If you still don't see it can you send me pics of your left hand engine cases so I can take a look, only had a couple responses but they seem sure it should be there.
OK, having checked with a guy who has an 01 748, he's verified his sight glas is on the left of the engine case, near the gearshifter pedal just like the 916 / 996 models. Could you take another look, they're easy to overlook, (just realised I didn't include it in my video, oops), you're looking for a little round oil sealed glass window just like the oil level one on the lower right, it's higher up and you'll see the edge of a silver disc which has two red dots, (rotate wheel/crank very slowly)
Thanks, ill check im not near the bike for a couple of days but ill check it and let you know soon as if still no luck ill show you pics! thanks heaps for your help by the way
Hey Spidiq8, thanks for this all. still I have a kind of crucial question at this point. unfortunatly my mark on the belt didn't hold. fortunatly you told in the video that it is 39 teeth from the first so that really helped me there, but you also said something about a walk through which would show exactly how many teeth. allthough not really necessairy i would still like to check that with my final teeth counts. But where can I find this walk through??? thanks !!!
It's awkward isn't it. I've got the holding tool so it's ready for next change, shame I didn't have it in time for this one, but I had to return the tension tool ASAP so couldn't wait. Interesting to know that it is manageable though, I found that getting the top 2 in line first then the lower pulley was easier than the lower one first. I certainly say, splash out on the holding tool, it's worth it for the skinned knuckles and language and cursing saved, :) Glad you found the video useful
If it's the same as the 916, (i was under the impression that the 748/916/996 were all the same engine case design wise), the sight glass is on the left hand side of the engine, looks like the oil filler level glass on the right hand side. and inside you'll see the rim of the crank and the dots as you rotate the rear wheel, (or crank by the turning tool), let me know if it's definitely not there and i'll ask a couple of the 748 riders for what to do.
Hi there, spidiq8 found the videos very helpful (thanks) however ive got a 2001 748 and ive bought the belts tension tool and cam locking tool etc im ready to do the change! but ive do not have a sight class for finding the TDC (or am i missing something) or is this just the case with 748,s help how do i find TDC!
Dan Alex The key word here is IF ;) one of the cylinders is under tension and one of the cams will move unless locked in place. The dots are essentially a redundancy safety measure, not strictly essential but extra peace of mind for you when doing this
thanks for the help videos, i am about to change my belts, can you confirm that you did the tension on the vertical cylinder with the timing at top of exhaust cycle not top of firing cycle, i want to be sure i understand the mechanics. Thanks!
mytube1743 Yes that's correct, TDC on the exhaust stroke so that both valves are closed and there's no rotational tension on one specific cam sprocket. At TDC the exhaust valve has just closed and the inlet is not yet open. You'll see in the video I use a long scfewdriver in the plug hole to double check TDC too.
thanks! pretty cool that people are learning for 5 years already, AND that you are still responding. Correct me if I'm wrong, then the vertical cylinder is at exhaust TDC, and the horizontal was measured at firing TDC, thanks again!
mytube1743 To be honest it doesn't matter too much AS LONG AS each cylinder in turn have the valves closed. With the front cylinder at TDC one of the cam lobes on the rear is opening a valve hence turning that one after tensioning the other, if either of the cam sprockets is under tension it can give a false reading on your tension tool and more so if you use the 'by hand' alternative methods as it's not just the flex in the belt you're measuring but the pull on the sprocket trying to ride off the high spot, you'll note in the earlier videos as soon as you've set TDC and take off the rear belt the sprocket spins, this is why the alignment marks and teeth marks on the belt help though you can get a holder for that to stop it moving. So in essence, TDC at either as long as both valves are closed. Apologies if that caused any confusion for you. I'm glad this has been such a useful video series as I know how nerve wracking it is when doing it for the first time yourself.
The walkthrough is listed in the description below the video, you may need to expnd it downward to see the URL. I'd put it in here but youtube won't allow URL's in the reply boxes. It is a PDF explaining step by step what I explain in the video series but handy to have printed and with you as you do the job. I'm sure you'll be fine, most important thing is do a couple of complete test rotations using the wheel before firing it up, any problems and you'll know before you start it.
That was my battle i thought the same its up along the left side near the clutch slave on your 916 and i thought all these bikes are pretty much generic to a degree! not the case for this :-( i know 2001 748,s changed abit in this year some having straight cams and others have a slightly angled 1,s mine is the striaght cam version same as yours id say! If you could throw out the question that what be great as i dont know any 748 riders most appreciated anyway thanks
For the early desmo and 2 valve models it was every 12k miles (or 2 years if you didn't do much mileage and it spent long periods stationary). However, the new OEM belts are kevlar reinforced and Ducati say it doubles the replacement lifespan. Please bear in mind this does not apply to pattern parts, I'd recommend OEM for any high performance engine, especially one like this which has sharp bends and short runs like between the camshaft sprocket.
