696 Coil Issue

[jandie]

Just found this, maybe it's helpful.
http://up.sur-la-toile.com/ihpS
ps. my O looked correct, couldn't tell my V one (it's covered with plastic materials even though I can see the label).  Pics?

thx

[Sleeper_I]

Excellent find Jandie

[semyhr]

Anyways, after all these readings, paranoia got the better of me and so I went and check myself.
Well, it seems like my baby's horizontal coil, or the "O" wiring harness to be exact,  at least is wired correctly (Incorrectly, according to the diagram in the manual)

Thanks for the pictures.

Checked mine today, looks like I have the same so mine shouldn't have the coil issue.

[slowrider]

Slowrider, I'm sure you want your Monster to run in tip top shape for your big ride. Besides, it isn't healthy just because it run fine now. So get crackin' mate  , and happy  "[moto] ing".

Sleeper_I... you're making me feel guilty    Guess I'll have to tear into it this week.  How much body work has to be removed to get to the wires with enough room to work.  I'm not even sure where the rear coil is located...  Does the tank have to come completely off?

Actually...I did a test today just to see how bad the 'lurching' is under 4K.  It's a bit worse than I had originally stated...mostly because I usually avoid that range because it is not as smooth.  But I tried to run a couple miles with the RPM's pegged right at the 3500 range..and it's a bit jerky...feels like it's chugging...like being in too tall a gear.  I think I always attributed this to the gearing...but maybe the coil has been the issue all along.

-craig

[Sleeper_I]

No problem Slowrider, just looking out for a fellow DMF'er

You can just have your dealer do the job. It should be cover under the warranty. From what others are saying it's approximately half an hour job.

If you don't have one near and willing to do it yourself it might take you an hour or more. The horizontal is easiest, you should be able to work on it by just removing the shroud (refer to my first picture). I did not bother checking my vertical but from what it seems you will have to remove or at least lift the tank in order to get to it. Refer to page 71 "Removal of the battery" i your manual. If I'm not mistaken you can see the "V" coil wire in Fig. 75 and 76.

Who knows, I might check it out myself since I'm already looking at it. Dang, paranoia is kicking in again.

Just be sure not to pinch any wire or tube as you reinstall the tank. Good luck

[slowrider]

My dealer's not close...and when I called them, they said that if it was wrong the bike would not run right at all...soooo, I'll likely just tackle it myself.

Thanks for info...

[slowrider]

Sooo...life got busy and I did not get a chance to mess with my coil wires yet, so I decided to take advantage of a warm October day in upstate NY and have my dealer take a look at it...  and now I'm confused.   

According to the dealer, his notes said the brown wire is to be by the clip...per the owner's manual wiring diagram...and opposite of what some of you have been told and found by your dealers.  He tore it all apart confirmed that was how it's wired and sent me on my way.  They were told the wiring diagrams in the manuals were correct, but that some of the harnesses themselves were wired wrong by the company that makes them.

Not sure what to think.....

[Raux]

Sooo...life got busy and I did not get a chance to mess with my coil wires yet, so I decided to take advantage of a warm October day in upstate NY and have my dealer take a look at it...  and now I'm confused.   

According to the dealer, his notes said the brown wire is to be by the clip...per the owner's manual wiring diagram...and opposite of what some of you have been told and found by your dealers.  He tore it all apart confirmed that was how it's wired and sent me on my way.  They were told the wiring diagrams in the manuals were correct, but that some of the harnesses themselves were wired wrong by the company that makes them.

Not sure what to think.....

that kind of makes sense. it's like the wires were right but the ends got swapped. either way, i wish their was a firm fix cause there are several people with 696s out there taht probably dont know about this or a dealer didnt fix it right. i think someone on the board has a bike that's running too hot, but seems his wiring is right but who knows, hot running is one of the biggest telltale signs of the problem.

[Takster]

Anybody in the Boston area that had a local dealer diagnose and solve the problem?  I don't want to go somewhere where they've never heard of the issue.  I'm feeling some rough starts, and what could be described as 'surging' at low RPM (2500 - 3500).  I'm NOT experiencing the overheating issue, although that may just be that I've only been riding it since it started getting cold (sub-65 degrees.)  Any specifics such as the name of the mechanic who worked on the problem at a specific dealership would also be helpful.

Thanks.
~T

[Takster]

Just found this, maybe it's helpful.
http://up.sur-la-toile.com/ihpS
ps. my O looked correct, couldn't tell my V one (it's covered with plastic materials even though I can see the label).  Pics?

thx

Thanks Jandie,

I went to my dealer for the 600 mile thing, asked SPECIFICALLY for them to check the coil issue.  They said that it was fine.  Saw your post and decided to check it myself after following your link.  It was in fact wired backwards.  Since I wanted to take the emmissions bit off anyway, I fixed that one, took the tank off and changed the V coil as well.  It took me about an hour (why are there 200 bolts involved in taking the tank off?!)  Swapping the wires alone took all of 5 minutes each.

Anyway, I just rode it for about an hour...
the most notable difference is low RPM stuff... more consistent power, no surging, quicker throttle response
the powerband seems to transition in as opposed to kicking in
I think the engine sounds more stable at all RPMs
something is different about downshifting... when I disengage the clutch, it seems to sound/feel different, but I can't put my finger on exactly what.
puttering around in traffic is a lot easier without the surging thing
overall, the bike seems less twitchy and nervous.
Oh, and also, the bike started on the first try (which rarely happens... but it's 65 today, and I'm sort of used to how it starts when it's colder.)

How this error made it past Ducati quality control I will never know, but thanks to everybody for the information.

~T

[gearhead]

 Maybe there is no quality control, thats what I figure anyway.

[yotogi]

How this error made it past Ducati quality control I will never know, but thanks to everybody for the information.

A better question would be, are you going to let the place that said that your coils were wired correctly ever touch your bike again? Quality control at the factory be damned, what about the mechanic?

[Takster]

A better question would be, are you going to let the place that said that your coils were wired correctly ever touch your bike again? Quality control at the factory be damned, what about the mechanic?

IMO, both are inexcusable.  If this were an issue on a car, there would be a service bulletin and potentially a recall.  In either case, it'd be the first thing checked when it went in for it's first scheduled maintenance.

I probably won't be going back to that dealer again... even though it's the only one I can get to with public transportation from my place.  It's probably for the best seeing that I feel like a total asshole riding the subway with a helmet and full leathers.

I guess if you want to have something done right, you have to do it yourself.

[bulldogs2k]

So the Brown/redish wire goes to the number 2 slot right?!  So when checking for the coils, its a simple check with the brownish wire...
Looks pretty straight forward. 
A

[Takster]

So the Brown/redish wire goes to the number 2 slot right?!  So when checking for the coils, its a simple check with the brownish wire...
Looks pretty straight forward. 
A

The brown wire with the white stripe should be in the slot further away from the clip.  If it's on the side closer to the clip, you've got to switch them.

The V coil is a PITA to get to.

Good luck.
~T