A little bird told me that there have been several 1100 Evo motors that have needed replacement valve guides and that Ducati knows that it is a problem. I got this from a reputable source but was sworn not to reveal who it was.
Has anybody else heard about this, or is there anyone who has had the guides replaced under warranty? This particular concern seems to be restricted to the 1100 Evo motor. Any info will be appreciated. ???
Heard nothing, but not surprised.
[coffee]
What kind of mileage were on the bikes? What were the symptoms that made them come to the conclusion that the valve guides needed to be replaced? Was this found on the standard valve check?
That being said, it's a new motor. I got an extended warranty for that very reason.
this is a very old problem with the large valve 2v motors.
if you read German check this out
http://www.italo-teilemarkt.de/main_fuehrungen.html (http://www.italo-teilemarkt.de/main_fuehrungen.html)
no experience with the evo, but some general points on this subject from experience.
if you think a motor has bad guides, compare them to a new motor. your idea of bad and ducati's idea of good need to be referenced to each other. idea's may change following this.
I've seen motors with quite a bit of guide wear that ran very badly with loose closing clearances, but just fine with tight ones. so that can also be a factor.
sometimes "known problems" become convenient scapegoats and misdiagnosis abounds. if we submitted a claim like this under warranty we always got asked "what's wrong with it?" if it wasn't running badly it wasn't a problem, just because someone says it has bad guides.