Ducati Monster Forum

I'm getting myself prepared to do the valves and belts on my S4 this winter. It will be my first time around so I'm trying to be as prepared as possible. Ordered the LT Snyder handbook and have watched every movie and read every write-up I can possibly find. That said, here is where I am at.

-Ordering new belts
-Have a digi caliper and plan on purchasing or borrowing a micrometer
-Have plenty of metric sockets and open-ended wrenches and allen keys
-Have telescoping magnet and picks

Anybody recommend a set of feeler gauges?

I'm planning on ordering new seals for the valve covers.

Here is the where I have some questions regarding tools. I've been looking at the tools that Desmo Times offers... Specifically the closing rocker depressor and the rocker pin extractor.

Now... I work in the stage building business and we have a full blown machine shop with everything I could ever possibly need to make some of my own tools. The two that I mentioned above look fairly simple to make and it would save me $76. I have access to TGP, cold rolled, and stainless rod... tons of it. Aluminum as well. I'm assuming the ones on Desmo Times are steel to add weight. I would probably go with stainless.  ;D

All I'm looking for are some dimensions if anybody has the tools already. I have a pretty good idea just by looking at the pictures. But small things would help.

-What is the thread at the end of the rocker pin extractor (I want to pull the rockers to look for flaking)
-Any idea for over all length?

-Overall length of the closing rocker depressing tool?
-It looks like it might be counter-bored at the end to keep it located on the rocker when applying pressure?

Hmmmmm I can't think of anything else at the moment. Any helpful info would be great regarding tools or experiences. I'm sure I will have many more questions once the time comes. Also, if anyone is interested in really helping out, I might be able to make more than one of the tools if somebody else is in need.

**I do not wish to rip off Desmo Times in any way or intend to make any money in any way from this project**

EMS makes those tools not DT, they are just retailing.

Yes, the depressor is counter bored.

I've this set of feelers:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00940802000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1#specs (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00940802000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1#specs)

- But it looks like the set on DT have a couple even slimmer blades so it seems to be a nice set for this application.

Other handy items:
- Crank turning tool.
- For 4v - the appropriate sized cam lock. Just a properly sized and shaped 1/8+" plate that keeps the two cams lined up when you're trying to put the belts back on.

It'd be nice to have something to set belt tension, too.  I like MotoReva's frequency tool, personally.

Don't forget to mark the belts and cam wheels as you take things apart.  The marks on the pulleys won't mean much to you on deep sump and later models.

if you have a iphone i remember seeing a belt tensioning app for it mentioned here last winter.

it basically just used your iphone mic to check the frequency... i think it was like 20-40 dollars.

In conjunction with Sad Panda's recommendation, if you are put off spending the $65.00 for the crank turning tool, try this:

http://www.motomfg.com/Crank_shaft_turning_tool_for_Ducati_s_p/et-1.htm (http://www.motomfg.com/Crank_shaft_turning_tool_for_Ducati_s_p/et-1.htm)

I ordered this crank turning tool for $25.00 and it is made out of stainless.  If you have a digital caliper, I'm not sure you need a micrometer, and vice versa.  I think the digital calipers are more of a convenience item (no need to convert and much easier to use, but I could be wrong...)

I have the rocker depressing tool (ordered from Desmo Times).  The tool is made out of stainless and comes in at 5 3/4 inches long.

I ran into the same issue Sad Panda noted with the feeler gauges.  The ones you typically find may not have the smaller blades necessary for the tight clearances you will be working with on your valve shims, so make sure you double check before you order.  The smallest blade mine has is .0015 inches/.038mm.

One note, are you planning to machine your own closing shim tool?  They run $13.00 at Desmo Times.

I ordered the tools I needed from Desmo Times, the price is reasonable and the hard part of locating what "works" against me having to figure out which tool was most appropriate made the decision easy...

For belt tensioning, I purchased a tuner similar to this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-KOR-CA30-CA-30-Chromatic/dp/B000BBRZ3S (http://www.amazon.com/Korg-KOR-CA30-CA-30-Chromatic/dp/B000BBRZ3S)

For $15.00 (mine does not have as large a display and I paid $8.00) you cannot beat the price...

Does anyone here just set tension by hand (1/4 turn method, etc.)?  I've replaced timing belts in the past when we did not have a "frequency meter" without issue...

