spark plug removal

[GreatDistances]

I'm not sure if the below video has been shared yet here - it's a very thorough approach.  I haven't attempted this yet myself.
 

 

[jeff03064]

How far down are the spark plugs recessed into the hole? I'm wondering if the 14mm spark plug wrench from my Beta 450 will work. It's about 4.75" long with a pivot point at about the 2" mark.  Thoughts?

[Hammerhead]

Finding this thread brings much relief after watch the Aussi’s vid of this project taking hours & involving far too much part removal yesterday. Thanks for the tips gents!

[TimeMachine]

On 1/21/2021 at 11:20 AM, Felipe C said:

@TimeMachine I think you should record a video! Would be very helpful and could get a lot of views. Thank you for sharing.

Like magic...

 

 

[TimeMachine]

20 hours ago, jeff03064 said:

How far down are the spark plugs recessed into the hole? I'm wondering if the 14mm spark plug wrench from my Beta 450 will work. It's about 4.75" long with a pivot point at about the 2" mark.  Thoughts?

The depth of the spark plugs below the top of the rocker cover is 115mm, and your spark plug wrench is 120mm, so you have about a 1/4 inch sticking out the top.

[Felipe C]

4 hours ago, TimeMachine said:

Like magic...

 

 

@TimeMachine Totally magic! Great video buddy, loved the camera close up on top of the engine. Well done! Thank you, we all appreciate it.

[jeff03064]

5 hours ago, TimeMachine said:

Like magic...

 

 

Great video! Thank you for posting!

[TimeMachine]

A forum user has asked for images showing how the wiring is cable tied out of the way. 

 

Here you can see the three cable ties that keep the wiring out of the way (I am pointing to the front one).

 

 

Here you can see the brake lines the bunch of connectors are cable tied to. There is a sharp edge on those rectangular blocks so I have another small cable tie there to keep the wiring away from it.

 

I have also found a nice little 1/4 female to 3/8 male adapter (Bunnings) and 1/4" ratchet to use with the 3/8th spark plug socket. In the cramped space above the engine, this will come in very handy and save carrying too many tools.

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/293972483336?ViewItem=&item=293972483336

 

[James]

On 12/21/2019 at 8:01 PM, WalterT said:

Great video, thanks a lot!

 

I must say that it's a lot of work to get to the plugs. I hope I never drop the bike in a deep water crossing and flood the air box/cilinder. Doing this on the trail is far from practical.

Used to have a Suzuki PE 175 and all you had to do was take the plug spanner off the yoke mount and unscrew the plug under the tank. 

 

Hopefully the T7 plugs last a long time...

[James]

On 12/21/2019 at 8:01 PM, WalterT said:

Great video, thanks a lot!

 

I must say that it's a lot of work to get to the plugs. I hope I never drop the bike in a deep water crossing and flood the air box/cilinder. Doing this on the trail is far from practical.

Used to have a Suzuki PE 175 and all you had to do was take the plug spanner off the yoke mount and unscrew the plug under the tank. 

 

Hopefully the T7 plugs last a long time...

 

Methinks you guys have more time than money

[Yammybound88]

If you need any motivation to change your own plugs - just called Yamaha dealer and asked cost of labour to change plugs; are you sitting down?  2.5 hours - 3 hours $330.00 Canadian.

 

Cheers

[MikeCMP]

that's not as bad as I thought it would be.

 

For my subaru its 150 bucks, and I gladly pay it b/c of how big of a pain in the ass it is. 

 

I would still do it myself on the Tenere, lucky it's not something you have to do all that often.

 

On the Super Tenere, there was no real easy way to do it, the crash bars on mine blocked any front access, so it was undo the tank and remove the airbox, which i hated b/c that crank breather on the bottom was a PITA. Just the worst hose. 

 

Mike

[Uncle M]

@Yammybound88 thanks for checking on that. $330 buys a lot of riding @ 5 liters per 100 km. so well worth doing myself!

Changed mine out in January, following the service manual instructions. Took about two hours and now that I've done it once it should take slightly less time in the future.  Also a good opportunity to check wiring, connectors, fasteners, rust, etc.

[loxsmith]

TimeMachine you are a legend for taking the time to put this together

 

I've got the tank off running GPS cables so thought I'd give this a shot

 

Any tips on getting the coil packs off the first time? They are so tight I'm thinking something is going to break if I keep going

 

Help

Glen

[TimeMachine]

4 hours ago, loxsmith said:

TimeMachine you are a legend for taking the time to put this together

 

I've got the tank off running GPS cables so thought I'd give this a shot

 

Any tips on getting the coil packs off the first time? They are so tight I'm thinking something is going to break if I keep going

 

Help

Glen

Hahaha, no problem. I have no method to offer that would be sure to work (other than brute force). Can guess that some WD40 might help, and some twisting as you pry it up with your fingers. The first time was definitely the worst, and a little grease after that made it easy.

Remember to grease the entire coil pack so that the tip doesn't jam up, just when you think you are winning.

