Change those plugs!

Scab · May 13, 2006

Change those plugs! I waited till today. FJR has 11,400. Old plugs all looked exactly the same and the gap on all had degraded to more than .030. Supposed to be .028. Don't sound like much, but they are wearing!

When the book said change at 8,000, it wasn't kiddin'.

fjrchik · May 13, 2006

Way to get it done Scabalicious. :clapping:

Fred H. · May 13, 2006

Fresh plugs will make your bike start easier and will reduce the wear on both your starter and battery. The electrodes become rounded and the spark temperature is reduced as a result. Fresh plugs with sharp edges on the electrodes and proper gap will make a hotter spark.

Platinum and Iridium plugs don't wear the electrodes down as fast but alot of folks in hot rodding community also say that they don't produce as hot a spark as an old fashioned copper core plug does.

I like to just run standard NGK plugs and change em a bit more often. They usually only cost about $2 each, so it isn't like it is expensive to replace em often.

Scab · May 13, 2006

And a reminder: Check the fit of your plug in your spark plug socket! The first socket I retrieved from the tool box had a little bit of a dried out retainer and would not hold the plug. Fortunately, I checked into the palm of my hand before I inverted the socket/plug combo over the engine. I doubt the plug will survive a drop.

Fred H. · May 13, 2006

You can easily thread in new plugs by simply pushing some fuel line hose onto the end of them and the lower the plug into the hole with the hose attached and twist the hose till the plug starts to thread, then just pull the hose off once it threads in and tighten it with a socket to the proper torque.

Scab · May 13, 2006

Good hint, Fred. Hadn't thought of that one.

(writing down in book)

radman · May 14, 2006

Fred H. said:
You can easily thread in new plugs by simply pushing some fuel line hose onto the end of them and the lower the plug into the hole with the hose attached and twist the hose till the plug starts to thread, then just pull the hose off once it threads in and tighten it with a socket to the proper torque.

Beat me to it. The hose trick is tailor made for a deep well plug mount like this.

FJRandy · May 14, 2006

Great idea. Now find me a straight piece of fuel line. Ever notice how curved it is after coming off the roll?

Geezer · May 14, 2006

I found that my spark plug socket was pretty snug going down through that long hole to get to each plug. I used an extension and taped the plug to the extension with electrical tape so I wouldn't have the socket pulling off the extension inside the hole.

+1 on changing the plugs often. I waited until I had about 14k miles before changing out the original plugs and I noticed an increase in power with new plugs.

HaulinAshe · May 14, 2006

FJRandy said:
Great idea. Now find me a straight piece of fuel line. Ever notice how curved it is after coming off the roll?

Drop it in some boiling water or lay it out in the hot sun for a few. Then hold it straight for a minute while it cools. Curl will go away permanently.

bluejag · May 15, 2006

JeffAshe said:
FJRandy said:

Great idea. Now find me a straight piece of fuel line. Ever notice how curved it is after coming off the roll?

Click to expand...

Drop it in some boiling water or lay it out in the hot sun for a few. Then hold it straight for a minute while it cools. Curl will go away permanently.

Stop by your local garage ask for some old wires they replaced from any late model gm truck preferably a big block the boots are straight and extra long with a hex type shape at top work great!!

SkooterG · May 15, 2006

Fuel line trick is a good un. Where were you flippin all-knowing *******s when I needed advice 2 years ago?

I ended up buying a magnetic socket specifically for the FJR. A bit more pricey but it does work great.

mindtrip · May 15, 2006

Fuel-line trick is an oldie but a goodie, and has the advantage that it will prevent cross-threading of your plug--easy to do in aluminum, with very costly results. If the plug starts to cross thread, the fuel line doesn't provide enough torque to drive it on and accidently muck your threads.

jjsC6 · May 16, 2006

mindtrip said:
Fuel-line trick is an oldie but a goodie, and has the advantage that it will prevent cross-threading of your plug--easy to do in aluminum, with very costly results. If the plug starts to cross thread, the fuel line doesn't provide enough torque to drive it on and accidently muck your threads.

Ooooooh - I could have gone all day without thinking of that happening. Like chalk on a chalkboard - I don't even like hearing about that happening.

Change those plugs!

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