I do... but it is the original 3G which makes it well over 3 years old. Not sure if I put my trust in it.

Good find. I'll definitely check those out. I've read a little bit about people using 4,5,6mm allen keys to gauge belt tension but if there is a cheap alternative, I'd feel a little better about that.



Pardon my ignorance, but I was under the impression that I could put the bike on stands in 6th gear and turn the rear wheel  ???

Cheapest belt tensioning:
Set the freeplay at 10mm (+/-5mm) on the belt run between the cam pullies.
I've done this on numerous desmoquattro engines, including my own 50k miles S4.

California Cycleworks has a nice 3-piece set of small feeler gages; 2/3, 4/5, 6/8 thousandths.

you can get the shim measuring tool from EMS, as well as the shims.

Use caution when measuring the 7mm openers with a micrometer.
Some, like my Starrett, won't fit all the way down to the bottom,so the reading is crap.
IIRC, California Cycleworks has a tiny Kawasaki shim that will fit inside the Duc shim so you can take a proper measurement.

To set the tensioner pulley *easily*, you'll need a 22mm offset box wrench... there was a thread here somewhere...
Here it is: http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=3671.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=3671.0)
More relevant info on other stuff too.

Speeddog

Could you explain better how the EMS shim measuring tool works?

Exactly what I was looking for, I think this is similar to using the 5mm key between the belt and idler, much easier.  I'm not sure what the deal with the frequency tools and the like is about, this is not rocket science and I do not see the need to make it so either...

http://www.emsduc.com/assets/Discolor.explanation.pdf (http://www.emsduc.com/assets/Discolor.explanation.pdf)

Fantastic. Thank you

That being the case, could I get by with just a digi caliper and no micrometer?

You can use either a digital caliper or micrometer, the digital caliper will make reading a bit easier and you will not have to convert to metric (if millimeters are available on the dial) unless you have a metric micrometer.  In this application, either one will do...

A caliper will work with the tool, on a closer shim.

You'll need either the Kawi Shim to do openers, or a micrometer with a spindle narrow enough to get inside the pocket.

just bought one - a ca1.  we'll see how it compares to the trusty old deflection tool.

i was actually just reading up on ducatidiag and it seems that the writer of that program offers a free app to adjust the belt tension.

what ducatidiag is seems to be a free basic version of vdst.  you just need around $25 worth of cables ordered from amazon.  doesnt work with the new monsters though.

http://www.ducati.ms/forums/138-streetfighter/113620-oh-my-5.html (http://www.ducati.ms/forums/138-streetfighter/113620-oh-my-5.html)

http://www.ducati.ms/forums/92-hypermotard/119712-ducatidiag-must-have-every-hm-owner.html (http://www.ducati.ms/forums/92-hypermotard/119712-ducatidiag-must-have-every-hm-owner.html)

http://www.ducatisti.co.uk/forum/ducati-chat/65496-anybody-tried-ducati-diag-1098-a-2.html#post662230 (http://www.ducatisti.co.uk/forum/ducati-chat/65496-anybody-tried-ducati-diag-1098-a-2.html#post662230)

not sure if you need it, but might be worth it for you to try out that app... all you'll need is some kind of pc laptop and a mic.

Didn't see this on the site  ???

Link?

Per EMS website...

"This tool is used to pull the rocker spindles out 4V Ducatis. A must for Desmoquattro valve adjustments. It is a slap hammer design, since the spindle is easy to remove with a few taps. 5 mm end threads into the end of the spindle."

So I'm looking for 5mm threads on the end of the puller tool that I plan on making? Are there different thread pitches for 5mm?

Can anybody confirm??

Also

Am I going to have to replace half rings while I am in there?

Also Also

Anybody with an opener shim and a caliper confirm the ID so that I can look for a mic that will fit

OOOOOK thanks. Too many questions and too much coffee

Thread is 5x0.8.
The rod that connects the butterflies on your throttle bodies would work great, but you need it where it is.
Just get a piece of allthread, you don't have to pull that hard.

You won't necessarily have to replace the half-rings, not likely that you've broken any of 'em.

Opener shim ID is 0.267".

Thanks Speeddog

Changed the oil about a month ago and snapped some pics of the oil filter. Notice anything unusual with the flakes? I'll still be checking the rockers regardless but I just want an opinion.

