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I just picked up a '98 916, and while the belts and valves were done 3,000 miles ago, that was 2-3 years ago. I've read that the belts should be done every two years, so I would like to have them done.
My plan was to purchase a set of Bucci belts, new wavy washer and lock nut, ensure the engine has cooled down overnight, and follow this DIY procedure until step 19:
http://www.ducati-upnorth.com/tech/916belts.php
To properly set the tension of the belts, I was going to tune them to 110Hz (within 5Hz) as per this writeup:
http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=35050
A few things:
1) When I read about the "twist" and "fish hanger" methods of tensioning the belts, I said no, too much room for error, I'm taking it to a shop. The frequency method seems to eliminate the slush. Has this method proven to be tried and true? Have people gone several services with this method, no problem?
2) Neither of these two methods mention exotic tools. With the belts "cleverly" marked with Tip-Ex, do I need to worry about holding the cams in place as long as I line all the marks up properly? Apart from the laptop/mic tension bit, it seems like everything can be done with a set of sockets, crescents, and a torque wrench, yes?
3) I'm a fair wrench, but I've never opened a Ducati engine. If, at any point, I think "Oh shit...I don't want to touch this," I will simply walk the bike into my van and take it to a shop. That said, can anyone point out any "gotchas" they ran into when doing this service themselves?
Any help would be appreciated. I want this bike to go forever.
My plan was to purchase a set of Bucci belts, new wavy washer and lock nut, ensure the engine has cooled down overnight, and follow this DIY procedure until step 19:
http://www.ducati-upnorth.com/tech/916belts.php
To properly set the tension of the belts, I was going to tune them to 110Hz (within 5Hz) as per this writeup:
http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=35050
A few things:
1) When I read about the "twist" and "fish hanger" methods of tensioning the belts, I said no, too much room for error, I'm taking it to a shop. The frequency method seems to eliminate the slush. Has this method proven to be tried and true? Have people gone several services with this method, no problem?
2) Neither of these two methods mention exotic tools. With the belts "cleverly" marked with Tip-Ex, do I need to worry about holding the cams in place as long as I line all the marks up properly? Apart from the laptop/mic tension bit, it seems like everything can be done with a set of sockets, crescents, and a torque wrench, yes?
3) I'm a fair wrench, but I've never opened a Ducati engine. If, at any point, I think "Oh shit...I don't want to touch this," I will simply walk the bike into my van and take it to a shop. That said, can anyone point out any "gotchas" they ran into when doing this service themselves?
Any help would be appreciated. I want this bike to go forever.