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DIY: FZ-07 Spark Plugs


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1 hour ago, fzar said:

@steveng42 Can you explain this to me! 5/8 socket would be bigger than 1/2 inch in my understanding. Maybe I'm missing something, I'm just trying to cover all aspects before I give it a try.

I think he meant a 3/8 socket set not 5/8!!  Just a typo.

 

Gary

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yall need to use a really thin thin wall deep socket...the normal thick walled deep sockets wont reach the spark plug to unthread em... you can even use a burst of air to help pop the coil caps outta the hole...

2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition...2015 fj-09- 120whp- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich Race Kit- tuned by 2WDW
 

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Here's the thin wall socket I got to use on my FZ-07. But I'll admit I've not had to use it yet since I've got a lot of miles to put on before I'll need new plugs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M7TJFX7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Edit: When I got it I only paid USD$7 not sure why the price has more than doubled since then. Might be worth watching the pricing to see if you can catch it for less.

Update: I have successfully used the above linked socket to change the plugs on two different FZ-07s. I'd buy it again. 👍

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DewMan
 
Just shut up and ride.

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18 hours ago, steveng42 said:

Hi all. I have just completed that spark plug check. I decided to gap them and put them back in even though it was the 10,000km/6,000mil check. I have always serviced my own bikes but this is the first water cooled one I have had and it is a lot different. I had seen the LS you tube clip and thou it was useful there were some omissions which could and did trip up a newbie. There are some other things which I feel might help others starting out.

The phrase "remove all the plastics" sounds fine until you realize there are four different types of fastening holding the side covers on. On each side there are:

1, Chromed screws about five from memory.

2. Two black plastic clips push in center to undo. These are hidden away.

3. Two points where plastic pins fit into rubber grommets. On undoing these the grommet come away with the plastic cover. But the grommets must be transferred back into their holes for the plastic cover to be reassembled.

4. Two plastic clips on the top center of the tank.

I got stumped by the main fuel feed. It is shown in the clip with its red slide but no explanation as to how you get it off the tank fitting. The local Yamaha dealer told me the answer. The under side of the tank has a white plastic fitting that has a tube that fits into right angle fitting with the red slide. The trick to getting these two fittings apart is that with the red slide pulled it exposes buttons top and bottom of the black fitting that when pressed toward each other, this allows the fitting to be pulled off the white tube of the tank. The fittings do not let fuel out.

I thought I was O.K. with my 1/2" drive deep 14mm socket and extension. When rotating it the right noises ware made but the plug never came loose. Why? A 1/2" drive socket has too large a diameter to let the socket reach and engage with the plug. A 5/8" socket and extension are needed as shown in the clip.

I see some one gave up on getting the plug caps out. What is not said is that there is a button on the wiring plug to the cap, that must be pressed to disconnect the wiring. It is only when you have done this that the plug caps can be rotated. While it would seem that they can be puled out directly, they are to some extent engages with the thread on the top of the spark plugs. Rotating them anticlockwise helps them to start coming out and the reverse direction for the final assembly. Undoing that cable clip on the left side of the bike helps with the extraction on that side. The plug caps do not come out the top easily, it is better to take them out through the space between the top of the engine and the frame on the right side.

Sorry for the length. Get in and give it a go The bike is not yours unless you show it some love.

Steveng42

          

Sorry on at least two levels. Yes as has been pointed out, a 5/8" socket will have a larger diameter than a 1/2" drive one. My mistake I should have put a 3/8" drive socket. I'm not even sure that 5/8" drive sockets are made. The other thing is that I am not sure that I am responding to the person who pointed out my error in the right way, I am new to posing on forums and maybe this response should be linked to his correction but I figured it should be close to the text where I made the mistake.

Steveng42  

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On 2/17/2018 at 12:00 AM, steveng42 said:

Sorry on at least two levels. Yes as has been pointed out, a 5/8" socket will have a larger diameter than a 1/2" drive one. My mistake I should have put a 3/8" drive socket. I'm not even sure that 5/8" drive sockets are made. The other thing is that I am not sure that I am responding to the person who pointed out my error in the right way, I am new to posing on forums and maybe this response should be linked to his correction but I figured it should be close to the text where I made the mistake.

