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bout to panic, please help

3K views 43 replies 21 participants last post by  crypta 
#1 · (Edited)
I need advice. I just doing plug change on my k8 gsxr 600 and was all happy and thinking highly of suzuki for good engineering as everything was going very smoothly, no hard to remove parts etc.... well I get the the last cylinder (starboard outboard, right side) and everything comes out ok but I cant get the last plug to thread into the head. It is a little tighter maneuvering the wrench on that side but I cant see why the plug wont thrread in like the others did. I can feel it like it wants to cross thread and I back off and try again but thats as good as I can get it. Surely I didnt cross thread that plug huh? I felt it get tight that first time but imediatly backed off it. and have been effin with it for 2 hours and no luck. I was using the standard plug wrench that comes with the tool kit and it presents some angle problems but it should still be BLE TO COMPLETE THE JOB.

sO WORSE CASE SCENARIO, WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEHOW i CROSS THREADED THAT? sry caps..... Is there a beter plug wrench i can buy that might do the trick as far as eliminating the awkward angle of the toolkit plug wrench? I'd like to try that if anyone has a good tool in mind that I can go buy.

if that does not work what am i gonna do? lol I'm worried.
thanks please help meh
 
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#3 ·
Well, this is just a idea. Get a piece of rubber hose that does not flex a lot and can be put over the spark plug top, spray a little WD 40 onto threads of spark plug. Then finally give it a go and see how it works, use the supplied wrench to finish things off.
 
#4 ·
Just get a swivel-head 5/8" spark plug socket&you will never need anything else. Now if you already cross-threaded or stripped the threads thats gonna be a bit of an issue....
 

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#6 ·
thank you guys you are the best. Gave up on it for today as its dark and I got no power out in shop. I will go get that tool tomorrow thanks so much for the image. I hope it works.

So if it does not work.... what are my options? I would assume tapping it or whatever but...... I dread thinking of what that might involve.
 
#8 ·
Anti seize, 5/8 plug socket, and a 4" wobble extension and it should go in by hand. If it doesnt the threads may be damaged
 
#10 ·
#13 ·
:lmao:lmao:lmao
 
#16 ·
yeah I threaded all the plugs by hand but this one for some reason does nt want to play nicely. I'm thinking the very top of the threads got damaged when I felt it get tight that first time. I really dont see how though as I did not put any pressure on it at all. Hard for me to believe the cylinder head is that damn fragile. how can you strip theads by "trying to find the hole" by hand no less????? wtf.... I went and got new plug socket and tried the grease and still no luck. The new socket allows for much beter angle than that tool kit one but it is still not wanting to thread in. it gets tight then it refuses to take.

sigh so that leaves me with a nightmare doesnt it? What is my best option here? Remove head and tap it? would I be able to just remove the valve cover and tap it without removing head? problem is you cant see shit the way the engine sits in there and on that side the plug hole sits right next to the frame. I'm really stressin here. This should not be an issue. I have enough srense to not cross thread things I still dont get how this happenning. thanks for any input.
 
#18 ·
thanks moto joe, So drop engine is less /complicated/work than just remove head? I would have thought not but by your reply I guess I am wrong. If I drop engine, will I hafta completely seperate rest of bike from engine in order to perform work or can I do it by just lowering engine to floor? This is a major undertaking fo rme and I hate to be doing that kinda invasive work on my baby as I really dont know a whole lot and I'm afraid of something else going wrong in process, but I dont have the income means to just up and take it to shop... I bet thatd be expensive job. What? ballpark 500 bucks?... I dont have that . thi ssucks
 
#24 ·
Dropping engine is far easier than pulling head. Yes. And the head can't.be pulled engine in the bike anyway (no room) so dropping it then pulling the head is the natural progression regardless
 
#20 ·
myeah I was lookin at vids on all that but they about cars. and probably loads easier to do that option on car than bike. as someone else mentioned You arent 100% sure that it will tape true, trying it as it sits right now. wonder what thaty would do? if u didnt get the new tap perfectly aligned with engine spec? i would imagine power loss depending on severity of bad tap, maybe catastrophic engine fail too? how much wiggle room will engine allow when comes to that? This is why I'm stressin on this issue.
 
#21 ·
dropping the engine is not that hard at all.

you definitely dont want any metal shaving inside the cylinder...
 
#22 ·
How easy does one of the old plugs screw in? That way you know if it's just the new spark plug.

Worst thing I had happen to me unexpectedly on a TL1000: Spark plug broke off the metal part you screw in. Just twisted off and I slowly screwed it in with the wrench, no force required, just like I did with the other one before until I torqued one down.

I never had a spark plug cross threading so far.
 
#26 ·
Always thread the plugs by hand and I always turn the plug counterclockwise about a turn and a half until I feel the plug drop into the threads correctly .

Op did you try putting one of the old plugs back in ? Could be the new spark plug has bunged up threads to start with .
 
#27 ·
you dont need to remove anything at this point i would try putting back in one of the original plugs to rule out a odd thread on the new plug, also srart up the engine on the three cylinders give it a good revvv to blow the hole out clean then c if the old plug scews in. if it doesnt go and buy a intermediate tap at trade tool shop just give them the plug to match in might cost 8 or 10 bucks, and buy a bolt and weld it to the tap so you can wind it in a couple of turns thats all you need then just start it up give it a revvv and well its fixed
 
#28 ·
Starting the engine with a plug out is a terrible idea. It is just as likely to.suck something in as blow out.

And tapping the threads with the head on is a terrible idea as well. Metal shavings on the motor is not good.

Stop giving shit advice.!
 
#33 ·
Although I'm with the others on dropping the engine and removing the head to fix the threads . You can get a Tap and put some axle grease on it so that the tap catches the metal bits . It's not 100 % though in catching everything .
 
#40 ·
I have don this several times on crossed plug threads, grease up the tap with some reel heavy grease and start the tap into the hole 2-3 turns and remove, clean the tap and regrease, continue till yer all the way thru.. worked for me..
Luck.
 
#34 ·
what about this? [ame]http://www.amazon.com/BikeMaster-Spark-Plug-Hole-Rethreader/dp/B0068FUR1I/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354652610&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=BikeMaster+Spark+Plug+Hole+Re-threader+10mm+%2F+12mm+Thread+Chaser[/ame]

will this cut new threads thus produce lots of metal shavings or will it just fix the damaged threads, and just folllow the existing threads to bottom? ? I ordered this today and gonna try it. will this work?
 
#35 ·
It is chasing the threads but that involves some cutting. Use at your own risk.

I would not do it on the bike.
 
#36 ·
Inspect the plug for damage or cross threading first. Get a new plug if that one has any signs of cross threading. Use your fingers or the rubber tube. Insert the plug and slowly rotate it backwards listening for the click as the beginning of the thread on plug drops over the beginning of the thread in the head. Gently turn it the right way and see if the thread catches. Be real nice and gentle...if it helps put a tube on other plugs too so you can see the proper angle easier.
 
#37 ·
yeah man ive tried. it refuses to go in. the other three went in no problems at all. gonna try the chaser. the very top is what is damaged, it didnt even turn really, just wont thread in true before acting like it wants to cross thread as soon as i start to turn it. and i have tried and tried to find the "sweet spot" its just not there.
 
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