Hi All,
I just picked up an '02 S4 a couple of weeks ago, with just under 10k miles on the odo. That was on a Thursday. That next Monday I took it to the track for a NESBA track day as my usual track steed (Triumph Daytona 600) had a broken exhaust. All went well at the track - no drama. I rode it to work and back the next day. Coming home with about 5 miles to go, there's a lot more noise than the dry clutch and CF exhaust. I pull into the back yard and turn it off immediately. Tell my mechanic hubby that we have a genuine Italian Mistress(tm).
We take it apart and find the cam shaft circlip has broken and is sitting the the valve cover of the horizontal head.
Luckily, it didn't move into the motor. The bike is now dissected into two major parts. The rear end and the engine sit on the work bench. The front end and the frame sit on a stand behind it. We covered the headlight so she wouldn't have to watch her innards being operated on.
My husband can work on all things Japanese, but we've called in a very knowledgeable Ducati Doctor for this operation. While we have her apart, we'll be replacing belts, inspecting valves and clearances...I have a bag of keepers sitting next to me. The cam shaft end cap is on order from Eastside Motorsports in Bellevue, Wa as that did get a bit mangled.
We have the shop manual and the maintenance and modifications book from Desmo Times - thanks for the tip on that!
Any and all advice is welcome on this topic. The only other Ducati in the stable is a '66 Diana. The last Monster was '95 M900 in 2003, so we're noobies again. Pics to follow if you're interested.
Wish us luck!