Steveng42  

Its me who pointed it out, its no big deal I was just trying to clarify, that if you had noticed things that might trip up people about certain inaccuracies in LS youtube thing, then it would be a good idea to make your distinctions accurate. I understand typo's and mistakes but it was typed twice, so I wanted it to be clear. As I said I'm going to be doing this myself ASAP.

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On 2/16/2018 at 6:49 AM, faffi said:

Reading this makes me miss my old Z400 twin. Check spark plugs: Pull of cap, fit spark plug tool over spark plug, undo said plug, inspect/replace as needed, fit spark plug, fit cap, done. 

You're showing your age, lol!

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Beemer

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No spark plugs were ever easier than the ones on my '76 R90/6

 

And I can remember gasoline being 30 cents/gal - no ethanol, just lots of lead. 

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5 hours ago, rick said:

No spark plugs were ever easier than the ones on my '76 R90/6

 

And I can remember gasoline being 30 cents/gal - no ethanol, just lots of lead. 

A CB100 is easier, mate, and also the mentioned Z400 because on your beemer you need to kneel :))

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13 hours ago, faffi said:

A CB100 is easier, mate, and also the mentioned Z400 because on your beemer you need to kneel :))

Hah, the CB100 will have the old Rs by a cylinder, but "kneel"? Nah, used to pull up a stool and have a sit for plugs and valve adjust on that bike. 

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The Beemer will have the Z400 beat when it comes to valve adjustment - 4 narrow plugs/holes limit access, and the fuel tank must come off. Still, overall the old Kawa twin is easy peasy to work on compared to an old airhead in my opinion - the BMWs (any BMW) have lots of silly things combined with lots of brilliant things to make the end product so-so. Things like having to pull the gearbox every 20k miles for a spline lube is a task that takes more time than lubing and adjusting a final drive chain over the same distance. Air filters are a pain on later airheads as well. Give and take. Although I must admit I am biased as I strongly prefer Japanese motorcycles. My brother strongly favours English and Italian bikes and find little joy with "Jap crap", although he will admit the oriental bikes are generally built to a higher quality standard.

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Both my old R bikes (also had an '82 R100RS until '97) and a 96 K1100RS had one nice feature - drain plugs on the fork legs. Fork oil swaps were a breeze, nothing like what we do nowadays. 

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So did my Z650 and my XV750 has them also. Very convenient, and guarantees that more people actually change their fork oils every now and then. The downside is that there will remain a not unsubstantial amount of debris at the bottom of the fork that doesn't get flushed out. But man, do I wish the MT07 forks had them when experimenting with fork oil qualities!

Edited by faffi
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11 hours ago, faffi said:

So did my Z650 and my XV750 has them also. Very convenient, and guarantees that more people actually change their fork oils every now and then. The downside is that there will remain a not unsubstantial amount of debris at the bottom of the fork that doesn't get flushed out. But man, do I wish the MT07 forks had them when experimenting with fork oil qualities!

Hmmm? mill flat, drill and tap next time forks are apart...why not?

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3 hours ago, markstertt said:

Hmmm? mill flat, drill and tap next time forks are apart...why not?

The purists would argue that fluid levels need to be exact and that's hard to to do just by draining from the bottom and pouring new in the top. And yeah, there would always be some goo left behind at the bottom. not a big deal in this type of fork, but with a compression valve at the bottom of a cartridge fork, inverting the forks to let that sponge drain out as much as possible is a good thing.

 

Be that as it may, it's a right good question. Most of us would never feel a 5mm difference in fluid height. 

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9 hours ago, markstertt said:

Hmmm? mill flat, drill and tap next time forks are apart...why not?

I'm a big fan of tapered pipe plugs in non-pressure situations... ;)

 

I fully intend to pop some drain plugs in mine. It's worth just to keep from having to fool with that damn front fender...

Edited by shinyribs
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3 hours ago, shinyribs said:

I'm a big fan of tapered pipe plugs in non-pressure situations... ;)

 

I fully intend to pop some drain plugs in mine. It's worth just to keep from having to fool with that damn front fender...