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/DSC03431.jpg)

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/DSC03429.jpg)

Also thought it might be helpful to provide a little more info. The bike was last serviced at around 13k (belts replaced and 3 valves adjusted) and it is currently just slightly more than 17k. I won't be riding any more this winter and figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and service it.

I don't see anything from those pics to concern me about rockers.
But... that screen's not in my hands, so YMMV.

Good to do the service over the winter, for sure.

Don't mix up the cams between the vertical and the horizontal when you've got 'em out.

The iPhone app is iAnalyzer. Gets great reviews; I've used on 2V and it was fine.

Things are slowly starting to come together. I got the LT Snyder manual read through much of it for the past few days. It's well written although it tends to be geared more towards the SBKs at times. I'm excited to get in there and do what they do. Seems simple enough.

I'm not excited to rip everything off of the bike just to get to the valves though. I took some time last night just sitting there and inspecting the bike a bit in hopes of having a plan of attack. Looks like the tank, radiator, battery, airbox, and maybe throttle bodies will have to come off. LT Snyder manual says to remove a few screws and push the TBs out of the way. Any suggestions here folks?

I plan on replacing the fuel filter while the tank is off. I don't know that I will be replacing the belts at this time though. They are only a year old with 4k on 'em.

Here are the tools I made. Rocker depressor can be adjusted to length. Rocker pin yanking do-da should do the trick. Just a few more things and I will be ready to go.

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/DSC03446.jpg)

Take pictures *frequently* as you go.
Ziplock bag fasteners and parts, and put a note in the bag as to what they are.
Put them in a tote box as you go.

If you have small children who have access to your workspace, get the parts out of reach.
It's no fun when they've borrowed one of you closer rockers and buried it in the backyard.

Don't remove the radiator.

Remove the throttle bodies and intake manifolds.

Blow out the spark plug recesses before removing the plugs.

Stuff shop towels into the intake manifolds *immediately* after you get the throttle bodies out.
Then stuff shop towels into the ports *immediately* after you get the manifolds off.
Do the same after you remove the spark plugs.

Have a shop rag ready to mop up a bit of oil after you remove the vertical exhaust valve cover.

Have a catch pan underneath when you remove the horizontal exhaust valve cover.

If I do in fact remove the TBs, will I have to sync them upon re-installment? I'm curious how one might just remove some bolts, throttle cable and such to kind of "adjust" their positioning without having to completely tear them apart. I'm not opposed to learning about syncing TBs, just a bit uneasy as it is just one more thing on my list of shit that I've never done to the bike and is very important.

In the meantime I'll try to read up on it and see how difficult it may be

No need to sync TB's just because you removed/reinstalled them.

Unhook the fuel lines, unhook the throttle cable, unhook the fast idle cable, disconnect the TPS.
Remove TB assembly.

And, while they're off, take some carburetor cleaner and Q-Tips and thouroughly clean the throttle bores and the edges of the throttle plates.  There's often a rather thick buildup of varnish/goop on them that causes poor idle/off-idle throttle response.

You should reset the tps as part of your service, regardless of whether or not the throttle bodies are removed.  Take the bike to your dealer or your LOCAL INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROVIDER (says Albuquerque's only independent service provider) and they'll generally reset it for you on the cheap (and they can tell you if you have any other codes set while the bike is "hooked up").

It doesn't hurt to check the balance, etc. as part of your service, too.  Ducati's factory settings aren't always ideal, even according to their own literature....so even if you haven't messed with them they may not be correct.

You can do all that yourself with a homemade manometer (for balancing) and a copy of VDST from Technoresearch (if you don't want a dealership hooking up to your ride).

Good info there. I think that what I will end up doing is valves, belts, check rockers, fuel filter and replace some lines, put everything back together.... cross my fingers.... fire it up and take it in to the local shop to have them sync the TBs and reset whatever.

I'd sure love to be able to perform all of these things myself.... but I gotta go one step at a time here.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701625 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701625)
^was this posted already?
What a badass tool. Homemade manometers will work for TB sync, but real vacuum gauges are much better. I got a set from MikesXS. You might want to hit that site up; several useful tools available and cheap.

