New to this forum and new to Aprilia so here goes... I bough this bike last August as a non runner the owner had only had it 2 months when the engine piston smashed in its port, he actually swapped it for his very nice Ducati and I feel the poor fellow got done.  Anyways, he said the engine started to make a noise and he contacted his local Aprilia dealer and arranged to take the bike over for a check, just as he got to the dealers ...bang, white smoke and engine locked.

The dealers removed the rear head and found the rear left piston in bits within the port damaging the wall, the head looked reasonable ok, he put it up for sales as it was and I became the new owner.

I am new to the forum so unsure if I could upload pics at the moment, I have since stripped the engine down to investigate, I have a feeling the previous owner has stripped this before and decided to sell it to the chap I bought it from , I have noticed gasket sealer in places but I'm not sure.

My intension is to split the carter completely and start the cleaning process.

My question today is has this happened to anybody before? I am trying to establish the possible cause, I have taken a lot of pictures of the damage, I kind of knew this would be a challenge and I wanted it this way, its going to be a great bike soon.

Anyways, here are some pictures not sure how many I would be allowed to load up.

Many thanks in advance

Max

2nd question, how do I upload pictures?

main reason i wouldn’t buy one 

It is a 2012 bike. Shame the pics will not display as I have the head pic there. 

Many thanks for your support thus far.

Spoonz, that is a very valid suggestion about the replacement head but I will never know, I have done the premium thing and will attach more pics, I will try to speak to the dealers who stripped the head and see if I can get more info

Regards

2014 onwards your fine. dont let that hold you back mate, it really is one of the best bikes you could want to ride, the 17s and 18s have come down a lot at around the 12-14k mark.

when i was buying mine i found out that pre 14s had a top lubrication issue that caused un even wear at the top of the engine, that was sorted in 2014.

i think if you was to get this sorted your still going to have this issue, im no mechanic and not sure if an engine swap from a 14 or later will fit or work, the thing to note with the V4 is the later the better. you could always give AP workshops a call they seem to love V4s and really know there stuff and would easily let you know what the best course of action to take would be.

The top end lube issues were partly fixed in 14 but hot starts were still a problem with top end oil starvation until they introduced a non return system to keep the oil in the head. This looks like a catastrophic component failure though. With new cylinders, at least one con rod and possibly a crank I think it might be a costly exercise. 

Apologies for not updating anything but I have only just got the chance to strip the engine.

the damage seems to have eaten up the crankshaft also, pistons 3 and 1 do not look good either.

I have managed to purchase a bottom half the engine with all the pistons installed without the gearbox, I am expecting delivery this Tuesday and then will start a slow rebuild.

I am worried that this might happen again so is there anyway that I can avoid another engine failure? uploads/7586/IMG_20220514_201813.jpg" rel="nofollow - uploads/7586/IMG_20220514_201813.jpg uploads/7586/IMG_20220514_200724.jpg" rel="nofollow - uploads/7586/IMG_20220514_200724.jpg uploads/7586/IMG_20220514_201813_2022-05-29_23-48-37.jpg" rel="nofollow - uploads/7586/IMG_20220514_201813_2022-05-29_23-48-37.jpg

The v4 uses stiff valve springs to reach its Rev ceiling without bounce but that can hammer the seats. 

I finally received the bottom half of the engine and it is in perfect condition.

I managed to remove the valves on on port of the rear cylinder head and note that all the four valves intake and exhaust are bent.

The head itself looks okay but I would really appreciate some input of it please, is it usable wit a but of cleaning?

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  Quite possibly 

However unless this line is a stray hair or something it sure looks like a radial crack causing the guide to split following the valves sideways excursion

Sorry for not updating, work has been real busy.

I have taken the head to a machine shop to check over but I am told they need 2 valve guides that Aprilia do no sell separately, so I need to source a rear cylinder head.

I have had a look at many options and wondered if anyone knows if a Tuono V4 1100 or a 1000 cylinder head/engine is the same, they look exactly like what I need, I know the exhaust valve is the same size but cannot confirm the inlet valve, can anyone confirm this.

JimmyV4, thanks for your note but I have heard the 2014 also having these issues, I got the bike very cheap and so far have spent less than expected on parts, all I need not is a rear head with all the valves intact and I am good to go, I am rebuilding this myself so total cost will not be that much.

I just love the look of this bike in white

I’m not sure on the years that this happened or if it was always the case but certainly the RSV4 now produces a lot more power than the first ones back in 2008/9. 

That all being said, other than valve material they could be interchangeable but one of the US forums if Griff at AP or Spoonz here doesn’t know,may offer better advice. 

he does a lot of v4 rebuilds due to valve damage etc and must have a lead on some guided etc but i’d say that needs a new head 

Thanks Redratbike, I spoke to John and he was very helpfull offers a great service and knows the RSV very well, he has a chap who actually makes the valve guides and sets up the head, anyways in the end I managed to buy a completely brand new head from a company in Germany, valves and everything already setup, it has never been used and is exactly the same part number as mine, worked out cheaper than fixing the original head.

