77 KZ1000 Spark Plugs Question

I have a 1977 KZ1000. A week or so ago my girlfriend tried to move my bike, and ended up fouling out the plugs. Long story short, I put in new plugs, but didn't take note of the position of the plugs.

I put in the new plugs, plugs 1 and 4 went in all the way, but 2 and 3 (the inner plugs) go in easy for about 3/4 of the way and then it feels like they won't screw in any further. I spoke to a friend who suggested that I might be stripping them, but I took a look and the threads are fine on both the engine and the plugs.

My question is: is this normal, and do your bikes plugs on 2 and 3 go in easy/are flush with the engine?

The bike runs fine with them where they are, but I just wanted to be sure if it would be okay if I just tried my hardest to get them flush?

Let me know!

Strange. They should all be the same....unless the holes are stripped (very possible) or maybe some dirt got on the threads. I would inspect those holes very closely. Try to spin the plugs in and then feel with your fingers if they are seated all the way.

Plug holes may have been stripped previously and somebody may have put a helicoil in there.Sometimes they work their way down and cause a funny feeling when u install new plugs.bj

They don't look stripped when I peek in the hole. It goes in really easy until about 3/4 of the way, then it feels as if there is some tension building. I stuck my fingers in there and I can feel the gap so I know it's not in there all the way. Is it possible that it's stripped far in there? If the plug can get in that far I find it hard to believe that it would have stripped!

Thanks for the input - what risk would I run just straining to get it in there? Or what risk would I run leaving them 3/4 of the way in?

Before you try to force anything: they sell a tool called a thread chaser that will run the threads out. It's like a cutter so it will clean garbage out of the threads and clean up any flaky threads that have been dinged or cross threaded.

www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_009473...&ci_sku=00947321000P

1977kz1000 wrote:

what risk would I run just straining to get it in there?

You could trash the threads out.

1977kz1000 wrote:

Or what risk would I run leaving them 3/4 of the way in?

BIG RISK: if the spark plugs are not pulled down , the compression rings are not flush with the head. You are "holding compression" in the threads alone.

Bounty... With that tool, head off or on?

Reasoning I ask, won't the cut material fall into the piston/combustion area... Probably small and insignificant but had to ask just the same....

Old Man Rock wrote:

Bounty... With that tool, head off or on?

Reasoning I ask, won't the cut material fall into the piston/combustion area... Probably small and insignificant but had to ask just the same....

Good question, I have only seen them used head on. It's only to clear the threads that are already cut so the amount of material that would come loose should be very small. And it should be hard carbon and/or burned oil residue which would blow out OK.

stick a vacume cleaner with a small tube on the end into the plug hole if your really worryd.

You wouldn't believe what I "dropped" into a cylinder. The stupid spark plug on my wife's Saturn basically disintegrated and I had to take it out in pieces. When I got done, I realized a piece was missing: the metal rod that goes up through the insulator (the insulator had broken into pieces). There was also oil down there and when I took what was left of the plug base out, the metal piece fell in. I installed a good plug and started it and it was shaking like a paint shaker.... running on three cylinders.

There were not many options so I just revved it a while and it finally blew that piece out through the exhaust and it has run OK since. :blush:

Can't speak for everyone else but zoomed in, this tool is a large 14mm tap..... Thus in a stripped aluminum head, oh yeah there's going to be some crap falling into the chamber....

Downfall is the head gaskets aren't the cheapest @ $50 but neither is a blown/seized engine, metal shaving caught in valve lip etc.... Pull the head would be the way I'd go to accomplish...

But that's just me.... :blush: :laugh:

OMR

available is a vinyl covered magnet about the size of a pecil eraser on a telescoping rod.If concerned about shavings,get one of those,put in plug hole wiggle around and retrieve all the shavings-metallic trash etc.bj