One suggestion on the crank turning tool. I'd go ahead and go for the one with the handles since it has a provision for the attachment of a degree wheel. Having a degree wheel makes it handier, not only when doing the valves but especially when degreeing cams. A crank turning tool that doesn't have a way to attach a degree wheel is kinda useless to me. Also, you cannot always rely on the marks on the pulleys. Sometimes you have to be able to accurately meter how many degrees you are turning the crank. I made my own degree wheel in AutoCAD, printed it out on 8.5x11 and spraymounted it to a circle I cut out of some sheet styrene. It's really dirty now but still works great.

A couple short lengths of rubber vacuum hose on the ends of some large hemostats (why are the ends of your hemos black and stinky, Junior? :D) work great to hold the valve. I have also filled the cylinder space with small diameter rope in a pinch.

I just used the 5mm allen key belt tensioning method on my 2v. On a Desmoquattro you may want a more sophisticated method.

It's been a while since I've done valves on a Duc but I remember thinking about how I didn't really need the narrow feelers LT sells as I didn't check between the closer and rocker directly. Though they are what I used. I kind of used a hybrid Chris Kelley/LT Snyder method where I did the math to find the closer dimension, and then fit and refit the closer shims until I could get as little clearance as possible and still spin the shim and the cam without binding. It's a slow way to do it but that's what winter is for, and I got zero under the closers that way.

Night #1

I had a few hours to get started on some stuff tonight. Removing the gas tank consumed most of that time >:(

I had to syphon a good bit of gas out of the tank... my burps taste like premium

The other bit went all over me and the floor... Stupid fuel lines took forever to get off

Not a good start

I'm also pretty pissed at how bad the paint is on the engine cases. It's pathetic and annoys me in the worst way possible.
 
[puke]

Night #2

Had even less time tonight but still managed to get some stuff done.

Removed the airbox and battery and all things around it.

Still haven't touched the TBs.

Sure as hell a tight fit to the vertical exhaust valves with the suspension linkage right there.

How do you guys do it?

Cut both the feed- and return fuel lines and insert brass quick disconnects (I got mine from Omega.com -- a search will turn up the part numbers).

Here they are (metal with shut-off valves on both halves):
FT-LCD170-05: $24 (5/16" ID hose barb, In-line, 2.00" Length, Shutoff, Coupling body 1/4" flow);
FT-LCD220-05: $15 (5/16" ID, Hose barb, Straights, 1.85" LCD Length, Shutoff, Insert 1/4" flow).

Insert the quick disconnects in opposite directions so you don't mix up the two lines.

Who can tell me what this is?

There wasn't a fuel line attached to the rear barber outlet when I removed the tank.

Better yet... does it need a line and where should I run it?

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/20120201_190936.jpg)

That is the fuel pressure regulator.  The empty port references local atmospheric pressure.  No need to connect it anywhere.

Molto bene!

Grazie

Update

Clearances are as follows.....

Horizontal Intake

LO- .0035     LC- .0065
RO- .005      RC- .006

Horizontal Exhaust

LO- .003      LC- .008
RO- .004      RC- .008

Vertical Intake

LO- .006      LC- .005
RO- .006      RC- .007

Vertical Exhaust

LO- .008      LC- .004
RO- .008      RC- .005


So.... what do you more experienced people say? I was gonna shoot for the LT Snyder specs but I will gladly listen to anyone else's arguments.

LT Specs

Intake

Opener .004
Closer  .004

Exhaust

Opener .006
Closer  .004

I pulled an opening rocker pin tonight just to get a feel for it. When I put it back in for the night, air got trapped behind it. Is this bad or will it not effect anything? LT Snyder manual says to scribe a line down the pin to allow the air to run out. All is fine and dandy but hot damn I'd have a hard time taking a dye grinder to my rocker pins.

I'm also getting a little anxious now. Bikes been apart for a while and I'm hoping that my pictures will get it back together. Otherwise, I'm going to be posting a lot more pictures and asking a lot more questions.

IO .004-.006
EO .006-.007

IC .002-.004
EC .002-.004

Don't worry about the air behind the rocker pin.

A few observations....

Horizontal rocker pin cover on the right side has some gouging. Looks like a closer pin backed it's way out and is doing a number on the plate.

Oh and I seem to have discovered 5 flaking rockers... I'm pretty pissed  :P

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/20120207_183014.jpg)

Would that have effected my measurements in any way when I was checking my clearances?

