[Ducati] Removing Crankshaft

[Dave Weaver]

I'm pretty sure you should have some preload on the main bearings. I 
know that's how we set up the race engines and it's also how the shop 
manual says to set up the stock ones too. As it was explained to me the 
preload stops the crank from being too loose after the cases have heated 
up and expanded.  Honestly, properly shimming the crank is something you 
won't easily be able to do yourself  simply due to not having the proper 
tools and shims. It's not that it's a hard thing to do it just requires 
some stuff the average shop doesn't have. If there is a shop near by 
that does Ducati engines it would be easiest and fastest to just pay 
them to do it. If not I'm sure we can walk you through it.

DaveW 



Rich Roberts wrote:
> In its most basic form end play is the amount of side to side looseness in crank as it is held in place by the main crank bearings which are thrust bearings, you need a little end play, too little and crank is tight in the bearings as those bearings have all their looseness taken up by the tightness of two halves of cases. Shims is how you get the right amount of looseness. If you do not know how this is done you do not have a shop manual. I am sure I have my old shop manual around here somewhere, perhaps someone could scan and email the appropriate pages. i would not split cases without at least some good working knowledge of how to set crank endplay. To do so is kind of missing something good you can do while cases are apart. Haynes I do not think is as good a substitute for factory shop manual which actually is pretty good. Sure they waste paper in 4 languages or something. Rich
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