Turns out that the cylinder head on my RSV4 was infact from a 2014 model RSV4, clearly it has been replaced before.

Time to start collecting all the gaskets that I might need and clean all the parts.

Where is the best place to get all the correct torque settings for this engine?

Thank you once again for all your help and support, I will be back soon looking for more info.

mmmnnn torque settings … not sure sorry

someone else will step in very soon

If it were a Haynes manual I would agree but no one will give you better info than aprilia themselves in an oem manual. 

I watched a chap on utube working on his RSV4 and suggested the torque settings were not accurate as he snapped bolts.

I’ll get the official manual for you and add it to the manuals section later. It was a 14 bike you have ?

I doubt there is, but since it’s been changed before….

Not much progress as work load has doubled recently, my work is now eating into my play time ha ha.

I have all the engine parts that I need, just need to list out and order the required gaskets, anyone know where I might be able to buy the tool for checking the shims and the tensioner bar tool in the UK?

Regards

Finally I have all the required parts to start the rebuild.

I managed to do this over the weekend, need to replace some of the shims but that was expected.

I do have a question, when setting up the cams and timing, I have to have cylinder 1st rear left at TDC, does this need to be on the compression stroke? I have built it all up and the engine turns at the crank without locking, rather than assume I just need to double check, difficult to check for compression stroke from the port when turning it by hand.

All locking pins used as required , 150 degrees from TOC for front cylinder and then back to TDC before a 450 degree turn to lock the rear ( didn't feel like I managed a full 450 before the crank lock pin located)

Thanks in advance.

Its been a while but not been very well for sometime, well not well enough for garage play time.

I am having trouble timing the engine no matter what procedure I try...

I have set 1st Cylinder Left Rear to TDC, rotated clockwise for 150 deg, locking pins match at the front cylinder, cam gear dots matched,  locked pins, tensioner set and bolt on the front cam.

Next, back to TDC of rear 1st cylinder before another 450 deg to tackle rear cylinder however the crank locks up almost before I reach the 450Deg and I do not want to force it...plugs installed.

I have tried the other procedure where by it says 300 deg but it locks up again.

I bought the bottom half with the crankshaft installed so its not been disturbed, the clutch side Crankshaft gear was installed with the dots matching also, the rear cylinder head is new and came with the valves installed, front cylinder head was checked before reassembly. 

If I use the tone wheel and setup with the IR and IF marks I can rotate the complete engine freely with the cam bolts on and both cams rotating.

Im a bit lost as to what is causing this, the front and rear exhaust cams are correctly located with the F and R marking.

Simple setup to achieve but I seem to be missing something and I gave up at 2PM this morning.

Appreciate any input any one can input here for me to check further.

Regards and many thanks in advance.

Im pretty sure I managed it last year but maybe I had it rotating but not in time....to much morphine I think.

I crashed my GSXR 1000 just over a year ago and smashed myself a little, lady pulled out in my path and saw me at the last minute panicked and stopped dead across my path, I had 3 seconds to react, I flew and landed 15 meters away according to the cops and I remember nothing. After 4 months in hospital I was told I would not walk again and sent home in a wheelchair...stubborn mule that I am, I am now walking and wanting to get this Aprilia ready for the summer.

I will be getting more garage time tomorrow and will have another go at it step by step, if you coudl think of any other issue I should look at I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for the response though.

 did mark all the cams before I started the initial strip down so they cannot be incorrectly placed, I have swapped them tonight just to check and it make no difference to the rotation stiffness at one part.

Rotation is free with no cams connected, with only the front cams installed I have free movement, with the rear cams installed and the front ones removed I have free rotation but when both are connected and timed I have a slight resistance during a cycle but it does rotate completely.

I have attached pic of my Cam lobe direction.

something is catching somewhere to cause the resistance, maybe I am overthinking it but without the plugs if should rotate with only little resistance. First two pics are the front cylinder and the second two are the rear.  Thank you for your help.

Cheers

Each intake gear has 2 sets of alignment marks. On the rear bank it’s set with 2 dots on the exhaust lined up to 1 on the intake. 

On the front, 1 exhaust to 2 intake. 

If it all looks right then maybe that tightness is normal. You could run it by Griff at AP just to be sure. 

Thanks for the response, yes my cam dots match up as they should.

I have the sump off at the moment so I oiled all moving parts best i could, it rotates alot more freely now.  I needed 3 shims all on the intake side which will arrive today along with new cam bolts and the little copper washers for the plug side clamp, so I can rebuild it back up this week coming.

Thanks again for the support.

Max

Finally completed this little project and installed the engine but ran into some issues.

when I switch on the key the rev needle swings all the way up and back down, I have a red tringle and the orange triangle on, no green neutral light, hit the start key and nothing no clicks, the tank is  not currently connected.

