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Starter Motor Replacement DIY

Hey Nick, just did this for the first time last weekend, the memory is fresh :)

I reached in from behind the trailing edge of the fairing to grab the flat steel 'nut' with just a pair of needlenose pliers - didn't need a ton of force to hold it in place while unscrewing the allen bolt.

After you've pulled the bolt, don't forget to reach back there and grab that flat 'nut' out of the rubber isolator and put it somewhere safe. I didn't and when I pulled the fairing it went flying deep into the bike's innards, took me 20 mins to track it down.

Also be prepared to utter some choice curse words when reassembling those fairings :p

nickwst4 said:
...but there are a couple lower down that screw into rubber isolators, and they just turn and turn. Do I need to unscrew them, presumably by putting a large spanner on the thin hex on the inside to hold them, or what? I've tried lifting and sliding the fairing bits but can feel no tendency for them to release themselves. I presume all the HS fairings are the same, from my 2013 model onwards?
Click to expand...
 
For that fastener with the large flat nut holding the fairing, you can put pressure on it with your fingers against the frame mount and it should have enough friction to allow you to remove the bolt. I purposely don't over-tighten these because having to get a wrench or pliers in there on the side of the road is ridiculous.
 
Thanks for the help, Chaps. I wasn't sure whether the rubber mount stayed in place, hence my caution. For future reference, that thin hexagon nut is 24mm across the flats. And yes, one did go AWOL, but ended up in the radiator fan so it didn't take long to locate! What surprised me was to find the fuse box behind the LH fairing. Very easy access: not!

I appreciate that the mount shouldn't need to be very tight, but I thought I could make that nut easier to get a hold on, so I've grafted a wing onto each of them. I could have hard-soldered a piece of brass on, but that would have ruined the corrosion protection, so I used rivets instead. As a clockmaker, that sort of thing is second nature.

Now to get onto the actual starter motor job!

 
Nice mod.
FYI - you can pull that forward fuse box without removing the fairing. Just get a feel for how it locks to the frame: up, then back.
 
OK, the side cover is off and so is the old starter motor: progress at last!! There's plenty of cleaning to do on the sealing surfaces, but I have a question about the starter motor mounting.

The above methodology mentions putting the new gasket on. There was no gasket as such on mine and no sealant either; just a thin steel disc with a shallow conical cross-section. How that managed to keep oil in, I have no idea! Given I put the 'new' starter back the same way, I'd be inclined to put a lick of silicone sealant on both sides of that disc.

Is that what other people have done?

Thanks,

Nick
 
Nick,

If you're talking about the engine case, it most certainly should have a silicone gasket seal. I don't recall anyone mentioning a solid material gasket. I didn't use the ducati Tri-bond, but if you think you'll have warranty or shop work, you may want to put up the money for the expensive stuff. I think Black Permatex with high heat rating is the best alternative. I found some decent Euro stuff that actually had compressed air to help auto feed the bead...very cool and helps with some of the thin twisty lines you have to make. Try to avoid heavy beads towards the inside as it will bleed into the case and you just don't want that in the system.
 
gatdammit,

Thanks for your reply, but perhaps I confused you. I'm not talking about the outer engine case, which was definitely sealed with silicone. I thought I'd made it clear that I meant the actual starter-motor mounting to the back of the crank-case hole. There seems to be no means of keeping the oil in: no soft gasket, no sealant and no O-ring. Not that it was leaking before, but I bet it will if I just put the Denso one on like that!

Nick
 
Nick, copy. Yes, starter motor only had metal gasket. Be sure you have a fresh gasket but mine doesn't leak.
 
OK, got that. My friends on the Ducati ST group say it is actually a form of crush gasket, courtesy of the indentation on the surface. Weird system, though I suppose it guarantees mechanical stability, once tightened. I'll order some new ones.

Nick
 
Just a little bit of info that makes this job easier, as it would for other engine cases.

The silicone sealer used on the faces of the case is very tenacious stuff, and it would be easy to damage the surfaces if you use a blade. However, if you wipe the silicone a few times with a cotton bud soaked in stoddard solvent or xylene, the silicone rubber absorbs it rapidly, softens and swells, making it easy to remove with a fingernail or wooden scraper. I finished the job with a fine brass brush, and the sealing faces are now completely free of sealant, even down in the milling marks.

You could probably use petrol/gasoline to swell the silicone instead, as anyone who has mistakenly used silicone sealant on carburetor float bowls will have discovered! The problem with petrol is that it will likely evaporate too quickly, quite apart from being more flammable.

Nick
 
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That was the longest six hours in history! :)

Kuksul's reported time-span for replacing the starter motor on a HS extended to about six months for me! What with one thing and another, getting the HS back on the road was rather low priority while I had work commitments and some health problems, quite apart from the damper of *****, but at last the job is done bar the replacement of the plastic. Once I have some more Motul coolant to complete the radiator filling, I can finish the job. The good news is that the s/h Denso starter motor purred into life, quickly followed by Ducati's best-ever motor, so I'm very pleased! I only had a problem previously with hot restarts so that's one more problem off the list, after fueling and the clutch.

Perhaps I should be on the lookout for some Eldor coils?

Nick, in UK
 
jerdog53 said:
I just did this.

Is there no way to bleed the coolant system?
Click to expand...

According to service manual:
Start up the engine and wait for the coolant to reach 110 °C; run the engine for about 10 minutes. Stop the engine and allow it to cool down completely, then open the radiator plug (2) so that all the air is expelled from the circuit.
 
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I have change the start motor twice.
The second time I used blue Hylomar sealing compound.
Put on both surfaces, wait 15 minutes, put together the parts.
According to instruction you can fill oil and coolant right away.
 
jerdog53 said:
I just did this.

Is there no way to bleed the coolant system?
Click to expand...

Jer, If you are asking if there's a drain plug on the radiator, no. You can only pull the main lines, drop the radiator, dump it. Then pull the reservoir and do the same. I guess you could pull the water pump, too, but I never did.
 
Oh. I just filled the radiator...drink a beer...top off...drink a beer...
Once it doesn't look to be burping anymore, filled the reservoir and fired it up. Let cool and check radiator. Maybe check after the first long ride.
I'm happy to say my radiator horror saga finally ended.
 
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Hi All! I am new here. Picking up an 821 next week. This will be job #1 followed by the clutch anti-judder if I can find the right kit.

I was wondering if anyone had tried the uprated cables instead of replacing the starter? They are for saleHere.

I’m in the UK so I don’t think they would be available here, but I’d make up my own if it saved the 6 hour (more for me I’m sure) starter motor swap.
 
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