Monsterlover rejoins the fold

[Monsterlover]

Well, haven't done much lately other than organize my garage. Much nicer to work in now. Not done but good enough to do more work.

I pulled the belts, drained the oil and started the valve check.

I have some phobias of this since the last 900 I did exploded because it dropped a valve. Spectacular and catastrophic. I can't help but think I didn't have the keeper wires seated correctly.

It was also an eBay engine of unknown history so... Maybe it wasn't me.

The horizontal cylinder intake looked good. The exhaust closer is about .000 but the opener is tight at .002.

I'm going to check the vertical cylinder before I do anything else. Maybe I can swap parts around and not have to sand or machine anything.

I don't have anything here to measure it anyhow (other than install it and check with feeler gauges)

One foot in front of the other...

[koko64]

That phobia is understandable, pretty crap luck.

[Monsterlover]

4/8 valve shims are knacked. I tried swapping things around and even tried some from a different engine to no avail.

I wanted a kit but didn't like the price. I happened to find a place that rents Ducati tools and the rent shim kits.

$50+$250 refundable deposit. They send you the shim kit and all the tools you need. Use what shims you need and return it. The hit you for $9/shim and cover shipping both ways (built into the price obviously). I figure I'll be out somewhere around $100 to have things set up right.

http://www.ducatitoolrental.com/ducati-shim-kits.html

[Speeddog]

Unless that shim kit comes with multiple pieces of each size, you may run out.

Best to measure the shims that you have, combine with your measured clearances and figure out what sizes you want.

Keep in mind that the half rings do wear, so replacing those can reduce your closer clearance.

The shims also wear a bit in the half-ring seating area, and none of the measuring tools I've seen account for this.
This can lead to lots of aggro.
Much more of a problem with the 7mm bits than the 8, but it does occur.
The faces of the shims can wear a bit too, but it's not so big.

[Monsterlover]

I already ordered it. As long as I can get close I can surface grind the shims to where I need them. And as long as I have the kit I'm going to try to hit as close to .000 on the closers as I can since *everything* I read about that says the engines run better.

[Speeddog]

You have a mag chuck that can hold onto a shim?
Could glue 'em down...

I'm not sure how much difference in running quality there is between .002" and ~0.000" on closers, but they definitely run shitty at .010".

Just enough clearance so they don't drag.
The early stuff like your SS doesn't seem to have any weird spots, the DS1k has tight spots near the clearance ramps.

I measure clearance with the clips out.

Remember to always have the piston at TDC before you remove any half-rings.

Don't turn the crank until you've verified that all valves are closed.

And don't hit the start button until you've turned the engine over twice carefully by hand with the belts on.

--edit-----

If you supply air at 5-10psi to the chamber at TDC, it'll hold the valves closed on the seats and it won't turn the engine over.
Makes messing with the shims so much easier.
Not so big a deal on 2 valvers but every little bit helps on the 4V stuff.

[Monsterlover]

You have a mag chuck that can hold onto a shim?
Could glue 'em down...

I'm not sure how much difference in running quality there is between .002" and ~0.000" on closers, but they definitely run shitty at .010".

Just enough clearance so they don't drag.
The early stuff like your SS doesn't seem to have any weird spots, the DS1k has tight spots near the clearance ramps.

I measure clearance with the clips out.

Remember to always have the piston at TDC before you remove any half-rings.

Don't turn the crank until you've verified that all valves are closed.

And don't hit the start button until you've turned the engine over twice carefully by hand with the belts on.

Mag chuck on the surface grinder.

Why tdc before pulling half rings?  I'd clamp the valve stem to keep it from dropping or is that not enough?

I have the clips out and the belts off.  Started with all the tdc marks lined up on the stator and all the belt pulleys.

Currently things measure-

Front cylinder
-intake, open .004
-intake, close .002
-exhaust, open .002
-exhaust, close .000

Rear cylinder-
-intake, open .007
-intake, close .003
-exhaust, open .005
-exhaust, close .003

[Speeddog]

Back in the day when I was near a mag chuck daily, it wasn't able to hold small stuff due to the pitch on the magnets.
It is not likely that you have that particular mag chuck, so YMMV.

I don't clamp the valve stems.
It's another piece of equipment in the way.
It provides an opportunity to fuxxor the stem seal or the stem itself.
I've got a leakdown gauge to supply the air to hold the valve closed from the other side.
This is also a side effect of 4V, I've fought for every cubic mm of working room I can get so I exploit it every time I can.

[Monsterlover]

I get it.

I normally cover the clamp with some rubber hose to protect the stem.

The leak down setup is fancy. I guess I could pack a bunch of cord in there instead.

The shims are small, yes. But that's why you block things on the chuck. Keeps them from turning into missiles

Any word on that shock?  I have the whole rear of the bike held up with a piece of angle iron between the frame and tire.

It's pretty redneck. It was the first thing I thought of though. Maybe I should call it Kevneck.

[Duck-Stew]

I dropped a vertical intake valve on a customers ‘01 M900S years ago after completing the phone call with him confirming he could come pick the bike up.

I got the valve back out of the head without taking the head off.  Let’s just say it was “fun”...

[Monsterlover]

I dropped a vertical intake valve on a customers ‘01 M900S years ago after completing the phone call with him confirming he could come pick the bike up.

I got the valve back out of the head without taking the head off.  Let’s just say it was “fun”...

Egads!!

I bet your stomach flipped when that happened. How did you get it back?

[Duck-Stew]

Vertical intake for the record.

I removed the intake and the plug.  I ground the pocket clip off of an extender magnet/mirror tool and fished it down the valve guide while moving the valve stem into position through the spark plug hole and rotating the piston (as room allowed) back towards TDC.  Eventually, I managed to hit the top of the 8mm valve firmly with the magnet and pulled it back through the guide.

   (or you can summarize all the above with...) Luck.

[Monsterlover]

That'll teach you to tell someone it's done before it's really done

[Duck-Stew]

Nah...  Thick skull sometimes.  It also figures that this guy was incredibly particular as customers go.

Anyways, I always chuckle when I use that magnet/mirror tool to this day. 

[Speeddog]

I get it.

I normally cover the clamp with some rubber hose to protect the stem.

The leak down setup is fancy. I guess I could pack a bunch of cord in there instead.

The shims are small, yes. But that's why you block things on the chuck. Keeps them from turning into missiles

Any word on that shock?  I have the whole rear of the bike held up with a piece of angle iron between the frame and tire.

It's pretty redneck. It was the first thing I thought of though. Maybe I should call it Kevneck.

I found that the clamp holding the valve was always in the way, or coming loose when I was trying to do something.
Leakdown gauge was in the toolbox since long ago, so it wasn't a big leap.
For this application it's merely a handy pressure regulator.
Don't try and tell me you can't make up a sparkplug/air hose adapter. 

I did not loiter in the Plane of Maiming nor downrange of the surface grinder.
The guy who ran it also owned the whole enchilada and had been grinding for at least two minutes so I let him run it like he wanted. 

Sorry, yeah I'll get that shock sorted.