it. For the money and effort I would go for this. Ducati Cylinder Head Nut Torque Tool Pair 14-15mm | eBay
Had a look at that and have a problem with it............ to get correct torque, you have to be directly on the center line of the bolt, that tool will offset that line and act as a torque multiplier, over torquing the nuts.
No. To use the tool the torque wrench must be at 90º to it then the applied torque doesn't change. I've been using a homemade one like it for years.
Ah, right, I could quickly check the theory on that with a 13mm combi spanner and a bolt in the vice.
Believe you are correct on that, there was quite a long running post back on Ducatisti some years ago on this topic and as I recall someone even put up the mathematical formula to prove it. Think it was Phil (Ghost), very competent man with engines and the like, shame he doesn't show up on here more often as he did some really good write-ups on engine work to help the rest of us.
Ok, in the light of the users and the torque calculator, I'll try this............. Hopefully I have enough room to do it as I can't get the rear engine/swingarm bolt out so the heads have to be done "in-frame".........
Sorry, worded that wrong, should have said "the heads have to be torqued in frame".............:redface: Anyway I did get them off but it was a real fiddle and virtually no maneuvering room.
Anyway....... I don't know the history on here of similar threads so if you want to be subjected to "not another feckin' quattro head strip" I can certainly take some pictures and put up the unfolding horror of what is causing my rear pot to drink 300V like it was free.
A couple of years ago mine was using 1L per 1000 miles, when I did an oil change (full, rather than the continual, partial change it was doing itself) I found some bits of red rubber in the oil. Turns out 2 of the valve guide seals had come off and got chewed by the valve/rocker action but whilst replacing them, and as I was in the mood, I also changed the valve guides, re-ground the valve seats, fitted MBP retainers, new piston rings, got the barrels replated and the rockers refurbed by Newman cams and checked the flywheel nut for good measure. I've not had to top up the oil since and it runs much stronger to boot, all this done with the engine in the frame BTW.
Was hoping not to have to go to that extent of work as there is only 11K on it and hoping that the thirst for £10 a liter juice is going to be the 15 year old valve stem seals. I did notice a slight vibration on acceleration so will have to check the big ends and mains, I don't know if it was there before or just paranoia after I realised there was something wrong. Please let it just be that.............
You'd hope not, mine was around 40k but to be using a lot of oil at 11k isn't good, the seals should last longer than that. :frown:
Indeed........ hoping it is age related seal failure, and the last run home was flat out for a short period............
