Changing Cam Belts - Guides

[Stu2K7]

Hi guys I am thinking of doing a major service on my Monster S4 and wondered if anyone has any good guides on how to chance the cam belts which are simple enough to follow and understand.

I am very hesitant about doing this but want to do as much stuff myself as possible to understand my bike, know it inside and out and also to keep the cost down as much as possible.

Cheers in advance :D

Stu

[dunlop0_1]

Belt change is easy enough with a little common sense. First get a manual Haynes or a download. Then make sure you have the tools. Allen keys, socket set etc and a modified 24mm ring spanner (not vital but does make it easier) to hold the tension wheel when re tightening. Follow the manual step by step or get someone who has done it to help. As regards tension if you don't have the right gauge you can use the 45 degree twist (on the longest part of the belt) or the thumb push up between the cam wheels (top of belt should reach the inside of the casing). Both these are subject to what you think is enough pressure to push or twist however better to air on the side of slacker rather than tighter but to slack is just as bad. When i first did my 748 i removed the horizontal belt first and the refit it copying the tension of the vertical cylinder (presuming that it was correctly fitted before you got the bike) until i was happy to remove both belts and fit new ones.

Hope this helps a bit.

Neil.

[slob]

http://www.ducatisuite.com/maintenance.html
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DUCATI+MAINTENANCE
http://www.duc.nu/manuals/

[benson]

Ooooohhhh and the hypermotard one is freee to download too!!!! This is a sign - I must get to know and understand some more about my bikes...

[Stu2K7]

Cheers for the info guys and all of what has been posted guide wise I have ready already so let me just run this past you then.

From what I understand this is what I need to do:

1) Put bike in top gear (6th)
2) Remove all needed parts to allow me to get cam covers off
3) Once belts and cams are visible find TDC by rotating the rear wheel in the direction of normal travel until the timing marks on the flywheel and all cams line up.
4) Mark up the teeth on the belts which sit in the groves where the timing marks are (makes it easier to ensure new belts are firred correctly apparently)
5) Loosen the tensioners and remove the belts, horizontal then vertical.
6) Ensure condition of all parts is all good then mark up the new belts.
7) Count the teeth on the new belts and marks them in the same way the old ones were marked that have been removed.
8) Fit the new belts, vertical one first ensuring that the timing marks on the cams are correct, place in the correct position if any have moved after the old belt was taken off.
9) Place place a 5mm allen key between tensioner and belt or use the 45 degree twist method when tightening the tensioner back up.
10) Repeat steps 8 & 9 for the horizontal belt.
11) All should now be A ok and all done.

This is my understanding on what is required does this sound right to someone who has done the job before, have I missed anything out at all or have I pretty much got is right?

Also am I right in thinking that if the cam wheels turn once the belts have been removed this is not an issue as you just need to ensure the timing marks are lined up before fitting the new belts?

Cheers
Stu

[dunlop0_1]

You do the horizontal first. When the timing marks are aligned the horizontal is at tdc on compression stroke and the vertical is not. When you have fit the horizotal you have to turn the crank over to bring the vertical to tdc on compression stroke. If you don't then the helper springs which aid the valves closing will give you a false tension and the timing may be out. You can do it vertical first but it must be at tdc on compression.

[Stu2K7]

If you do the horizontal belt first of all, does this not get in the way when you need to take the vertical belt off?

This is getting a little tricky to understand now, lol....where did I put that Haynes again for the 20th time :on:

Stu

[dunlop0_1]

You can place the vertical belt on the crank pulley and then fit the horizontal, but as i said either way is ok as long as you have the cylinder you are working on at tdc on compression when you tension.

[Sparky]

You'll also need to remove both spark plugs to make engine rotation easier.

It's also worth carefully turning the engine over a few times via the back wheel as a double check that nothing is going to clash before starting the engine.

[crust]

Its for a 916 but yours is fairly similar

http://www.tassell.co.uk/

go to biking, scroll down to Ducati 916 strada

then belt change pictures


:) Crust

[Stu2K7]

You can place the vertical belt on the crank pulley and then fit the horizontal, but as i said either way is ok as long as you have the cylinder you are working on at tdc on compression when you tension.
So the crank is only rotated when tensioning the belts, not during the belt change, am I right?

Stu