Slow Monster rebuild

[Luddite]

Have a look at this Mahle video, particularly the home-made installation tool at 4:40, which I'm sure you could knock up on your lathe in no time...

https://youtu.be/3kdhGBCpuxM

[350TSS]

Thanks Luddite, I think I will give that a go. I love stuff like that.
The problem really I think is very restricted access, even with the piston at TDC the centre of the gudgeon pin is only 40 to 50mm above the mouth of the crankcase. I need snipe nose pliers to get one end of the circlip to engage in the nib in the piston and to hold it there, then you need another tool to chase the remainder of the circlip around its circumference, all the while trying to stop the rings bashing against the studs.

[350TSS]

As I am waiting for various parts (particularly the green seals that fit on the crankcase beneath the barrels), I thought I would try to make progress by fitting the 4 x valve covers and the 2 x cam bearing caps to the cylinder heads.

From new, the valve covers were fitted using some grey silicone material and it is an absolute bugger to get off. It seems to be too elastic to scrape off and the only chemical that had any effect was acetone which also affects the powder coating that I am trying to preserve on the outer surface of the valve caps. Eventually, I got 8 nice clean mating surfaces.

The valve cover gaskets that came in the top end set are thin aluminium, coated with a dark grey rubbery material, and perhaps foolishly, I decided to fit them without gasket cement.

I was just about to fit the cam bearing caps when I discovered one of the cam bearings had managed to get some corrosion in it. They had been stored, carefully wrapped in bubble wrap, inside a sealed plastic box. Bugger!!!! Lesson, thorougly lube bearings before you store them.

I will need a blind bearing puller to get the offending bearing out. Looking on fleabay all the reasonably priced (read cheap c £30) ones work on the principle of a slide hammer which, if I am to preserve the powder coaring on the outer surface, will not work for me. I will need a bridge type puller so that the outer surface is not subjected to the vice and shock loadings.

Some of the reasonably priced puller sets (c£80) include a bridge type puller but they all have a fixed span for the bridge and rely on the legs pivoting at the ends of the bridge. I am sceptical that these will work as any misalignment will cause the bridge to collapse when any pressure is exerted.

To cut a long story short, I will very shortly be the proud owner of (for me) an expensive blind bearing puller set (all for the sake of a few squirts of oil before storing the cam bearing caps).

[utopia]

A minor point but I have always fitted those rubber coated valve cover gaskets dry and have never had a problem.
I believe mine are the original gaskets, they never had any sealant on them from new as far as I know and the bike has done nearly 30k miles on them.
I've probably had them off half a dozen times or so and although I bought a new set when I first got the bike, they remain unused in their packets cos the old ones have been fine.

I did have a ponder on your camshaft shim issue and although like you I couldn't see the need for them, I would be very sceptical that Ducati have fitted unnecessary parts and would advise treading very carefully there .. particularly since they supply the shims in two different thicknesses.
The only explanation that makes any sense to me (but still not much) is that it could be a hang-over from the original bevel drive cam arrangement.
But anyway, your plan to determine which went where seems reasonably sound.

[350TSS]

Started today by making the gudgeon pin circlip assist tool. I used 20 mm aluminium bar machined down to 11.0mm to go into the pin for 50mm, then machined to 15mm for 25mm. The circlip guide is an 8mm SS socket grub screw. I made the handle long enough to be able to use it when the engine is in the frame and both cases, clutch and alternator are still attached. A piece of 6mm mild steel forms the Tee handle with the ends heated and flattened to make it captive.

[350TSS]

I haven't used the above tool yet as I am still waiting for parts and want to put the piston back when I have all the bits.
To assist with piston replacement I bought one of these sets, could probably have used a large jubilee clip and a strip of 1mm polypropylene, but I have got my 750SS and a 3.5 Moto Morini to do next so the set will not be wasted. The gripper pliers have a clever ratchet arrangement so both hands can be manipulating the barrel.

[350TSS]

The next job I tackled was preparing the clutch case ready to be put back on. I am still awaiting the rubber seals that sit between the oil pump and the crankcase and once these arrive the case can be buttoned up.

I needed to replace the oil level window which suffered a bit duing the powder coating. I left it in as I knew I was going to replace it. A couple of taps with a nylon faced mallet and it came out relatively easily, although the housing inside the clutch case needed a fair bit of cleaning.

The other job was to replace the crankshaft oil seal which takes the oil from the pressure switch and ensures it is is directed through the RH crankshaft to the big ends. The rubber (nitrile) had gone completely hard and it disintegrated when I touched it.
wallpaper legend of the seeker


Getting the metal backing of the seal out of the recess it fits into was a right palaver and took a good couple of hours. I had to be careful attacking it as there is a bronze crankshaft support bush right behind the seal in the clutch case. I tried my seal removal tool but could not get any purchase between the seal and the bronze bush. Electrical screwdrivers used as chisels were driven between the aluminium casting and the metal backing to the seal. I was really conscious that if the housing leaked then big end oil pressure would be reduced. I then tried my smallest chisel which achieved nothing. Finally, I resorted to a rotary file in a dremel to wear through the outer skin, without distressing the cast housing. Eventually, my seal removal tool was tried again and out it came, the housing suffered only very slightly, a light dressing with a scothbrite pad and a smear of three bond on the outside of the new seal should ensure that the seal performs as intended.