[loxsmith]

This is how I got the coil caps off

I got a very large zip tie, looped it then threaded it between everything above the coil cap concerned

The bottom I looped it around where the wiring loom connects into the coil cap

The top I used a wooden hammer handle as a lever off the frame backbone and slowly lifted until the coil cap seal released 

 

Simples

Mission complete, Glen

 

[Ol'crazy]

3 hours ago, loxsmith said:

This is how I got the coil caps off

I got a very large zip tie, looped it then threaded it between everything above the coil cap concerned

The bottom I looped it around where the wiring loom connects into the coil cap

The top I used a wooden hammer handle as a lever off the frame backbone and slowly lifted until the coil cap seal released 

 

Simples

Mission complete, Glen

 

 

That's the funnest part of mechanics: having to design and build your own tools to solve the challenges that arise. At least for me :-).

 

[AZJW]

Well.... this job was a bit of a pain, but much less of one due to the helpful tips in this thread.  Being the stubborn one, I actually got the wire tray bolts out without removing the gas tank, but getting the actual tray out was probably going to damage the wire loom, so I acquiesced and pulled the tank.  My wire harness must've been secured on a Friday, a couple of minutes before quitting time as it wasn't secured or routed anything like the pics in the @TimeMachine write up.  The left hand coil pack was not coming out due to the smaller wire loom so I had to cut it apart and re-secure it to the large loom, leaving barely enough room to remove the coil pack.  My method for getting the stuck coil packs out was to use a short 2x2 block of wood and a long screwdriver to gently lever them up.  Thanks again to all who have contributed to this thread and  yes, you have to remove the gas tank, at least the first time around to get that wire tray out.

 

 

 

 

[Timo]

Lazy man's question: is it actually useful to check and clean the spark plugs at 10K? Or just leave them as they are, if the engine is running fine, and replace them at 20K?

[bth2]

36 minutes ago, Timo said:

Lazy man's question: is it actually useful to check and clean the spark plugs at 10K? Or just leave them as they are, if the engine is running fine, and replace them at 20K?

i have just replaced my plugs at about 12,000 mls. the plug gaps were just out of spec. they were not checked at 6,000 mls. so i would say leave them untill its time to change them. i have found no noticeable difference in performance. i replaced my plugs with irridium so should last twice as long ???

[AZJW]

4 hours ago, Timo said:

Lazy man's question: is it actually useful to check and clean the spark plugs at 10K? Or just leave them as they are, if the engine is running fine, and replace them at 20K?

In my experience,  cleaning intervals are a waste of time so I just ride em' to the replacement interval.  If you notice a drop off in performance or mileage, maybe check them out. As @bth2noted, after the change, no discernable change in performance and since this bike isn't the easiest to access the plugs, leave them be, plus I'm lazy too!

[Ray Ride4life]

I never understood the halveway check of sparkplugs, just change them in time.

[Oxxa]

On 7/29/2020 at 4:33 PM, Gary b said:

I to was disappointed when I looked at spark plug removal so I set about making it easier.

Firstly I removed the fuel tank and put a couple of rubber tap washers under the abs pump just to raise it by a little,then on the right side of the bike I removed the plastic wiring holder/guard and re routed all the wiring from that side.Some of the wires where able to be tucked into the frame in front of the brake pipes while the others where cable tied up out of harms way. 
I can now access and remove the spark plugs from the right hand side without having to even remove the fuel tank.

All I now have to do is remove the large side panel to get to the plugs.

I can now get the plugs out from start to finish  in less than 4 mins.

Its going to make a big difference when I’ve just drowned my bike on the trails

Is it possible to remove the plastic wiring holder/guard without detaching the tank completely, just getting it loose?

 

Or the tank has to be removed and then the removal of this plastic holder is possible? 
 

thanks!

[Oxxa]

On 1/22/2021 at 12:00 PM, TimeMachine said:

Like magic...

 

 

Will two pieces of 3/8 universal joint finish the job same as in this video?
 

 CRAFTSMAN Universal Joint Socket, 3/8-Inch Drive (CMMT99291) https://a.co/d/gyiYYR9

[Oxxa]

On 2/7/2022 at 4:12 AM, AZJW said:

Well.... this job was a bit of a pain, but much less of one due to the helpful tips in this thread.  Being the stubborn one, I actually got the wire tray bolts out without removing the gas tank, but getting the actual tray out was probably going to damage the wire loom, so I acquiesced and pulled the tank.  My wire harness must've been secured on a Friday, a couple of minutes before quitting time as it wasn't secured or routed anything like the pics in the @TimeMachine write up.  The left hand coil pack was not coming out due to the smaller wire loom so I had to cut it apart and re-secure it to the large loom, leaving barely enough room to remove the coil pack.  My method for getting the stuck coil packs out was to use a short 2x2 block of wood and a long screwdriver to gently lever them up.  Thanks again to all who have contributed to this thread and  yes, you have to remove the gas tank, at least the first time around to get that wire tray out.

 

 

 

 

Did you have to completely remove the tank (gas hose) or just lift it a little bit?