spark plug cross threaded - URGENT ADVICE NEEDED

[mrr1]

right - here's my problem - bikes been missing a little when damp so I refitted HT leadto cap, whipped out plug, cleaned electrode and checked gap. Thought I'd check cylinder no 2 (bike is 2000 fazer 600 with 29k on clock). As I was putting spark plug back into cylinder 2 it felt a little stiff so I backed it back out, wound it in with fingers half a turn and then ratcheted it in (but being a feckwit ignored the fact that it was still stiffer than normal). Then noticed plug was at a crooked angle to the one on cylinder 1 and about 10mm higher. So I took the plug out again and, sure enough, leading edge on plug is now shiny and I've cut myself a new plug thread - major f******g bo**ocks"!!!!!!!!!!! Is this an engine out job now? I've got a tap & die set and a vacuum attachment that can get into the cylinder. The main problem is getting to the top of the engine - its a complete b@stard with all the harnesses and frame in the way.

Any advice greatly appreciated......
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[N cee thirty]

hmm fail,that was the hardest plug for me to get in for some reason aswell ¬_¬

some people have put time incerts in
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Ed Case]

You're dead right, it's a tw@ of a job, I've got a Timecert in the plughole of my 250RSA but I had to take the head off to do it properly, I suspect you'll have to do something similar unless you can find a particularly adventurous mechanic. Tuff my mate !.

[Pete.]

You could run a tap down the thread. Another thing you could do is grind a fresh sparkplug thread with 3 or 4 flats on it to make the shape of a threadcutting tap and run that into the hole to clean up the first part of the threads that are crossed. Both methods depend heavily on the person doing the work knowing when they have got it right or wrong. Not much to lose by trying it but having someone good at dealing with such things on the spenner will vastly increase the chance of not having to pull the head off.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[mrr1]

cheers chaps. Reckon I'll try dropping the engine out one side of the frame and trying to tap a new thread in. One of the biggest probs is bloody access - there's just no space. For the two or so hours to get the engine out I can't see any option.

The other fear is letting shitty little bits of thread metal drop into the bore. As I said before I've got a DIY Hoover attachment that will neatly go through the spark plug hole into the bore to try & suck any shite out I'm not sure if that's really safe???
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[Syris D Indomitable]

Yeah safer to take the head off, gaskets are only a few quid.
Just threaded a cam cover bolt hole my self. Lucky for me there's another 14 bolts holding it down, getting some apoxy metal compound tomoz for a propper botch job!

[mrr1]

sh1tty sh1t Mc f******g sh1t


how much of a tw@t is taking a fazer head off? Will I need the engine fully out? Will I need a new head gasket if I take the head off?

And all because I thought I'd have a f******g look at a plug colour.....




B@ST@RD
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[mrr1]

and another question - is a plug thread the same as a normal 10mm bolt?
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[kestrel]

Once you get the head off try running a spark plug thread chaser down the hole. If the plug became tight after just a few turns then you might get away with chasing it out. Google spark plug thread chaser, they only cost five or six quid.

[Raffles]

[Pete.]

I wouldn't take off the head, I'd have a crack at straightening the plug thread first then stuff a small tube up a hoover pipe to get any bits off the piston.

The CR8e standard Fazer plugs are fine thread, non-standard so don't go just buying a standard M10 tap and running it into the hole.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[mrr1]

I've though about that but the problem is I just can't be sure to get the tap straight because of access to the hole. Even with the rad and forks off it'll be a bitch. I'm thinking either

a - pull head off, get plug chaser (£6 from Rapid) and retap from bore side to make sure threads are straight

b - pull head off and get an insert dropped in. Reliable garage round the corner has just quoted £15 to put a Time sert in.

I'm really nervous about how much ali I've taken off the side of the plug hole and I wouldn't want a plug popping out at speed and going straight through the middle of my tank so I'm thinking the time sert is teh better option. Also I'd like to get a vacuum into the empty bore just to be sure there's no swarf in there.

I just wish I had Sky+ on my life so I could rewind things a couple of hours and leave the bloody plug in place.

Christ - there's a good idea for Dragons Den - Real Life Sky+............
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[mrr1]

chr15 - whats that thing about spraying a gasket with primer to reuse it?

a lad I work with has got an old 911 and he was telling me both surfaces are just highly polished and there isn't a head gasket. Maybe I could try that - bit of extra compression as well!!!
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[deliriousthun...]

[Pete.]

The early 911 heads were gasket sealed, later sealed with a special ring-type gasket. Didn't stop them blowing though and they ended-up welding the heads to the barrels during production for other models.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[mrr1]

I was only joking about the gasket - I might be mentally challenged in many ways but I'm not quite that daft.

Tomorrows the big day - local garage is ready to drop the time sert in. Should they be able to do it if I just take them the whole engine or will they need the head on its own.The more I read the serviice manual the more my undergarments change colour.
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[ZRX61]

[mrr1]

just been having a poke around - I've disconnected the 800 odd harnesses and moved them out of the way, the stat housing as well.Frig me - you can actually get to the top of the block. Tomorrow is time sert day.How much access will the garage need?
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[Pete.]

There should be no need for a timesert. You should have at a guess about 8 threads of engagement on the plug , you couldn't have wrecked more than the first couple or the plug would still be frozen in there. There's no chance of an ejected plug at speed and no chance of it firing into the tank if it did either - all the enegry will be soaked-up by the pluglead.

Running a tap down the hole would be enough.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Stalk]

I know that this is probably a bit late but if you where to turn the engine until the exaust valves on that cylinder where open, put your hoover on blow. Point that up your exaust pipe. Would that not then blow any swarf out as you are doing the recutting to the spark plug thread?
I have assumed that the exaust is in good congition and that no crud will come from the exaust into the cylinder. This is theoretical, I have never tried it.

Opinions?

Cheers
Stalk

[DrDonnyBrago]

[deliriousthun...]

[chris-red]

For the sake of £35 you might as well change the HG IMO.
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[mrr1]

hmmmm...sounds a bit dodgy that........ I've got a vacuum attachment that will fit through the plug hole although I believe the best way to clean out a bore is to turn the crank until you open the exhaust valves and blow loads of air in. as it happens I've taken the downpipes off to get them welded at work so its no hassle to feel for air coming through with the exhaust valves being opened.

Also - how do you turn a vacuum onto blow?
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[HD]

What I would personally do is wind the spark plug up from the engine side outwards? Or are the threads one sided?
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Rusty '02 Vito Camper + CBR600F3