Snow made my ducati sick :( wont run right..

27-11-2005, 10:25 AM

Had to travel home on thursday there in temperatures around 1degree c... i had put in 100ml of silkone pro fst on wednesday thinking that would make it run a bit smoother in the cold...
was ok on way to work.. but on way back was v cold!

anyway... had to keep reving it at lights to stop it from stalling again, looked like smoke/steam was coming from under engine.. maybe a small hole in exaust, or maybe just the rain hitting it...

got it home, have not started it till yesterday (saturday). took about 5 mins to get started... and then it wont rev beyond 3k revs.... choke on, or off.

oil light is on, but i suspect that the sensor has got damp, as its sort of flickery.

doesnt sound healthy... may just be the coldness, but dont wanna start it again until i can be sure the oil levels is right.

cnt see in the wee window, sort of misty witht he cold..

any ideas?

any manual way of checking the oil?
I know.. im stupid, but dont want to make my duke sicker than it is...

thanks v much, paul

27-11-2005, 10:45 AM

try it now? milder today.

27-11-2005, 10:47 AM

had a look in the window for oil level, cant see coz of condensation.

ill give it a go in a few mins here when i go out. apart from stalling at lights and feeling a bit rough in the 1degree c weather it at least went....

didnt apear to yesterday...

what oil should i get for it? ill maybe get some to top it up a little.. can do no harm i guess.

27-11-2005, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djkus

had a look in the window for oil level, cant see coz of condensation.

ill give it a go in a few mins here when i go out. apart from stalling at lights and feeling a bit rough in the 1degree c weather it at least went....

didnt apear to yesterday...

what oil should i get for it? ill maybe get some to top it up a little.. can do no harm i guess.

it can if you overfill it, I use halfords 5 40 synthetic oil, big bottle currently on special price (maybe)

27-11-2005, 10:57 AM

ok thanks for advice, halfords up the road from me, ill take a run up later to see what they have.

oh, might seem like a silly question, but how would u know uve put enough oil in it ...before it starts to overflow? lol

ive not done it yet, was serviced not long after i got it so this be the first for me.

27-11-2005, 11:21 AM

ok, i went out there.. started bike in a couple of mins... got it going and left it running on low revs... just reving it so it didnt stall...

after a few mins of that i was able to turn off choke and it sat idling on 1k revs as usual...
was able to rev to 6k with no bother in garden there.. which it wasnt doing yesterday..

sounds normal too..
i guess the cold just got to it.
was able to turn engine off and restart it first/second time.

thing is.. oil light is still on.. i KNOW the sensors are crap.. mine usually doesnt work at all, doubtfull that the oil has somehow magically disapeared coz of the snow aint it. lol

when refilling oil levels is there a way to check how much it needs before just pouring some in? id like to get some and put a little in.. that way i can ignore the dodgy oil light.

going to wash bike now and get it ready for covering for a month or two till coldness goes away (wishfull thinking i know)

27-11-2005, 11:26 AM

Have you been checking the oil level whilst your bike is on it's sidestand? If so you'll certainly not see any oil in the window!

Just hold the bike upright and you should be able to see the level of the oil through the window despite the Monster mayonnaise. It can be quite awkward so get your mate/other half etc. to look while you hold your bike upright. (I usually sit astride mine to hold it upright then bend down to look but it's a bit uncomfortable).

If you can't see it then the level is certainly too low, should (obviously) be between the max and min lines.

As for the FST - sounds like you may not have used enough matey. 1% is okay when the weather is not too bad but mine needs a 2% mix (300 mil per full tank) when it's particularly cold and damp.

MotoNik · 27-11-2005, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djkus

had a look in the window for oil level, cant see coz of condensation.

Usual Ducati mayonaise, caused by low temperatures and condensation on the inside of the crankcase. Nothing to fear - don't top the oil up, it won't have used any.

Also the "smoke or steam" you saw would have been caused by rain or moisture hitting the exhaust pipes. Nothing to worry about.

Go and start it up and let it run for a while, that'll get it nice and warm.

Nik

27-11-2005, 10:25 AM	#1
djkus Guest Posts: n/a	Snow made my ducati sick :( wont run right.. Had to travel home on thursday there in temperatures around 1degree c... i had put in 100ml of silkone pro fst on wednesday thinking that would make it run a bit smoother in the cold... was ok on way to work.. but on way back was v cold! anyway... had to keep reving it at lights to stop it from stalling again, looked like smoke/steam was coming from under engine.. maybe a small hole in exaust, or maybe just the rain hitting it... got it home, have not started it till yesterday (saturday). took about 5 mins to get started... and then it wont rev beyond 3k revs.... choke on, or off. oil light is on, but i suspect that the sensor has got damp, as its sort of flickery. doesnt sound healthy... may just be the coldness, but dont wanna start it again until i can be sure the oil levels is right. cnt see in the wee window, sort of misty witht he cold.. any ideas? any manual way of checking the oil? I know.. im stupid, but dont want to make my duke sicker than it is... thanks v much, paul

27-11-2005, 11:26 AM	#7
nik_the_brief Guest Posts: n/a	This might sounds overly simple but... Have you been checking the oil level whilst your bike is on it's sidestand? If so you'll certainly not see any oil in the window! Just hold the bike upright and you should be able to see the level of the oil through the window despite the Monster mayonnaise. It can be quite awkward so get your mate/other half etc. to look while you hold your bike upright. (I usually sit astride mine to hold it upright then bend down to look but it's a bit uncomfortable). If you can't see it then the level is certainly too low, should (obviously) be between the max and min lines. As for the FST - sounds like you may not have used enough matey. 1% is okay when the weather is not too bad but mine needs a 2% mix (300 mil per full tank) when it's particularly cold and damp.

27-11-2005, 10:45 AM	#2
A Yerbury Guest Posts: n/a	try it now? milder today.

27-11-2005, 10:47 AM	#3
djkus Guest Posts: n/a	had a look in the window for oil level, cant see coz of condensation. ill give it a go in a few mins here when i go out. apart from stalling at lights and feeling a bit rough in the 1degree c weather it at least went.... didnt apear to yesterday... what oil should i get for it? ill maybe get some to top it up a little.. can do no harm i guess.

27-11-2005, 10:57 AM	#5
djkus Guest Posts: n/a	ok thanks for advice, halfords up the road from me, ill take a run up later to see what they have. oh, might seem like a silly question, but how would u know uve put enough oil in it ...before it starts to overflow? lol ive not done it yet, was serviced not long after i got it so this be the first for me.

27-11-2005, 11:21 AM	#6
djkus Guest Posts: n/a	ok, i went out there.. started bike in a couple of mins... got it going and left it running on low revs... just reving it so it didnt stall... after a few mins of that i was able to turn off choke and it sat idling on 1k revs as usual... was able to rev to 6k with no bother in garden there.. which it wasnt doing yesterday.. sounds normal too.. i guess the cold just got to it. was able to turn engine off and restart it first/second time. thing is.. oil light is still on.. i KNOW the sensors are crap.. mine usually doesnt work at all, doubtfull that the oil has somehow magically disapeared coz of the snow aint it. lol when refilling oil levels is there a way to check how much it needs before just pouring some in? id like to get some and put a little in.. that way i can ignore the dodgy oil light. going to wash bike now and get it ready for covering for a month or two till coldness goes away (wishfull thinking i know)