I'm at 21,380mi and I haven't had the valve job. I'm planning on taking it out for the first time this year next week and getting the tune-up in the middle of next month. The bike is running fine. All other maintenance is up to date. Am I taking a big chance by waiting?
oh yeah, It's an '01 M900S
Well, I'd bet your valve need an adjustment and you'll find the bike runs better after.
And if you have not done the valves - have you ever changed the timing belts? If not, those are a ticking time bomb. They should have been replaced about 7 years ago
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Yuu is dead on about the belts, anything after 12,000 and your riding will be cut short soon
I've ran a set to 18,000 and they were very very thin not to mention the chunk taken out of one from a rock
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I've got 41,000 miles on my 620
No valve check/job
as to if you are taking a risk...depends entirely on who you talk to
I say no
many many others will disagree with me
some will say your maintenance costs will multiply as you add zeros to the length in between valve inspections
others will be pissed at you for "neglecting" your beautiful italian machine and suggest it is a reflection of your level of respect for your loved ones
others will say "if it starts, ride the shit out of it and fix it when it doesn't go anymore"
ultimately it is your choice
They run significantly better after adjustment (if they need it). Sometimes they just don't need anything adjusted though, but there's no way to tell without opening it up and shoving feeler gauges in. But the belts. You gotta do that.
Cool. Thanks for the advice.
Quote from: hatewinter on March 17, 2010, 09:11:44 PM
I'm at 21,380mi and I haven't had the valve job.
Are you saying that you have never had the valves checked?
My wife's M900ie needed something like six shims changed at 12k. I don't remember the exact number because I'm not near my logbook, but I do remember that at least one opener clearance was less than 0.0015" because I couldn't get that feeler guage in the gap. This means that, had I let it go much longer, I would have been running the risk of having the valve stay slightly open and burning the valve.
Just because an engine is "running fine" does not necesarily mean that the engine is "fine". As the engine gradually gets worse and worse running, you may still think it hasn't decreased in performance, but it probably has. Additionally, I've seen some pretty nasty engines at a local shop that were still running "fine" - like the 748 with flaking rocker chrome where the rockers and cams were shot.....but the owner insisted it still ran "fine" and couldn't understand why he needed several rockers and new cams at the cost of several thousands of dollars.
Quote from: ato memphis on March 18, 2010, 06:18:53 AM
They run significantly better after adjustment (if they need it). Sometimes they just don't need anything adjusted though, but there's no way to tell without opening it up and shoving feeler gauges in. But the belts. You gotta do that.
+1. It's pretty easy to check the valves even if you don't want to adjust them yourself. It does run really well when you get them adjusted and do a carb/TB synch, and even better if you go old school spec instead of looser new school. For 2V I think old school it's .004" on openers and .000+ on closers (no measurable clearance but you can spin them). And belts. Easy and cheap insurance. They tend to last longer and break less often than we fear but when they do it's a heap of trouble.
Scott
Those numbers are correct for the tighter spec.
Opener: =0.004"
Closer: <=0.001"
Source: DucatiTech.com (http://www.ducatitech.com/2v/maint/adjust/index.html)
More information acquired from the internets:
Quote
Recommended Clearances for Pre-Testastretta Engines
Values recommended by Ducati (OEM spec):
Intake
Opener - 0.05 -0.18mm [.002"-.007"]
Closer - 0.15 - 0.25mm [.006"-.010"] (wow!)
Exhaust
Opener - 0.05 -0.23mm [.002"-.009"]
Closer - 0.10 - 0.20mm [.004" -.008"]
Values recommended by Fast by Ferracci
Twelve years ago, Fast by Ferracci came up with the following recommendations by taking a 4V head and turning the cams with an electric motor in the 10,000 rpm region and seeing what happened. He found that these clearances minimized issues with valve bounce and float. These numbers don't have anyting to do with running clearance or heat or anything, they're just what seemed to work the best mechanically.
Intake
Opener - 0.10mm [.004"]
Closer - 0.10mm [.004"]
Exhaust
Opener - 0.15mm [.006"]
Closer - 0.10mm [.004"]
From same thread:
QuoteSnyder (desmotimes.com) recommends the following
Inlet
Opener - .1mm [.004"]
Closer - .05mm [.002"]
Exhaust
Opener - .1mm [.004"]
Closer - .05mm [.002"]
From Same Thread:
Quote
From Haynes
Inlet
open 0.1-0.12 service limit 0.05
Closer 0.03-0.05 service limit 0.2
Exhaust
open 0.12-0.15 service limit 0.05
closer 0.03-0.05 service 0.2
Duc SS Manual
Duc SS workshop manual states
inlet .......0.1-0.12 ... limit 0.05
exhaust ..0.12-0.15 ..limit 0.05
closing ...0.03-0.05 ..limit 0.2
These were obtained from: http://www.ducatisportingclub.com/ Thread (http://www.ducatisportingclub.com/showthread.php?t=49112&highlight=valve+clearance)
To round out a fairly robust list, here's the link to the Ducati Suite guide for DIY, and the values given:
QuoteThese are the valve specs for the 2v engine (Monster, SS, ST2 etc.) Note that these are on the tight side, it wouldn't
hurt to keep them on the high side (.004" for the intake openers, .005" for the exhaust openers, and .001" for the
closers). A clearance of .000" is possible, but very hard to obtain. .000" is a condition where there is no difference
between the loaded and unloaded gap. You cannot fit a feeler gauge in between the closing rocker (bottom) and the
closer shim, but can still turn the closer shim with your finger.
Intake openers: .003"-.004"
Exhaust openers: .004"-.005"
Intake closers: .000"-.001"
Exhaust closers: .000"-.001"
NOTE: 4v motors have a whole different set of clearances, on the looser side of the 2v. I am only listing them here as
reference.
Intake openers: .003"-.005"
Exhaust openers: .005"-.007"
Intake closers: .000"-.004"
Exhaust closers: .000"-.004"
From: http://www.ducatisuite.com/valves.html (http://www.ducatisuite.com/valves.html)