Engine Service

Thanks

 

Now monster complete got sidetracked with my T140 rebuild and harley engine strip. Now back on track and took my 1098 to workshop to start rebuild. Cleaned all parts and even polished my exhaust which seems to be the rage. Just back from vacuum testing my recut valves on a serdi 3 and checked out fine. Always finish by leak down testing my heads bolted to a manufactured base plate using old head gasket. Better to know if any leaks before bolting back together.

Some pics.

 

Whilst building my monster I manufactured a wee jig to ensure the closer half rings were definitely seated. Designed it so it would also fit into my 1098 head. Wanted to test my TIG welding skills I’d learnt over several months at night school. Works a treat.

 

Valve seats looked fine however some deep pitting on valves so reground faces and lapped however that’s screwed up my initial measurements for closers and openers. Heads all built back up now and spend the rest of the day getting them close to the ideal measurement and then onto Moto rapido Monday first thing. Made a massive difference to my monster which ticks over fantastic and smooth from very low speed upwards something trained Ducati techs couldn’t achieve in 150k miles. Note : not at Moto rapido as I only source parts from them. I now have the time to carry out all own work and know it’s done right. Will dyno monster to optimise the AFR and then 1098 when she’s finished.

 

I agree.
As I need to replace/check all shims I wrote a spreadsheet to help me. Shims all measured and will order tomorrow. Decided to make my own shim device for measuring closers and use micrometer for openers. Don’t like the type where you measure at edges as per Ducati tool as any slight variation on shaft size can introduce errors. My design incorporates an additional part allowing the micrometer to measure close to middle of assembly. Once machined all parts were lapped to ensure parallelism on all faces using a Logitech lapping machine. All in stainless so no possibility of corrosion buildup.
Here’s some pics

 

Whilst waiting on my shims and since mileage close to 50k miles I thought I’d dismantle and check rear end.
After releasing ride height adjuster etc there was zero play in swing arm and smooth linear motion. Simple at this stage to remove and confirm And found the right hand bearings dry and one almost stuck so removed and ordered new ones. In addition the needle rollers are fine however the needles have left some small indents in the bush. So much for induction hardened surfaces ? Will replace and cost a shocking £50. Off to platers now with some rusty fasteners for ecotri coating.
Here’s some pics.

 

Whilst waiting on my shims, bearings and plated parts I decided to properly machine my wee jig for securing the half rings as worked well. Prototype mainly made with dremel with mods to fit both air cooled 7mm valves as per my monster and 7mm valves found on my 1098. The closing ring sits at different heights which is included in the design. Basically CNC turned, bored and milled to shape.
Here’s the finished unit manufactured from stainless and polished without any welding. Pretty much one piece this time.

 

Rear end all build up now with new swing arm bearings, seals and bush. Parts all plated and look great. Nearly finished heads with all openers at 0.13mm and closers 0.05mm. Does take a long time but enjoying it as it’s my first 4 valve head and not paying for labour. Anyway thought I’d post a pic of tools I’ve used to measure and re shim. I have a surface table but any flat surface would do for adjusting shims to size. I know there are lots of people on this forum with vast amounts of experience but thought anyone thinking of undertaken their own would be interested in tools required.

6mm bolt to remove opener shafts if required.
Allen key which I jam into closer cams to keep apart for removing closers and half rings.
Tweezers for manipulating half rings - also use magnet to remove.
Permanent marker used to mark tops of half rings before removing for consistency.
My home made tools for ensuring half rings seated and anvil for measuring shims - closers and openers.
Micrometer obviously.
Complete set of feelers from 0.02mm to 0.10 in steps of 0.01
Calibration standard for checking micrometer.
12mm hex socket and ratchet - used to reseat cam journals during measurements. Found very important to get right.
I’ve also ordered molecote D321R for reseating the cams. Available in spray version at £20.

Emery
3MA02008 734 Wet/dry Paper Sheet 230x280mm P600

 

Noticed that someone has posted “thanks” which I appreciated however there’s also a “crap”. As I’m new to working on Ducati’s and eager to learn if I’m doing something wrong then maybe this person could explain where I’m going wrong ? Their vast knowledge and obviously experience would be be very much appreciated.

 

I’m learning all the time and that’s what I love but more than happy to accept critical feedback - maybe over the top but that’s from my design background where I had to design to meet a specification. I have little interest in social media and extract as much technical information from forums like this one and many others however this is the first motorcycle forum I’ve posted feedback of my motorcycle work. I have the full Ducati service manuals for my bikes including LT Sneider books which I find very informative. I have three Ducati service techs that I know personally i.e John Cellier ‘Ducati John’ , Charlie and George ex DUCATI Glasgow along with Derek that impart a wealth of knowledge and experience which I’m eternally grateful for. I also appreciate very helpful advice I’ve received from guys at moto rapido that have a wealth of knowledge on Ducati engines. Conversations and respect for with these people have given me the confidence to tackle any aspect of Ducati engine work and I’m loving it so won’t be put off by “crap” it’s just I’m curious why ?

 

Now that I have my own electric hydraulic bench purchased second hand from a local bike shop and after observing for years techs loading and unloading bikes I decided to upgrade my unit with three features to allow me to safely load/unload my range of bikes and assist me in wheel removal/ re torque the large nut on my 1098 without assistance. Basically I’ve designed and manufactured a motor driven front wheel chock and custom socket assembly for the rear nut. I’ve incorporated an RF transmitter/receiver into the bench which allows me to roll bike onto ramp, energise motor and clamp front wheel tightly with no side movement. I simply step of ramp and either use a rear paddock stand or tie down. If I need to remove the front wheel I either remove my wheel chock and insert my front paddock stand. Alternatively I use my scissor jack to support and lift underside of bike. Annoyed by the linked controller for up/down movement I’ve included this in my remote RF device which is basically a four channel system for up/down and clamp/release. I can wander around bike with my controller in my pocket. Not that it’s important but can operate up to 50 metre away. Will post some pics of the parts but is fairly straightforward especially the RF controller which cost about £20 for parts excluding my dc power supplies which I had sitting from another project.
The wheel chock is designed with a ballscrew, dc motor and H bridge used in motor direction control in radio controlled cars. The designed wheel chock parts I got water jet cut locally and then TIG welded after spending several months at night school developing the skills. I can highly recommended TIG welding it’s great fun and very therapeutic.