Finally a picture of my cylinder heads for no other reason than I think they look nice.

[utopia]

Personally, although it might be ok as it is, I think I'd be inclined to remove the thread from the protruding section of the grub screw.
Should be easy enough to do, either in a drilled and tapped plug in the lathe or just with a file off an allen key held in the vice, perhaps.

[Luddite]

Nice work fabricating the circlip tool so quickly, Richard. Look forward to hearing how it performs.

And, yes, your cylinder heads do look good - they'd make a nice pair of bookends to keep all my Motocourse annuals upright!

[350TSS]

Utopia: the extent of protrusion of the grub screw might affect whether or not the tool actually works so is subject to a bit of trial and error (read in and out adjustment). I seriously considered trying to make the protrusion revolve so the circlip will glide into place rather than be forced into place, but that was just too difficult to do and the protrusion height can only be about 1mm to 1.5mm anyway and the base is curved. In the end, I settled on a SS grub screw as it is probably harder than the spring steel of the circlip and even thought that the existence of the thread might assist retention of the circlip in front of the protrusion, provided I screw the circlip in the right way.
Luddite : Thanks - I hope the heads will be more mobile than book ends in the reasonably forseeable future

[350TSS]

Whilst I am waiting bits I cannot get on with the big stuff so it was messingabout with bits and bobs. I took the horizontal piston off and decoked the crown and the ring lands.
Whilst both pistons are off I took the opportunity to clean the crankcase barrel mating surfaces.
The old gasket goo here was like an orange baked on varnish and quite difficult to remove, particularly around the studs. I would quite like not to use any gasket goo on the cylinder base when I reassemble - what have others used when reassembling the barrels to the crankcase?

The alternator case gasket face on the crankcase was covered in that light grey silicone gasket cement whch I got of wth a combination of a blunt screwdriver, WD40 and a 25mm square cut from a scotchbrite pad.

I also ran a 6mm plug tap down all the tapped holes for the alternator and clutch casings as all the cap screws that came out were heavily corroded (4 years of commuting in all weathers and cleaned once a year whether it needed it or not).

I also fitted a new oil sight glass to the clutch case and installed new release bearing to the clutch centre plate.

So progress but not what you would call satisfying progress.

[Dukedesmo]

Originally Posted by 350TSS

what have others used when reassembling the barrels to the crankcase?

Threebond - works great and easy to remove if required. Use it in place of most gaskets, including side covers and even crankcase halves.

[350TSS]

Thanks Dukedesmo

[350TSS]

Recieved my blind bearing puller set late this afternoon, tomorrow is ferrying No 1 son back to university and hopefully my Moto Rapido order arrives Wednesday so I can then get the engine put together.
miki vocaloid
Worryingly, I cannot put my hands on the flywheel or the sprag clutch and associated big gear or the clutch centre and nut, I have just not come across them when rummaging for other parts recently. They are undoubtedly safely stashed somewhere, I just do not know exactly where right now.

[350TSS]

Managed to get back from delivering my son to uni in time to try out my blind bearing puller - what a brilliant bit of kit, both cam bearings were out inside 20 minutes with no dramas whatsoever.

huey freeman wallpaper

A few problems then showed their face:
1. Ducati do not sell the bearings separately only with the caps at c £18 each.
2. My existing bearing caps have been powder coated and I do not want to lose the look.
3 The old bearings have no discernable electrically etched markings on them.
4 Simply Bearings can supply the same size bearings ID 15mm x 35mm OD x 11mm width but only in C3 designation ( This is probably OK as C3 has a looser tolerance on the track and is for use in environments of heat and high revolutions - being at the top of the cylinder head means that C3 is almost certainly the right sort of bearing to use).
5 The SB offer (c£9 the pair) is for a nitrile sealed bearing both sides of the track, the original bearings have a seal only on the camshaft side presumably to keep an oil bath in the cap to lubricate the bearing.
6 The machining within the cap to hold the bearing is 10.25mm deep, the bearing is 11mm deep, the old bearings were only in about 6mm, although this might have had something to do with the bearings being left in during the powder coating process. So how far do I push the new bearings in?

After a bit of pondering, I bought the SB offering and I will remove the extra oil seal on the blind side of the bearing before putting them back and I will press them into their machined space until the outer track "bottoms"
That leaves me with one more issue - how to press the new bearings in without damaging the quite fragile powder coating on the outside of the cap?????