I'm so make the beast with two backsing pissed that I have to yank 2 closing rockers. Those springs look like a pregnant dog to get back in with the heads still on the bike.

[bang] [bang] Ducati [bang] [bang]

Sorry to see your flaking rocker, and hearing it's got partners.  :'(

Clearance measurement associated with a flaked rocker is FUBAR.
IE, the opener clearance you measured on the valve with *that* rocker is worthless, other than the practice you got...
Doesn't really matter in the long run, as you'll have to re-do the measurement with the replacement/reconditioned rockers anyway.

Were the flaked closers paired up with flaking openers?

Yes, the springs are a pregnant dog to get back in.
Which closers are you replacing?
If they're intakes, you have to undo the exhaust closer spring on the same side, as it sits on the post inboard.

Vertical exhaust left opener
Vertical exhaust right closer
Horizontal exhaust left opener
Horizontal intake right opener
Horizontal intake right closer

>:(

Mmmm...vertical exhaust closer.
That one's fun.
 :P

Don't despair.

I guess I will see soon enough

 :P

Tomorrow is going to be a good day

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/photo-1.jpg)

That green bin full'o'shims will come in handy.   ;D

I like the paint brush too.  [laugh]

So.... you pulled the head off.

Disassembled one of the 748 heads completely to rob what I need out of it. I was able to practice getting the closing springs back into place. Not bad with the head off the bike, but that suspension linkage is gonna make it a PITA

If worst comes to worst, I'll be yanking the heads and making myself a head nut wrench tool. Not thrilled about that idea but what the hell. I'm already halfway there.

It's 10 AM. I've just had my  [coffee] and breakfast. Time to pinch a loaf get the bike up on the stands and have at it. More on this later. Hopefully it will be good news.

Update

Yesterday went as expected. It took me about 3 hours to take care of the vertical exhaust closer. I never want to have to do that again. I'm praying that the vert. intake closers never give me a reason to have to swap 'em. That was the suck.

After that, everything else went smoothly. All in all, I swapped out 6 openers and 3 closers. Got everything reassembled and checked my clearances again...

I couldn't get any feelers in to check one of my unloaded gaps on a horizontal exhaust. My gauges go down to .0015. Should I be concerned? This was one of the closers and openers I replaced. My next question would be... how much can I sand down a shim? Is there any rule of thumb for the max amount a shim can be sanded to fit? I'm assuming that the opener needs to be taken down .006" and curious if that will be too much. Or am I totally wrong in the way I am thinking about this?

I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

On a side note. What are the torque specs for the head nuts? In a fit of rage, I loosened them up on the vertical head and was gonna rip it off.... but the head and cylinder was wobbling around and it freaked me out so I tightened them up and figured everything out in the end. I really cranked on them but should probably get a torque wrench on there.

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=54039.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=54039.0)

Yay for search button. 38 ft-lb doesn't seem like so much though.

I'm still skeptical about the fact that I kinda shook the head vertical head to see if it was loose. The head and cylinder seemed to be stuck together so the cylinder was actually lose from the case. Is this a point of major concern?

Three-step on the head torque : 11, 22, 38.

If you've broken the base gasket seal... you should pull that cylinder off and clean and re-seal the base gasket.

If you don't you're flirting with a base gasket leak.
S4 were prone to it.
Worthwhile to plug the oil gallery while you've got the cylinder off.

Get a good ring compressor, the cast-iron oil rings are fragile.

Is there any easy way to tell if the cams are shagged?

Between my own and the cams that were in the 748 heads, they both have similar wear patterns.

I'm honestly a little shocked at the rough nature of the surface of the cams.

Post up some pics of the worst looking one, try to get about as close as you did for the flaked rocker pic.

I chose the one that looks the worst IMO

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/8523d700.jpg)
(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/cbae1440.jpg)
(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/5fc9b83b.jpg)
(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/86fec493.jpg)

Well, that opener doesn't look great.

But it's hard to tell from the pics.

Is there anything that can be done to spruce up the cams a bit?

Polish wheel on a dremel?

I've used lapping/sharpening stones to smooth a couple cams off.

I've got no long term feedback on the cams I did.

I'm going to change the thread title to

"the why can't anything ever be easy thread"

Speeddog...

I have two M4 set screws with stripped out heads. I'm trying to get the gas tank apart but can't seem to get them out. Any suggestions?