I used genuine Ducati belts from the main dealer, not that expensive and certainly not much more than many aftermarket ones, for something this critical I'd recommend sticking with OEM. I'm sure many others have used other belts successfully though, Google search the brand for reviews
Gates belts serial number Part No. 5192XS Powergrip. I do not believe that Ducati ask Gates to make a standalone belt for their sole use, £38 for two compares to £106 from dealer. I think there is a lot of folklore with Ducati's.
Hamid Naweed I show a variety of methods for tensioning better and easier explained if you just watch the video which is the reason for posting, saves, a whole lot of writing and trying to imagine the methods
Дмитрий Коржев Hi, the belt tension and methods to check it are described in video 4, I used a borrowed Facom tensioning tool but there are a few methods.
Hi spidiq8 thanks for your Vids ...great! You used the Facom Tool DM 16 for checking the Belt. Now my Question: Can I use this Tool for my Ducati 1098 SF ? and There are 6 interchangeable fittings,which one , i have to use? you used Number 4 , because you have that thickness gauge ! do you have an List of that diffrent Ducati Belts , that corresponds with these Fittings 1 -to- 6? This Type of Belt is mounted -->> 73740251A - Ducati Toothed Belt Thanks in advance Tom
Yes you can. Regardless of the engine this is a universal timing belt tension tool. In theory, what you do is use the thickness gauge and determine the button to use from the number that the belt thickness corresponds to, most likely it will be a number 5 on the gauge which this one is. The reason this unit was used with a No4 button is that in a comparison with an official ducati tension tool, this corresponded most closely, with the No5 button and tensioning to the top of the top groove left the belt slightly tight, to be fair theres not much in it and you likely won't damage anythng, I suspect half the reason is that unlike a car theres only short strips of belt to fit the tool too rather than the long ones on a car. So, hoping that hasn't confused you, you use the No4 button and set tension to the BOTTOM of the TOP groove, not the TOP of that groove. There are also the 90 degree twist method and the Allen key method. As long as you're not too loose the belt will slip and not too tight theres no give you'll be OK, slightly loose is preferable if in doubt as too tight will destroy the pulley bearings more quickly. I don't have a list of the belts and settings unfortunately but suspect it will be very close to the Desmoquattro engine, the Testastretta in the 998 and the 999 / 749 is about the same tension wise. The tool wasn't mine but was borrowed so I can't even reference the gauge thickness for you. If in any doubt at all, set everything using the best method you have, 90 degree / allen key / tension tool then leaving as much off as possible ride the bike steadily to your dealer to have them double check and adjust if necessary the tension, that way you get the peace of mind and save a lot of costs by doing the bulk of it yourself. You might check on the Ducatiupnorth forum linked on these video's, lots of knowledgeable and helpful friendly folks on there. Hope this helps, good luck and if you can video it and post up so I can take a look, i'd love to see how similar the procedure is.
Thanks, I just did an equal amount of swearing getting the vertical belt on! I ended up getting an extra pair of hands but I'm surely ordering the cam tool for the next time :-)
Well at least there someone who knows whats going on here. Id proably fuck it up an have a 996in the garage with a box of all loose nuts and shit. Good vids
I'm beginning to see the light ! I think !! I'm a somewhat new Duc 749 owner, and totally mechanical illiterate so, as i don't trust indys and stealerships, i'm in deep sh...let me rephrase that...in deep need of understanting these damn things :))
Dan Alex Haha. When you realise, provided you have a degree of mechanical capability, how much time and labour costs you can save it's very worthwhile. There was a huge stigma that rose up around changing the belts on these and I remember people for some years using this as an argument for ongoing costs if you purchased one. Realistically people have been changing them on cars for years so what's different? easier than some cars where you have to remove engine mounts and hardware and no more technical than dual (or more) belts on performance cars either. Mainly, remember to double check everything, renew anything you think should be, (rollers, locknuts, tensioners etc) and take it steady for the first 50 miles or so after until you're happy it's alright.
The tension tool is brilliant, so much easier than the microphone way
thanks buddy for this vid. Thanks to it I just changed the belts of my 2001 S4, less than one hour for the whole thing. cheers ! JS
You're welcome, glad to help
Thanks very much ,just changed my 996 belts,spot on mate.
If you still don't see it can you send me pics of your left hand engine cases so I can take a look, only had a couple responses but they seem sure it should be there.
OK, having checked with a guy who has an 01 748, he's verified his sight glas is on the left of the engine case, near the gearshifter pedal just like the 916 / 996 models.