I have some spare connectors and not sure if they are used or not, could someone tell me if I have messed something.

I'll get the diags on it tomorrow and check for codes

As Jimmy questions really. Is the loom for that engine and model, or is the engine a different year. 

Many thanks for the prompt responses gents.

The only thing different is the engine bottom block and a new rear head. loom, clocks, TB's, air box are from original bike, could the two block connectors be for the ABS, mine has the rings on the wheels but I see no modules /pumps etc.  Issue is the top end was stripped by a dealer before the owner decided to sell it so when I bought it these connectors were already disconnected.

Be interesting to see what the diags say might just be a stuck starter relay, I know the starter motor is good as I bench tested it to check compression once the engine was complete (195 Psi on all ports).

The diags keeps telling me to switch on the ignition but does not detect it when I do.

I checked diags on the dash and they are all 0. It asks for the user code I tried 5 zeros but no luck, checked all fuses again all good, installed the fuel pump and it does prime on ignition

The red light comes on the rev counter and goes off, I just have the flashing red and orange triangles, red flashing quicker than the orange.

Any ideas, Im getting so excited but bike is not playing.

many thanks in advance

With all the brake lines running to it. 

Does the user code stop it starting in this way? 

Comes up on the dash, which I assume is when I should type it in, but since I never programmed one, I fire it up and away i go. 

I assumed it’s to do with all the download and media I figured. 

I got it running, it was the neutral switch being dicky, its only when I checked it on the dash, neutral was showing a dash, I went up and down the gears and it then read zero and things fired up.

Im pleased with the rebuild no funny knocks or bangs although running at 3K RPM, I suspect I may have routed the throttle cables incorrectly, job for the morning, air box is a bit tight going in so will double check air lines. I only ran it for 2 minutes at a time to get oil/water flowing, sounds loud with the SC exhaust tho.

Still have the flashings red and amber tringles on tho and no luck with the GuzziDiag, tried different com ports, I downloaded a cable tester and it fails on timeout, does anyone know the Coms port settings, speed, baud rate etc?

Thanks again

Sensor would be on the front wheel over the pick up ring. It could well double for anti wheelie. 

Try spinning it on axle stands

Thanks wigginsjp the wheel spin fixed the amber triangle.

Ref the 3K high idle, it wasn't the throttle cable routing issue but stupid me had not plugged in the throttle body connectors.....them being the two left over connectors, the TB's were already taken off by the dealer so I didn't know where these connectors went..realising this was the easy part removing and reinstalling the TB clamps was indeed a challenge.

Only issue I have now is a slight rough idle and at times cutting out, perhaps I need to do a TPS reset and fresh fuel, Ive ordered a OBD2 cable as I suspect mine is faulty.

Recheck your vacuum pipes and all that sort of thing for the cut out. You checked the charging system too now it’s back in one piece? 

I have had major issues with the bike, surging between 3k and 4k, no throttle response, service light abs light, back firing and all sorts, errors were P0165 and P0185, I cleared them but they kept coming back.

Suspecting my timing I decided to strip and check it all again. Timing was out as the rear pipes were not getting hot.

All sorted now, checked the demand sensor and cleaned it and no more faults. I ran it up to temp and checked fan operation which was good. All running very well and smooth.

Current issue:

Its on a front and rear stand, stuck it in gear it crunched into 1st but wheel not driving in any gears...the clutch plates have been sitting for some time so not sure if they are stuck or something else.....I did have the gear box cassette out during the rebuild.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated as I would like a short test ride tomorrow.

GuzziDiag is working fine although I cannot see a TPS reset in the menu also it will not read ECU map, it asks for ignition off and then on but saves a empty file.

Thank you again for the help.

Sorted. when installing the clutch side cover I have adjusted the clutch lever on the casing a little further back therefore the clutch was not disengaging. All good now need a MOT before a test run.

Done two oil changes so far just at idle and up to temp, will run with this until MOT and test run before the good oil and filter from AP Workshop goes in.

Starts up and runs to temp very smooth, I also put on the Austin Racing can as it sounded hmmmm more like a Mustang.

Panels on tomorrow then a good wash and machine polish

Antifreeze and good quality oil from AP with new filter.

I've had a few small easy runs as I don't really know the bike yet and wanted to run it in a little, last Sunday I did a crazy mad run on the country roads up here in Scotland, wow what an amazing bike, seats a bit uncomfortable but she's mad.

Struggles to start at times when hot but I read this is normal, I might think about a Lithium battery soon.

So, I'd just like to  thank everyone for their support during this rebuild I did really enjoy it and I feel I know the bike now if it ever misbehaves.

Regards

how you get on at mot with the piss take pipe.

I'm still having sn issue trying to download my map with Guzzidiag but I start another thread on that.

I'm just worries this exhaust causes back pressure issues as I have read