Well, if using a pipe plug then just do it assembled and no need for a 'flat' or spot face, put some grease on your drill bit and drill away, then run in a greased pipe tap and let weight of bike flush the fluid/chips out as you go. If your quick, not even much of a mess. 

 

I hear you about the front fender, I was looking at the one piece CF duplicate fender on Ebay... if the tail end was 4" longer I'd buy it.

 

Boy, this couldn't get much further from a 'spark plug' thread could it? 

Edited by markstertt
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6 hours ago, rick said:

but spark plugs would make for an interesting drain plug. 😉

Yes but wouldn't they foul easily in all that oil? Need a much hotter heat range I suspect.🤔

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I did the plugs today, first time on this bike. While I was at it I replaced the air-filter and rubber seal between the the filter and cover box. Thoroughly enjoyed getting in there and discovering what was going on. Fun part was semi attaching the tank and getting it plumbed up to see if it would fire up, and it did without any hesitation. The old plugs were done and the filter was pretty bad.  

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6 hours ago, fzar said:

I did the plugs today, first time on this bike. While I was at it I replaced the air-filter and rubber seal between the the filter and cover box. Thoroughly enjoyed getting in there and discovering what was going on. Fun part was semi attaching the tank and getting it plumbed up to see if it would fire up, and it did without any hesitation. The old plugs were done and the filter was pretty bad.  

Congrats on getting in there and getting it done yourself.  👍 So, was accessing the plugs as hard as some have said?

Edited by DewMan

DewMan
 
Just shut up and ride.

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7 hours ago, DewMan said:

👍 So, was accessing the plugs as hard as some have said?

It was difficult this being the first time, saying that, I'm a glutton for punishment and anal retentive (ocd) about how I lay things out in my head and on the floor when I strip the plastic body panels and fasteners.

Pulling the plastic panels I've done a few times so no stress there.

 

The next part I had to take a while and plan as to worst case scenario in the event of! was pulling the tank off. I've had it raised before for the snorkel removal, but pulling fuel lines and breather pipes and the electric connections had me worried about having half a tank of gas all over me and the bike and the floor. I just went at it, what's the worst that could happen, right!! I put tape to mark what went where and for anything that might get overseen, like get hidden in the frame or tucked under something. There's 5 connections total, I didn't reference anything as I read this original thread a few times before. It's pretty straight forward, 1 connection at the front right of the tank the IntakeAirTemp sensor, 2 hose's, breather and overflow on the right by the ecu, fuel pump wiring connection under the tank and the fuel hose there also, (you have to slide the outer cover to pinch the release tabs on the fuel hose.) I put old t-shirt's and rag under the fuel line just in case.  A few drops came out, nothing to be concerned about.

 

Next I got the ecu out of the way, looked at what I was dealing with and consider accessibility points, (cursing Yamaha tech's that put all that wiring harness on top of the cylinder 1 coil over cap,left side.) I just went at it again. I started with cylinder 2 (right-side) it took some time, I found as awkward as it is I managed to get it out twisting over and back lifting it up, it took a while, but once I figured out how they wanted to play it came out quickly. I now knew the deal, so the dreaded cylinder 1 with less accessibility, and the wiring harness on top of it was a lot faster to remove. Took the plugs out, inspected everything. The plugs were bad  9,300 miles.

 

Getting the new plugs in presented another challenge, the tubing I had wasn't going to work. I looked around for another option and the only thing I could use at this time was a drinking straw from a fast food place. I cut it vertically to get it to sit over the top of the spark plug, guided it down, started the thread, 100 revolutions later checked to see if it was actually picking up the thread by inserting the magnet wand and then the socket with its rubber wall to see if I could lift it out. I had taken to the thread. tightened by hand,torque wrench and socket to spec 9.4ft/lbs according to the owners manual. My 3/8 torque wrench is in inch/lbs so 9.4ft/lbs= 112.8inch/lbs. Got the tank temporarily in place,re-attach pipes and connections. Fired it up, put everything back. Done. It took me 3 hours  with casual snacks.

 

So to answer your question. Yes accessing the plugs is a PITA for the first time.

👍

 

 

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I would have put up pictures of the plugs,naked naked bike, etc. I tried yesterday even with HDR off and choosing to edit the photo's to a lower resolution. No joy, can't figure it out. 

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