Could you take another look, they're easy to overlook, (just realised I didn't include it in my video, oops), you're looking for a little round oil sealed glass window just like the oil level one on the lower right, it's higher up and you'll see the edge of a silver disc which has two red dots, (rotate wheel/crank very slowly)
Thanks, ill check im not near the bike for a couple of days but ill check it and let you know soon as if still no luck ill show you pics! thanks heaps for your help by the way
hi again got the pic of the left side of the bike at long last but dont know how to attach the pic to msg????
Hey Spidiq8, thanks for this all. still I have a kind of crucial question at this point.
unfortunatly my mark on the belt didn't hold. fortunatly you told in the video that it is 39 teeth from the first so that really helped me there, but you also said something about a walk through which would show exactly how many teeth. allthough not really necessairy i would still like to check that with my final teeth counts.
But where can I find this walk through???
thanks !!!
It's awkward isn't it.
I've got the holding tool so it's ready for next change, shame I didn't have it in time for this one, but I had to return the tension tool ASAP so couldn't wait.
Interesting to know that it is manageable though, I found that getting the top 2 in line first then the lower pulley was easier than the lower one first.
I certainly say, splash out on the holding tool, it's worth it for the skinned knuckles and language and cursing saved, :)
Glad you found the video useful
If it's the same as the 916, (i was under the impression that the 748/916/996 were all the same engine case design wise), the sight glass is on the left hand side of the engine, looks like the oil filler level glass on the right hand side. and inside you'll see the rim of the crank and the dots as you rotate the rear wheel, (or crank by the turning tool), let me know if it's definitely not there and i'll ask a couple of the 748 riders for what to do.
Hi there, spidiq8 found the videos very helpful (thanks) however ive got a 2001 748 and ive bought the belts tension tool and cam locking tool etc im ready to do the change! but ive do not have a sight class for finding the TDC (or am i missing something) or is this just the case with 748,s help how do i find TDC!
If the cams do not move, or are kept in place, what's the point of transfering the dots from the old belts to the new ones?
Dan Alex The key word here is IF ;)
one of the cylinders is under tension and one of the cams will move unless locked in place.
The dots are essentially a redundancy safety measure, not strictly essential but extra peace of mind for you when doing this
thanks for the help videos, i am about to change my belts, can you confirm that you did the tension on the vertical cylinder with the timing at top of exhaust cycle not top of firing cycle, i want to be sure i understand the mechanics. Thanks!
mytube1743 Yes that's correct, TDC on the exhaust stroke so that both valves are closed and there's no rotational tension on one specific cam sprocket. At TDC the exhaust valve has just closed and the inlet is not yet open. You'll see in the video I use a long scfewdriver in the plug hole to double check TDC too.
thanks! pretty cool that people are learning for 5 years already, AND that you are still responding. Correct me if I'm wrong, then the vertical cylinder is at exhaust TDC, and the horizontal was measured at firing TDC, thanks again!
mytube1743 To be honest it doesn't matter too much AS LONG AS each cylinder in turn have the valves closed. With the front cylinder at TDC one of the cam lobes on the rear is opening a valve hence turning that one after tensioning the other, if either of the cam sprockets is under tension it can give a false reading on your tension tool and more so if you use the 'by hand' alternative methods as it's not just the flex in the belt you're measuring but the pull on the sprocket trying to ride off the high spot, you'll note in the earlier videos as soon as you've set TDC and take off the rear belt the sprocket spins, this is why the alignment marks and teeth marks on the belt help though you can get a holder for that to stop it moving. So in essence, TDC at either as long as both valves are closed. Apologies if that caused any confusion for you.
I'm glad this has been such a useful video series as I know how nerve wracking it is when doing it for the first time yourself.
perfect! Thanks again , and great Bike!
mytube1743 You're welcome, yell if you need anything further and God luck with it all.
The walkthrough is listed in the description below the video, you may need to expnd it downward to see the URL.
I'd put it in here but youtube won't allow URL's in the reply boxes.
It is a PDF explaining step by step what I explain in the video series but handy to have printed and with you as you do the job.
I'm sure you'll be fine, most important thing is do a couple of complete test rotations using the wheel before firing it up, any problems and you'll know before you start it.
That was my battle i thought the same its up along the left side near the clutch slave on your 916 and i thought all these bikes are pretty much generic to a degree! not the case for this :-( i know 2001 748,s changed abit in this year some having straight cams and others have a slightly angled 1,s mine is the striaght cam version same as yours id say! If you could throw out the question that what be great as i dont know any 748 riders most appreciated anyway thanks
10nx spidiq8, couple of more videos and i'll be ready to take the plunge !! (Rocky theme in the background please)
How often do the belts need replacement?