On another note

I had to cut a bolt to get the exhaust off. It was rusted and seized. Not I can't get the threaded part of the bolt out. Do they sell the clamps separately anywhere that you know of?

Gak... stripped out grub screws.

I've had reasonable results with torx drivers on FUBAR'ed allen bolts.
I've just checked, a T8 Torx driver fits in an unmolested grub screw, so it may work on a bad one.

Soak 'em with penetrating oil first.

Also, put some torque on 'em while you lean on the filler ring, it may unload 'em enough to get 'em turning.

Are you talking about the clamp on the vertical cylinder downpipe?

Vertical cylinder downpipe be the area. I clamped it up on a mill and and drilled through the rusty bolt. Unfortunately, I'm not a machinist... So I'm just going to drill it out enough to through-bolt it.

I got fed up with trying to get the set screws out and said make the beast with two backs it. Replaced the other ones and called it a day.

From what I could see, the lines in the tank looked and felt fine. Not brittle at all. I still wish I could replace the fuel filter though.

The black rubber piece on the inside of the gas cap popped off.... This was not a point of major concern for me because I assume it is just to keep gas from splashing out as I fill it up. But I tried for 2 hours to get it back on before I took it out into the parking lot and soaked it in thinner and burned it. It wouldn't go on. It can't go on. I cut it in half just to see and it overlapped itself by at least 3/4"  ???

Either I suck at working on bikes, Italian bikes are not designed well, or ....??

I'm getting fed up here Nick. Give me some love

You should be able to get that clamp from a dealer.
Someone here *may* have one, not sure if the 2-valve ones are the same.
Those clamps get quite hot, blasted with dirt and water, and don't get any anti-seize at the factory.
I've had a couple on customer's bikes that died.

Leave the fuel filter job for later.
It's easy to get too many upgrades/fixes going at once when the bike's down.
Pretty soon you have the frame off and out for powdercoat and you're making a new wiring harness.  :P

That filler splash shield thing... they all fall off.
Even if you had managed to get it back on, it would have fallen off again.
Mine was roaming around in the tank for quite a while.

 

Ahhh, a man who understands frustration, I would have pumped it full of buckshot while it was burning in the parking lot!!!!!!

You most likely don't suck at working on bikes, like Speeddog says " you can attempt too much and things spiral out of control. Why not take a break from the project and do something fun for a spell? Come back with a fresh perspective and a new can of thinner

There is nothing worse than getting owned by an inanimate piece of rubber

Take up golf



 ;D

Golf chafes me off  :P

I always slash 'em to the right

Although I can play a pretty mean game of mini-golf  ;D

Tanks for the  link...just bougth a 100$ worth of tools  :) [thumbsup]

I'm taking recommendations on silicone sealant for the base, head, valve gaskets etc... Yay or nay?

If yes, what kind?

Another home job

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/7ff5b8fa.jpg)

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/3e73ed9d.jpg)

ThreeBond 1194 for the base gasket, AFAIK HondaBond, YamaBond are the same stuff.

Install head gasket dry.

If new, valve cover gaskets, sideplate gaskets install dry.
If used, clean with contact cleaner, and install dry.

Any idea what size set screw I should plan on using to plug the oil galley in the case?

I use a 10-24 setscrew, I forget the length, but I've got a bunch at the shop...

A little grease in the drill bit, turn it in by hand.

Grease the tap, do the same.

Only go in far enough for the setscrew to go down flush to the deck.

Clean threaded hole with solvent on Q-Tips.

Use high-heat and oil-resistant loctite.

The most blingin' thing I've ever seen!

Can't wait to get it back to the point where I can install 'em

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/64ae21e7.jpg)

Quick-disconnects for bikes that don't have a QD at the tank?

Yes indeed

Removing the tank was a real PITA so I decided to go this route

Gaskets are at Ferracci. All I gotta do is pick them up.

Yamabond the base gasket on both sides or only one?

As far as the assembly is concerned, here is my plan of attack... Suggestions are welcome

Once the head/jug is off, tap and plug oil galley hole. Install base gasket. Take two wooden dowel rods and place beneath the piston and rotate the engine until the piston sits flush on the dowel rods. I want to do this to facilitate reinstallation of the cylinder. Have a buddy slowly bring the cylinder down as I compress the piston rings by hand and ease it on in.  Once that is done, I'll install the head gasket/head and torque to spec. Then I should be well on my way.

