Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Rocker wear

[nathanhu]

so lets have a sweep stake one how many rockers i need!!!!!!!!

[TP]

Originally posted by TP
W reg 996, 8 rockers replaced and one cam lobe polished!

Youch!



T'is with Nelly right now so hopefully won't need anymore ...

Nelly did the 12,000 mile service and it didn't need any rockers replacing.



I always warm the engine before riding, not just for 90 seconds or whatever but until the temp guage comes up. No load on the engine until then - 15W50 Shell Advance. Also recommended by Neil Spalding.

[Monty]

6000 miles on my 996-which Fordie now has and needed 2 rockers at 18500 miles, 6000 mile oil changes using Shell Advance.
22,000 miles so far on my ST4S (same engine)-no rockers-yet. 6000 mile oil changes, Shell Advance, always warm the engine up before riding for about 2 minutes-basically enough time to-remove glasses, put earplugs in, put helmet on, put glasses back on, put gloves on-works for me.........

John

[Walenut]

I think it is not only the oil, how you warm the bike up, bad batch of rockers etc but also the type of journeys made. It would be interesting to also ask what was the main use for the bike short blasts or long ride outs, and why are 888's impervious to rocker wear?

[Nigel C]

I don't care what anyone says about these sort of things but a bottle is going in my engine at the next oil change :P

http://www.zx1store.co.uk/departments.cfm?id=1

[moto748]

Originally posted by Walenut
I think it is not only the oil, how you warm the bike up, bad batch of rockers etc but also the type of journeys made. It would be interesting to also ask what was the main use for the bike short blasts or long ride outs, and why are 888's impervious to rocker wear?

I think Walenut makes a valid point here. Although statistically I'm in the "had rockers fail" camp, I think one rocker in 40000 miles is pretty acceptable! Especially compared to some other posters' experience..
Rightly or wrongly, I've always felt that it's largely because my bike is used (almost) every day, whereas I guess many Ducatis go weeks, or even months without being started, especially in the winter. Surely this ties in with the "oil maintaining a film on the rockers from the last use" theory?

[Shazaam!]

I think that it’s important to differentiate here between flaking and wear.


Premature wear (perhaps accelerated by the inherent 90-second lubrication delay during startup) likely due to inadequate chrome thickness. 888 and first production run 916 rockers didn’t exhibit this problem. Note that no chrome flaking has occurred on these rockers.


Damage to the chrome plating probably caused by an error in setting the valve lash clearance too tight resulting in an interference with the cam lobe. No wear.


Here, flaking of the chrome finish at the rocker’s edge probably caused by a manufacturing process defect. For the ‘96 model year Ducati shifted to a new outside supplier and flaking issues began. Note that no wear is evident adjacent to this area indicating adequate lubrication.

[Edited on 4-17-2005 by Shazaam!]

[Walenut]

But if the early rockers supplied by the original manufacturer didn’t display any problems, why didn’t Ducati move back to this manufacture or at least specify there manufacturing process when the problem became apparent, why are we still seeing rocker failure.
Would you think that it was common for bikes to come out of production with incorrectly set up rockers?

[Walenut]

And then these rockers not be set up propely until they are required to be checked at, what is it 12000 mile service?

[Walenut]

[/quote]

I think Walenut makes a valid point here. Although statistically I'm in the "had rockers fail" camp, I think one rocker in 40000 miles is pretty acceptable! Especially compared to some other posters' experience..
Rightly or wrongly, I've always felt that it's largely because my bike is used (almost) every day, whereas I guess many Ducatis go weeks, or even months without being started, especially in the winter. Surely this ties in with the "oil maintaining a film on the rockers from the last use" theory? [/quote]

Well the proof does seem to be in the pudding, regular use and only one rocker in 40,000 miles.