Popped my first cherry. FINISHED PHOTOS ADDED. - Page 3 - Ducati Monster Forums: Ducati Monster Motorcycle Forum

Norm · 03-22-2005, 08:50 AM

I wouldn't think so, but I really don't know. I don't think Ducati uses gaskets anymore, so your'e dealing with some kind of liquid gasket. Flip a coin.

Michael_Gannon · 03-22-2005, 09:07 AM

Yah, it doesn't really look like there is a gasket in there. I think it's the same grey gasket goo they used to seal the clutch and alternator covers on. You can see some of it seeping out of the seams in this photo. What started to make me worry is when I notices how easily the paint stripper cleaned up the goop that seeped out.

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Grey_Liquid_Gasket.JPG[/img]

So if I do decide to crack this open and reapply some kind of sealant before putting it all back together, what am I going to run in to? Am I going to have to deal with a lot of bearings and gears and stuff falling out or can the two pieces be separated pretty easily as individual units?

Norm · 03-22-2005, 08:53 PM

You can leave some of the internals in, but you're going to have to take most of it off. It's not overly difficult, but if you've never done anything like this before, it'll be pretty intimidating.

grubbywarrior · 03-22-2005, 11:16 PM

just make sure if you gasket match/port anything that the die-grinder burr is made for steel or aluminum. it's like a fine or coarse comparison with the coarse being for aluminum, if you use steel like I did on some car heads, they will load up really fast and get uggly even faster. also make sure to periodicaly dip the cutter in transmission fluid, this will help to cool/lubricate and to carry some of the shavings away.

if you want to get really technical you could coat the head/intake surfaces with blue layout dye and use a metal scribe to etch the outline of the gasket. Gotta be careful with how much material is removed, me & a buddy in highschool ported some old 350 chevy heads and put them on his truck and everything leaked :-\

aguy239 · 03-24-2005, 09:27 PM

Now that you've got the pistons off, be careful with the con-rods and the crankcase openings. Wrap a little protective cardboard, duc-tape, whatever, around the rods so that when they flick against the crankcases, they don't get nicked. There's probably little chance of this happening, but if it does, you're on your way to a broken con-rod (the nick is called a 'stress riser', and concentrates the stresses of the con-rod on that one little spot, like a perforation on paper).

Protect the case openings simply to prevent unwanted stuff falling in. I know this sounds dumb obvious, but you wouldn't believe how easy it is for grunge to find its way into these large openings. Since you're going to mask everything off, you probably thought of this already.

Good luck. It's fun to watch someone else doing this!

Aguy239 NYC

Speeddog · 03-24-2005, 10:03 PM

This advice is a DAMHIK thing, or maybe it's a 'Well, my friend did this..' thing:

Treat the oil rings with the utmost care. They are delicate creatures, I'm sure if you just stared at one hard enough it would break in half.

Before you put the jugs back on, buy, beg or borrow a proper piston ring compressor.
I'll try to track down the info on the one I got, it's a Blue Point brand, not very expensive, and I'll never need to buy another one unless I rebuild a big Peterbilt diesel..

I don't want to freak you out on it, but a broken oil ring really puts a damper on the reassembly, and it gets worse when you call every dealer you can think of west of Texas and nobody's got 'em in stock.

Michael_Gannon · 03-25-2005, 07:40 AM

Good idea about the piston ring compressor Nick. To think before I started this project I didn't even know what a piston ring was. Anyway I think maybe I can get one from AutoZone. They have a tool rental policy where you can put a deposit down on a lot of specialty tools and get a full refund when you bring it back. I borrowed a steering wheel puller from them to pull the alternator cover off. Worked great.

Augy, thanks for the heads up. I did tape the con-rods in place to keep them from flopping around. I actually sealed off the entire openings as well so crap wouldn't get in there. I'm stripping the paint off so I really didn't want any of that crap to get in there in the process.

Grubby, thanks for the advice on porting. Anyone know of some good info on doing this? I'd like to read more about it before I take on the project.

908SSP · 03-25-2005, 08:45 AM

Don't do any porting you are just as likely to make your engine run worse then better. Leave it alone. Cross your fingers that you ever get that motor running right again.

dan900sie · 03-25-2005, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 908SSP

Don't do any porting you are just as likely to make your engine run worse then better. Leave it alone. Cross your fingers that you ever get that motor running right again.

reality check [cheeky]

Michael_Gannon · 03-25-2005, 11:33 AM

Shit Alex, you're scaring me with that comment. I saw your bike at Grattan last year and I respect you as a knowledgeable ducati guy. Now your telling me that I'll be lucky to get my bike running right again. What have I got myself into?