Spark Plug Replacement

  • Thread starter Thread starter SlayerofSouls
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Brian P said:
Too much stuff jammed into too little space is a pretty common design theme with sport bikes nowadays.
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Not just sport bikes. Doing a check/swap on the 650 Burgman sparkplugs requires removal of the radiator cover, radiator shroud and maintenance panel. Fortunately the radiator itself is on a hinge, so it partly swings out of the way. Doing all that only gets you enough room to do the job by feel from the side of the scooter. The sparkplug boots are LONG (about 6"), so they barely clear the head. Because of the depth, rethreading new plugs properly without damage is a real trick. Remove the front fender, brake calipers, wheel & fender if you actually want to use your eyes.
 
OMG..... I thought the 10-15 minutes it takes to do my V4 plugs was a pain.
 
I'd bet on it being a bad coil pack and not the plug itself. Somewhat of a common R6 problem.
 
Brian P said:
2004-2005 Kawasaki ZX10R

Spark plug replacement is an all-day job and you have to take off the upper rear engine mounts to get enough clearance to get the ignition coils out the top of the engine, and to do that, ALL the fairings have to come off except the rear bodywork. Fortunately, it uses iridium spark plugs that don't need frequent replacement, and the replacement interval is the same as the valve clearance interval (24,000 km) so the idea is that you only have to touch it every 24,000 km, and then you go in there and do EVERYthing.

For 2006, they fixed it so that you don't have to fight the engine mounts, and the 2011 model is apparently a lot easier to work on.

Too much stuff jammed into too little space is a pretty common design theme with sport bikes nowadays.

On a Honda CBR125, spark plug replacement takes 2 minutes tops and can be done on the roadside if needed without taking anything off except the spark plug cap and the spark plug itself, and there is only one ... so it really varies from one bike to the next. (Getting to the plug wrench in the tool kit will take longer than changing the spark plug itself!) The CBR250 is a similar looking bike, but will require taking a bit more stuff apart because the spark plug is straight up in the middle of the cylinder head instead of sticking out to the side like on the 125.
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Yup that gen 10 was a pain.
 
SlayerofSouls said:
I just dont think our friend did the best job of storing it. I charged up the battery etc, but I did notice it running on one cylinder short. According to ted, its most likely the spark plugs. Im back to toronto on friday hopefully im off work early then. else saturday it is.

i ordered new spark plugs for it from canadian tire, hopefully that should fix up the problem.
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that suck ***.....take the time and Do it yourself...nothing but a 6 pack and time to do it, besides its a good learn too
 
If anyone has a few extra hours on thursday night and can give me a hand let me know. Obviously compensation and beers will be provided.
 
Pff, that's nothing.. Try working on a newer CBR 1000 ... the fairings greet you with the challenge of a rubix cube.. It's like the R6 spark plug removal, except add in the ECM and upper fuel rails you have to take off... Nothing like Honda telling you to remove the rear swing arm just to do a coolant flush/swap.... I won't even go into how hard it was to de/re-install the rear fender from the hideous stock one.

Three words: blood, sweat, tears.
 
My 04 zx10 wasn't hard, didn't have to remove any engine mounts or anything crazy. They're a bit of a ***** but I could probably get it done in 2hrs, same with my 07 gsxr 600.
 
There is also compression test and spark plug test that needs to be done. could have a bad wire or coil pack causing the miss fire.
 
I thought I would be "fancy" and change my R6S plugs "the easy way" by unbolting the radiator and going at it from the front. I didn't have the "spark plug tool" and I pushed up on the AIS pump and shroud so hard it popped the clips out. So after the plugs were done I still had to take the tank off, airbox out, etc. just to get everything clipped back in. I was so annoyed I bought smog block off plates and removed the whole AIS system. Should have lots of room when it comes time to do plugs again :)

-Jamie M.
 
18000. so the mechanic, saw, came, and left. he couldnt take out the fuel tank. waste of time.

im just going to take it to rosey toes tomorrow and get it done. With 100 hour work weeks, dont have time for this.
 
I might have to change my plugs too b/c bike not firing. how did you know you were running on 3/4? lack of power? sound?
 
icecube172 said:
I might have to change my plugs too b/c bike not firing. how did you know you were running on 3/4? lack of power? sound?
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you can check the temperature of the headers to see which cyclinder isn't running properly. Careful, they get hot FAST! Use a spray bottle and spray it on each header to tell which one isn't getting hot. Usually ignition coil, spark plug, fuel injector ;)

If your bike is not running at all I don't think the above test method will help. Maybe spray some starting fluid in the carbs/throttle bodies and see if you can get it fired up. If you just pulled it out after storage, drain as much gasoline out as you can, and put in some fresh 87 octane fuel. It'll take a while to pull all the crap fuel through the lines/pump, so don't be surprised if it doesn't fire right up!

-Jamie M.
 
SlayerofSouls said:
18000. so the mechanic, saw, came, and left. he couldnt take out the fuel tank. waste of time.

im just going to take it to rosey toes tomorrow and get it done. With 100 hour work weeks, dont have time for this.
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lol. What kinda mechanic was that?

toysareforboys said:
you can check the temperature of the headers to see which cyclinder isn't running properly. Careful, they get hot FAST! Use a spray bottle and spray it on each header to tell which one isn't getting hot. Usually ignition coil, spark plug, fuel injector ;)

If your bike is not running at all I don't think the above test method will help. Maybe spray some starting fluid in the carbs/throttle bodies and see if you can get it fired up. If you just pulled it out after storage, drain as much gasoline out as you can, and put in some fresh 87 octane fuel. It'll take a while to pull all the crap fuel through the lines/pump, so don't be surprised if it doesn't fire right up!

-Jamie M.
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Bad advise! All the way through.
 
frekeyguy said:
Bad advise! All the way through.
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Lol, how do you check the header temps? Rosey Toes told me to do it that way, and it's been working great so far :)

And the starter fluid trick always worked sweet on my CBR 929 to get all that old fuel pulled through! Never a hope in hell of getting it started come spring time without it!

-Jamie M.
 
Much bigger job than expected

Clutch needs to be replaced.... was totally gone
One coil was cracked
spark plugs completely worn out.. .probably original stock
tentioner may have to be replaced

I am also just getting a basic service done
oil, break fluid, coolant, horn, air filter.

(air filter was in horrible shape)

Approx 5.5 hours of labor
 
SlayerofSouls said:
Much bigger job than expected

Clutch needs to be replaced.... was totally gone
One coil was cracked
spark plugs completely worn out.. .probably original stock
tentioner may have to be replaced

I am also just getting a basic service done
oil, break fluid, coolant, horn, air filter.

(air filter was in horrible shape)

Approx 5.5 hours of labor
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All on the new(ish) bike you bought ?
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