Affordable thin-walled spark plug sockets

Relax

Relax

Well-known member
A friend cut down a regular socket on a lathe using a ceramic bit. BWMs don't like chubby sockets.
 
I have a deep 19mm that I ground very thin. Can't remember which bike needs it....
 
The first time I tried using a hobby lathe, it wasn't powerful enough and all it did was scratch up the chrome plating. Second time, I used a file but went too thin and it split open when I twisted it. Third time I didn't make it thin enough and it wouldn't go all the way down into the well, so I could install but not remove. The way I see it, my sanity is worth $15.
 
Relax said:
The first time I tried using a hobby lathe, it wasn't powerful enough and all it did was scratch up the chrome plating. Second time, I used a file but went too thin and it split open when I twisted it. Third time I didn't make it thin enough and it wouldn't go all the way down into the well, so I could install but not remove. The way I see it, my sanity is worth $15.
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If your lathe is underpowered and crappy, you can mount a grinder to the tool post. Your own rotary grinder can get through chrome easily and without much pressure on the lathe. Cover the ways as much as possible as the particles will screw everything up .
 
nobbie48 said:
A friend cut down a regular socket on a lathe using a ceramic bit. BWMs don't like chubby sockets.
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It wouldn't happen to be a 14 mm deep socket? ;)

Normally I turn down a socket as well, but I got it on Amazon for $11.18.

Never happened to me, but nothing is worse than jamming a socket into a spark plug well.
 
MCT said:
but nothing is worse than jamming a socket into a spark plug well.
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Break off a plug and get back to me.

ford-broken-spark-plug-welded-in-cylinder-head.jpg
 
GreyGhost said:
Break off a plug and get back to me.

ford-broken-spark-plug-welded-in-cylinder-head.jpg
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In about 55 years of wrenching, that has never happened to me where I stripped or broke off a spark plug thread in a head.

Is that one of those Ford V10 engines that I heard about. I also never believed in those 160,000 km plug changes that one of the American car companies advertized...was it Ford as well? Yes thank you, now I have a worn out and seized-in-place plug after 160,000 km.

I remove my plugs early, clean the threads and apply anti-seize compound to them. I know about the NGK recommendation on that.

As for the glow plugs I had in the diesel, they had a maximum removal torque (or they would snap off) and it is also why I removed them in the second year of ownership (instead of in year ten when they failed and were seized in). I'd clean the M10 x 1 threads and threads in the head and apply the Beru anti-seize compound and torque them to the minimum specified.
 
MCT said:
In about 55 years of wrenching, that has never happened to me where I stripped or broke off a spark plug thread in a head.

Is that one of those Ford V10 engines that I heard about. I also never believed in those 160,000 km plug changes that one of the American car companies advertized...was it Ford as well? Yes thank you, now I have a worn out and seized-in-place plug after 160,000 km.

I remove my plugs early, clean the threads and apply anti-seize compound to them. I know about the NGK recommendation on that.

As for the glow plugs I had in the diesel, they had a maximum removal torque (or they would snap off) and it is also why I removed them in the second year of ownership (instead of in year ten when they failed and were seized in). I'd clean the M10 x 1 threads and threads in the head and apply the Beru anti-seize compound and torque them to the minimum specified.
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I think most of the plugs that break off are in Ford engines. If it was only limited to the V10's that wouldn't be a big deal. Many of their V8's also had the issue and those are much more common.
 
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GreyGhost said:
I think most of the plugs that break off are in Ford engines. If it was only limited to the V10's that wouldn't be a big deal. Many of their V8's also had the issue and those are much more common.
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When you have that happen, getting the ceramic tip out is a big plus because if it falls in you can get scoring. Not good.

Then a 3 or 4 flute reamer can be hammered in and rotated to get out the stuck end. The stuck end in the cars I have seen (newer Porsches) are also threaded and can then be screwed out. Of course I read about this on forums and as some of us know, some people should not be working on anything mechanical.

I'd like to see a real pic of the spark plug you show in your post. I've never seen one like it with that seized shell.
 
Got it. Is that a taper seat at the end of the threaded barrel? My 1974 Ford Capri had taper seats. A ***** to get out and you had to keep the socket and extension aligned or you'd break the ceramic on the outside.

Spark Plug.webp
 
MCT said:
I also never believed in those 160,000 km plug changes
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Do iridium plugs even need changing? At about 197,000 I pulled the plugs on my Echo only to think I was wasting time and money. Even at 197K they looked fine. I don't touch plugs in the car any more.
 
timtune said:
Do iridium plugs even need changing? At about 197,000 I pulled the plugs on my Echo only to think I was wasting time and money. Even at 197K they looked fine. I don't touch plugs in the car any more.
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I changed the iridium in my wife's car at 180K. They looked fine. Idled better and fixed a stumble though.
 
GreyGhost said:
I changed the iridium in my wife's car at 180K. They looked fine. Idled better and fixed a stumble though.
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Main thing is to check if the the gap has extended from electrode erosion, but that's rare with Iridium. The other is to decarbonize. With $5 plugs, it's easy to say F-it and just replace them. With $50 OEM plugs, it's a completely different story. Which begs the question - why do manufacturers recommend changing platinum/iridium plugs at 15k or 20k when they last over 100k in cars (including high-compression performance engines)?
 
Relax said:
Main thing is to check if the the gap has extended from electrode erosion, but that's rare with Iridium. The other is to decarbonize. With $5 plugs, it's easy to say F-it and just replace them. With $50 OEM plugs, it's a completely different story. Which begs the question - why do manufacturers recommend changing platinum/iridium plugs at 15k or 20k when they last over 100k in cars (including high-compression performance engines)?
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Gap was fine. Her car is transverse v6 so you can check or change three plugs in five minutes. Getting to the other three adds a few hours to the job as intake manifold and more needs to come off.
 
timtune said:
Do iridium plugs even need changing? At about 197,000 I pulled the plugs on my Echo only to think I was wasting time and money. Even at 197K they looked fine. I don't touch plugs in the car any more.
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I just would never take a chance on spark plugs being installed for that long.
 
What chance? It's not like a bad plug is catastrophic.

I was changing plugs thru the winter in my old 2 stroke sled, but now that I think about it I can't really recall when I last changed plugs on a 4 stroke. Good chance my KLR with 60,000km on the clock has the original plugs.
 
Relax said:
Main thing is to check if the the gap has extended from electrode erosion, but that's rare with Iridium. The other is to decarbonize. With $5 plugs, it's easy to say F-it and just replace them. With $50 OEM plugs, it's a completely different story. Which begs the question - why do manufacturers recommend changing platinum/iridium plugs at 15k or 20k when they last over 100k in cars (including high-compression performance engines)?
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NGK Iridium plugs would be done around 75,000km on my turbo Mazda SUV. I would forget and change them at another 100,000 and remember how bad they looked last time then vow to change them sooner only to forget and wait another 100,000km.
In comparison everyone on the Honda Odyssey forum says to wait until the Honda recommended 160,000km interval for plug changes as they always still look perfect at that mileage.
Just the difference between boosted and higher performance engines compared to grocery getters I suppose.
 
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