Reattach exhaust...reinstall shims...take measurements...hopefully ride by April

I haven't picked up a ring compressor because people are telling me it can be done by hand very carefully but mostly because I don't know what I'm looking for or how to really use one.

Would you advise against that? 

Don't try to do the rings by hand.

Get a ring compressor, this is the one I have, it's a Blue Point, and it works great:

(http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/objects_lg/images/RC980.jpg)

Just when I though I was a master mechanic...

I feel my cams dragging  :-\

What am I missing here?

Horizontal exhaust put back in place with shims that I ordered. Checked the clearances at .004 opener and .003 on the closers.

The cam is dragging hard
 
???

Check for something trapped between the valve and seat.

Or all they all dragging?

Seems both closers are dragging on the exhaust and one on the intake

I would do one at a time and make sure the half rings are seated properly.  Uninstall and reinstall the shim and check again.

The 4V closer shims are a bit finicky about seating the half rings, sometimes they'll trap 'em.

I've found that if I push the closer rocker down just enough to take the load off the shim, and the valve is backed up against the piston, probing at the half rings will push them down into position.

Just to make sure I'm understanding correctly....

You changed shims, and measured .003 on closers, they didn't drag, then went back later and they're dragging?

Or you checked clearance, measured the shim, installed a 'new' shim to change the clearance, and then it's dragging?

I checked the shims. Replaced rockers. Checked shims again. Got new shims and installed and checked shims again.

Going back to basics...

I'm using the loaded/unloaded method. Measure the unloaded gap between the opening shim/rocker. Pushing down on the closing rocker and checking the same measurement again. Subtracting the unloaded from loaded and getting my closer gap. Is that correct? Does being at TDC matter. Where should the cams be when I'm checking?

UPDATE

Seems I got the wrong base gasket although it wasn't too terribly different. I had to dremel a small area to clear a post on the case. I took a fine file to it and smooth everything out, put the cylinder/head back on and it's hopefully good to go... valve clearances were in spec

Either way, it feels good to have the gaskets replaced and everything bolted back up without too much hassle.

Although there is still some work to be done with the H cylinder. My measurements must have been off.

I put the piston at TDC, so I know the valves won't drop in.
I do all my valve work with the belts off.
I put the cams on the base circle.

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/8b30ecf2.jpg)

Who can tell me what this is  ???

I just noticed it tonight. Just kinda hangin' out on the left side of the bike. I don't remember disconnecting it but I will have to look through my pictures I took of the disassembly. In the meantime.... anybody?

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/76dc00ea.jpg)


(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/6c11c9b7.jpg)


(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/b1d2bfb1.jpg)

That's to plug in your battery tender.

Ok guys. One thing after another but it's finally looking like a bike again. At this point all I need to do is get the belts on, fuel tank and run fuel lines, change oil and coolant, and a few other little things.

But....

I tried with all my might to get a belt on and couldn't swing it. What's the trick here? Or what am I missing? Obviously I started with the vertical cylinder. Lined up the marks on the cams and wrapped the belt around the idler and crankshaft but didn't have enough slack to get it around the tensioner pulley. I tried taking as much slack out of the idler side to create a little more slack on the tensioner side and couldn't get it. I tried lining everything up and pulling out my cam holder tool to create more slack but it just jumped some teeth and didn't work.

Is there a trick to this? Should I really try to get some leverage on it somehow? It's close but damn it's hard to get on there. Is this a 'quattro thing or are they all like that?

I'm using the Exactfit timing belts by the way

Put the belt over the layshaft (drive) pulley, making sure it's teeth are engaged.

Feed it between the stationary and movable tensioner pulleys.

Put it about 3/8" onto the exhaust pulley.

Make sure the belt is still totally engaged on the drive pulley, and is not riding up on the flanges of the tensioner pulleys.

Turn the intake pulley until it's lined up, this is a bit of a chore as the closer springs are fighting you.

Slide the belt over the intake pulley.

Check to make sure both pulleys are still lined up with their marks.

Why are the exhaust nuts such a soft metal? Almost seems like copper or something. Needless to say I had to butcher one pretty bad to remove the rear downpipe again and need new ones. What should I be looking for?