For the early desmo and 2 valve models it was every 12k miles (or 2 years if you didn't do much mileage and it spent long periods stationary). However, the new OEM belts are kevlar reinforced and Ducati say it doubles the replacement lifespan. Please bear in mind this does not apply to pattern parts, I'd recommend OEM for any high performance engine, especially one like this which has sharp bends and short runs like between the camshaft sprocket.
Can you tell me which brand of timing belt you used? What do you thing about Dayco timing belt?
I used genuine Ducati belts from the main dealer, not that expensive and certainly not much more than many aftermarket ones, for something this critical I'd recommend sticking with OEM.
I'm sure many others have used other belts successfully though, Google search the brand for reviews
Gates belts serial number Part No. 5192XS Powergrip. I do not believe that Ducati ask Gates to make a standalone belt for their sole use, £38 for two compares to £106 from dealer. I think there is a lot of folklore with Ducati's.
I haven't watched the video yet, but are you doing this with out a Hz meter?
Hamid Naweed I show a variety of methods for tensioning better and easier explained if you just watch the video which is the reason for posting, saves, a whole lot of writing and trying to imagine the methods
Какое должно быть натяжение ремня ?
Дмитрий Коржев Hi, the belt tension and methods to check it are described in video 4, I used a borrowed Facom tensioning tool but there are a few methods.
Hi spidiq8
thanks for your Vids ...great!
You used the Facom Tool DM 16 for checking the Belt.
Now my Question:
Can I use this Tool for my Ducati 1098 SF ?
and There are 6 interchangeable fittings,which one , i have to use?
you used Number 4 , because you have that thickness gauge !
do you have an List of that diffrent Ducati Belts , that corresponds with these Fittings 1 -to- 6?
This Type of Belt is mounted -->> 73740251A - Ducati Toothed Belt
Thanks in advance Tom
Yes you can.
Regardless of the engine this is a universal timing belt tension tool.
In theory, what you do is use the thickness gauge and determine the button to use from the number that the belt thickness corresponds to, most likely it will be a number 5 on the gauge which this one is.
The reason this unit was used with a No4 button is that in a comparison with an official ducati tension tool, this corresponded most closely, with the No5 button and tensioning to the top of the top groove left the belt slightly tight, to be fair theres not much in it and you likely won't damage anythng, I suspect half the reason is that unlike a car theres only short strips of belt to fit the tool too rather than the long ones on a car.
So, hoping that hasn't confused you, you use the No4 button and set tension to the BOTTOM of the TOP groove, not the TOP of that groove.
There are also the 90 degree twist method and the Allen key method.
As long as you're not too loose the belt will slip and not too tight theres no give you'll be OK, slightly loose is preferable if in doubt as too tight will destroy the pulley bearings more quickly.
I don't have a list of the belts and settings unfortunately but suspect it will be very close to the Desmoquattro engine, the Testastretta in the 998 and the 999 / 749 is about the same tension wise.
The tool wasn't mine but was borrowed so I can't even reference the gauge thickness for you.
If in any doubt at all, set everything using the best method you have, 90 degree / allen key / tension tool then leaving as much off as possible ride the bike steadily to your dealer to have them double check and adjust if necessary the tension, that way you get the peace of mind and save a lot of costs by doing the bulk of it yourself.
You might check on the Ducatiupnorth forum linked on these video's, lots of knowledgeable and helpful friendly folks on there.
Hope this helps, good luck and if you can video it and post up so I can take a look, i'd love to see how similar the procedure is.
Thanks, I just did an equal amount of swearing getting the vertical belt on! I ended up getting an extra pair of hands but I'm surely ordering the cam tool for the next time :-)
great video, thanks
Dave B You're welcome, hope it was useful.
great vids man..save some money
Well at least there someone who knows whats going on here. Id proably fuck it up an have a 996in the garage with a box of all loose nuts and shit.
Good vids
I'm beginning to see the light ! I think !! I'm a somewhat new Duc 749 owner, and totally mechanical illiterate so, as i don't trust indys and stealerships, i'm in deep sh...let me rephrase that...in deep need of understanting these damn things :))
Dan Alex Haha. When you realise, provided you have a degree of mechanical capability, how much time and labour costs you can save it's very worthwhile. There was a huge stigma that rose up around changing the belts on these and I remember people for some years using this as an argument for ongoing costs if you purchased one.
Realistically people have been changing them on cars for years so what's different? easier than some cars where you have to remove engine mounts and hardware and no more technical than dual (or more) belts on performance cars either.
Mainly, remember to double check everything, renew anything you think should be, (rollers, locknuts, tensioners etc) and take it steady for the first 50 miles or so after until you're happy it's alright.
いいなぁホモロゲフレーム。
Lol don’t get the belt dirty...puts belt on the ground 😂
The 'clean' concrete slab ground? I was referring to grease and oils and contaminants. ;)