Just Trashed my XS1100F

[skids]

it would be fine unless you accellerated hard like to enter the freeway and then had to let off the gas - the resulting backpressure would fire the plug out the hole into the inner fender wall with a bang and it would run like crap on 3 cyl until you stopped and redid it -

usually the plug was still hanging by the wire - not always - but 8 times out of 10 - those bugs were tough to kill.
John

Hah! That is funny!

[Stuckinmud15]

I'ma newb too and just had the same issue with my bike, did the helicoil and it went smooth. I globbed vaseline on the end of the tap to catch the shavings, then picked the remaining few out with a screw driver with vaseline on the end of it. Seems to have done the trick. And LMAO at that vw story!

[petejw]

hey newbie,
i posted this early on another thread
hope this helps.


I borrow the kit i use,
with the tap that comes with it,
theres no need to use a drill, as the tap
has a starter thread which is the same size as the spark plug hole,

once the tap is started it increases in thickness to the correct
size of the helicoil, once the tap starts to cut into the alloy it will
take out a fair bit of material, so use plenty of grease on the tap
to catch the bits that come away, also when the tap starts to cut,
turn the tap a quarter/ half a turn then turn it back out again, then quarter/ half a turn then back again keep doing this till it cuts the thread all the way thru.

but pulling the tap out in between to clean the grease and gunk off once it starts to build up.

once the thread is cut, dab a bit of grease on the end of a screw driver
into the plug hole to pick up the alloy that didnt stick to the grease, if uve cleaned the tap throu out there shouldnt be to much that has fallen, i usually have the piston sitting just b4 top dead center.

clean the thread of grease and then screw in the insert, u need to be carefull here cause if u screw it in to far, u wont be able to screw it back out, i usually put a dab of loctite on the insert but its not necesarry.

theres a 'tab' at the bottom of the insert where the special tool grabs onto it,, grab a pair of needle nose pliers and twist it off, if the piece drops, again use a screwdriver with a dab of grease and pull it out.

thats about it, i think, just make sure the tap is square to the hole.

[natemoen]

There is actually a different type of Helicoils that is specifically intended for spark plugs, not saying the regular ones won't work but these work better for this purpose. The regular ones with the little tab that you break off once ot is in can and sometimes, not always, pull out where the spark plug specific ones have a different setup that sort of expands at the end to grab hold of the base material once installed to that it cannot come out. The kit I linked to is the sparkplug specific type. The sparkplug specific coils are also a tighter coil to help prevent compression leaks.

[CaptonZap]

Google "Time-Sert", and go from there.
This is the kind that use an insert that expands once the insert is in place. Then it can not come out.
If there is an automotive shop that deals with old VW's near you, chances are that they will have the stuff to do it, as it was a common repair to BUGS. In fact, any competent repair shop will have a set, since a lot of autos have aluminum heads now days. CZ

[xs1100newb]

I got a spark plug repair kit from O'Reilly's and I am going to do the fix tonight.

I will let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks,
Adam

[natemoen]

I got a spark plug repair kit from O'Reilly's and I am going to do the fix tonight.

I will let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks,
Adam

Awesome! Glad to hear your gonna take a stab at it! Hope it goes well!

[xs1100newb]

Okay,
The hole is tapped and the insert + red locktite is inserted. I am going to let it cure overnight (24 hours), fish out the metal shards, and start the bike up tomorrow night.

Adam

[natemoen]

Glad to hear ya got her fixed! Congrats!

[Shacknasty]

I always use a smear of anti-seize on spark plug threads. Seems to be doing the job...

[ManitoulinLad]

Yeah I now put a little 'no weld" anti seize on my plug threads too. NO probs either with my helicoil since that. - Dan

[xs1100newb]

Everything worked great. The bike started right up and the helicoil is staying in place.

Adam

[jetmechmarty]

And you were going to give up!

[James England]

That happened to me with my T120R Triumpho Bonneville! At night. In the rain. Except the plug was fired out into a ditch. I spent over an hour on my hands and knees in the rain, with a small torch and, amazingly, did eventually find the plug and get home.........