lost valve collet

[g.m.c.janssen]

Hi folks,

Very annoying, but I lost one of the closing valve collets during disassembly of the shim. I did not see where it got but there is a bad chance that it fell into the small hole just next to the valve, the function of it presumably for carrying of the oil (arrow). Tried to retrieve it with a magnet, no luck. So, I have 2 questions,
1) is there a simple method to get it back without disassembling the whole engine?
2) when left in the engine, will the collet ruin the machine or will it be safely filtered out

regards
George

wire collet.jpg (177.11 KiB) Viewed 6045 times

[907pasonut]

hi George, I'm not sure what your pointing out with the arrow...but the hole near valve is most likely for the oil to drain back to the sump, In my opinion dont worry about it, it will settle on the bottom sump and most likely be picked up by the magnet on the sump plug, it cannot be suked up by the oil pump as there is that plastic filter before pump...my2cw

PS: what I normally do with those small bits is to put a bit of grease on them and make them stick, that way they dont drop but stay put.

PSS: I can now see the hole at the end of arrow

[paso750]

I personally couldn`t live knowing something is flying around in the engine. You never know what can happen and the half ring is hardened steel.
If the halfring isn`t laying in the head somewhere I guess I would pull it off carefully and the cylinder too. If you`re lucky it`s stuck in the oil channel.
Before doing anything check the cylinder head, the work bench, the floor etc thoroughly to prevent doing the job for nothing.

G.

[Duc750]

Sorry that gives me the willies just thinking about it - I'd have to pull it apart!
I would however justify my actions by trying to find a big bore kit or similar or checking the crank plug at the same time !

[Finnpaso]

This is "old story" and happens to beginners who play with Desmo system without knowing HOW to do things!!! If You dont find it outside engine, it is surely inside and only way to be 100% sure that no more damages is to open engine. I know it hurts alot, but it also hurt ALOT if piece goes to wrong places and destroy engine totally.... You can surely still try some small things, like turning engine "by hand" carefully and wish, that piece goes to bottom of oil area and if it goes, then You can try to catch it by magnet from oil draining plug. Anyway i dont belive, that piece can find so easily, so, seems, that You have to open engine....

When i learned Desmo valve adjustings (thanks to my very good Ducatifriend ) , one of first things he teached is to put old earplugs to just these holes to avoid such things happen. Surely have to remember to take ear plugs away after adjusting, but i have never forget to take them away, as i put to worktable NOTEPAPER to remember take them away.... Btw, after i have taken these ear plugs away, ill take engine oil and spray it around desmo system and then i put upper covers back to they places. Surely lower cover must be on they place in horizontal cylinder...

[streetsurfer]

For plugging the hole I fashioned a suitable sized bolt with a loop of wire that sticks out over the mating edge for the the valve cover. When installed right you can not install the valve cover without missing removing the plug.

I'm going to give credit for that to Pro Italia. I can't recall for sure but I think it is on their desmo valve adj video.

[Fraser]

George,

Don't worry, the collet will turn up on the drain plug magnet when you change th oil. It will not get circulated through the motor.

Last time a collet went down the "plug hole" I fished it out with one of those extendable magnets, one of those ones that looks like a car ariel. It went down a long way.

Hamish dropped one down the hole and it appeared stuck to the drain plug when the oil got changed.

Cheers,

Fraser.

[higgy]

You guys are killin me Ear plugs? bolts? take the motor down ?

Murphy law states: if it can happen it will happen when you don't expect it and can afford it the least

HOWEVER

If you are going to put anything in your oil passage to block it off it had better have a very low melting temp. sooner or later you will forget its there and ride off towards the sunset all smug in your abilities only to hear the dreaded poof poof screech that signals the end of your Paso. Or worse yet the sound of a grenade going off. jtmwfida( antti thats; just take my word for it,don't ask )

Why not plug that hole if you need with simple paraffin, its cheap its melts at a relatively low temp and its compatible with every single oil every made on the planet.

Does anyone here know where that oil passage dumps ? anyone? Anyone every remove an oil passage plug or know how to use an airhose ?

Ok, I'll stfu now leave you with food for thought

[g.m.c.janssen]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the good tips, and sharing your concerns I also had.
But special thanks to 907pasonut and Frazer: the drain plug magnet will probably do the job. Most important nobody reported the experience THAT the engine WAS ruined after leaving the collet. I will first start another search in the cylinder head. May be it got stuck to one of the cams; is the wire collet by itself magnetic?

thanks again
George

[streetsurfer]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the good tips, and sharing your concerns I also had.
But special thanks to 907pasonut and Frazer: the drain plug magnet will probably do the job. Most important nobody reported the experience THAT the engine WAS ruined after leaving the collet. I will first start another search in the cylinder head. May be it got stuck to one of the cams; is the wire collet by itself magnetic?

thanks again
George

The collet is not magnetized.

You can more safely remove them with a dab of grease on the tip of a screwdriver, so they don't fall away so easy.

[907pasonut]

everybody has different ways of doing things, as long as the cat ends up skinned.
...I personally think the bolt with the wire attached is a great idea, and foolproof.
...paraffin also a good idea.
all this shared knowledge can only be good

[Mc tool]

Yeah I dropped one down there too , and yes I did find it on the sump plug later. When I pulled the engine to bits ( way later and for different reasons ) I saw that the collet would drop onto the crank flywheels and into the sump without jamming gears . I plug the hole with a dab of grease that way it dont matter if you forget it.
Ha , I wonder just how many collets have taken that trip