Removing the left hand engine cover from a Ducati Desmodue 600ss

[McJim]

Any assistance into this black art would be greatly appreciated.

I have a slight oil leak problem where the sealant/gasket has popped out of place and I would like to remedy the situatiom. I have bought some sealant appropriate for the job. So far so good. I warmed the engine up, switched the engine off and drained the oil. I took all the gubbins off the outside (gear shifter etc,) and undid all of the bolts.

I thought (rather naively as it turns out) that the engine casing, relieved of all it's bolts would come off the side of the engine. No such luck. I tried for about an hour and couldn't get the bastard to shift. So, what am I missing here?

How do I get this cover off the left hand side of the engine just so I can clean it, put sealant on it and put it back on?

Cheers in advance.

[erik]

You might need to tap it with a rubber mallet or block of wood in the direction you want it to move?
It might have locating pins/tubes so don't expect it to move along the plane of the join.
What type of sealant have you got? I've tried to fix a broken gasket with one of those non-curing gasket sealers in the past and ended up with a puddle of oil on the floor when I started the engine. Silicone might work though. In my case I think there was actually a missing piece of gasket though. If it's just a tear, you might be ok.

www.bkperformance.com.au might be worth a try for a new gasket, I didn't have much luck searching his site for 600ss gaskets, but you could try emailing him. I've bought gaskets off him in the past.

[johan]

There's a tool for removing the alternator cover, like this:
http://www.corsair-industries.com/pa...emoval%20Tool/

I'd imagine it's not too hard to build one yourself.

[McJim]

There's a tool for removing the alternator cover, like this:
http://www.corsair-industries.com/pa...emoval%20Tool/

I'd imagine it's not too hard to build one yourself.

I think I'll do that. Just need to get myself a wee lump of aluminium and I'll be away : cheers.

[hospitalfood]

with all due respect McJim, im not at all surprised that it leaks after all this time in your hands, treating it like a cheap ( but sexy ) whore, handfull after handfull.

have you considered det cord ? or just straight old TNT ?
if it does not work quite right you could treat yourself to a new one after creative insurance work has paid out.

[FJRider]

Try a bigger hammer...???

[xwhatsit]

Tap around the edge lightly with a rubber mallet. Otherwise, it's not the alternator magnets holding it on? Mine was hard to remove because of that, but it did move a centimeter out or so before it became a prick. Unless the Itis are dodgy pricks and have swapped the alternator and clutch from their god-given positions.

[motorbyclist]

hit it with a (soft) hammer

either that or unbolt the right hand cover, remove whatever lives behind that on these machines, split crankcase, free big ends, pull out crankshaft, reach through and push the left hand cover off

[no-coast-punk]

What's happening is that the dowell pins that locate the cover on the case are made from steel. The cover is made from aluminum. The Al cover expands/contracts much more than the steel. At room temp the pins are too big and the holes in the case cover are too small.

Get a blowtorch on a low setting. Heat the cover to ~120C while taking care to heat the case as little as possible. Tap repeatedly with a rubber mallet to vibrate the case off the dowels. Should pop free if you're persistant enough.

[motorbyclist]

then how did they get the thing on? surely not with heat

[McJim]

Well I've managed to get a piece of metal made that is the rough equivlent of the think in johan's linky : now I can't get the bolts off of the little crank cover to fit it. They are flat head screws rather than allen key or hex bolts. I need a bigger screwdriver.

Bugger.

[FJRider]

Well I've managed to get a piece of metal made that is the rough equivlent of the think in johan's linky : now I can't get the bolts off of the little crank cover to fit it. They are flat head screws rather than allen key or hex bolts. I need a bigger screwdriver.

Bugger.

An impact driver may have more success on screws that haven't come off for a while...

[Squiggles]

An impact driver may have more success on screws that haven't come off for a while...

Hammer time...

[johan]

Maybe you already know about this site... Desmotimes... they have most of the tools a DIY Ducati owner will ever need for a reasonable price.

I've used them, the guy running the shop is very good.

http://www.desmotimes.com/

Left Side Engine Cover Puller - $25.00