Spark plug socket

[rup5555555]

Hi, I'm looking for a 3/8" drive 10mm spark plug socket that is thin enough to fit the primary plugs, I just got one from Halfords and it looked ok but gets wedged in the hole before it reaches the plug - any ideas where I can get one? the BMW tool is ok but I want to be able to set the right torque.
Thanks
Rupert

 

[ianboydsnr]

Hi, I'm looking for a 3/8" drive 10mm spark plug socket that is thin enough to fit the primary plugs, I just got one from Halfords and it looked ok but gets wedged in the hole before it reaches the plug - any ideas where I can get one? the BMW tool is ok but I want to be able to set the right torque.
Thanks
Rupert

You normaly dont torque sparkplugs, you seat them then give them another quarter turn

 

[GrinningGSer]

You need this long thin one from the Halfords laser line range:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...logId=10151&productId=163003&categoryId=71552

Torque to 24Nm

 

[Wapping]

Seat, then give another quarter turn

I haven't heard that, oddly often accurate, rule-of-thumb, for years. My father, an aircraft engineer, used it when no torque wrench was to hand on non-critical tasks. I used it myself as a young bloke, rebuilding my Mini's engine and assorted motorcycles, all of which never complained.

 

[Paul Rochdale]

I don't own or use a torque wrench and for usual every day tightening can see no use for them. On another forum, many of the posters are Merrycans and they are obsessed with them, seemingly torqueing everything from numberplates bolts to mudguard bolts in the belief that they might strip a thread. Mind you mention has also been made of surforming the back tyre to remove the squareness (No, really!) and oil changes every five minutes.

Spanners are designed in gradually increased lengths (ie the bigger the size, the longer they are) so that the average Joe can use hand strength and not over do it. It's been many years since I last stripped a thread and that was when I put a sparkplug in at a slight angle. Not over tightening, just clumsy. I'll ignore the time when I tried to remove the central bolt from a central heating pump rotor not appreciating it had a left hand thread. It finally sheared off like a carrot and even Easy-outs would get the broken stub out.

 

[RickG]

Don't forget that there's a big difference between a new spark plug and an old one (the crush washer) and so the 'extra quarter turn from seated' makes a big difference to how tight the plug will end up.

 

[karnevil]

Post it to me,with return addy/postage, and I will machine it down for you.

 

[Ali-bear]

Yeah you can do a lot without a Torque wrench - as long as you develop the sense of how much force you are putting on a thread and how strong it is based on the size and material. There are some applications where the torque is more critical and you do need one - for example cylinder head bolts.

I did this for year then finally got one - and I believe I was consistently under-torqueing all that time - but never had a nut or bolt work loose, and never stripped a thread either.

 

[Ali-bear]

You need this long thin one from the Halfords laser line range

Halfords in 10mm size

 

[Commadore]

Nip it up 'till it sheers, then back it off a flat........

 

[Stu_C]

Rule of thumb, after tight comes off...
If it is not a load bearing or critical bolt/screw I would use my own judgement rather than look up torque settings.
Have faith in yourself people!

 

[Owen Snell]

I use the Halfords professional plug socket which fits the primary fine but not the secondary where it was a fraction too big. 5 minutes with a grinder to reduce the outside diameter solved the problem. Alternatively, karnevil will probably do a neater job with a lathe if you send it to him!

BMW torque values for the plugs seem high to me, especially as it is impossible to ensure that the thread is dry so far down into the cylinder head. The Denso plugs I recently fitted stated stated 10 - 15 Nm on the packet, much lower than the BMW figure. For a new plug, seating plus a quarter to half turn works well.

There does seem to be an over reliance on torque figures and torque wrenches by a lot of home maintainers, but probably because thay have no mechanical background and little experience of maintaining machinery.

Most exprienced home mechanics on this site will have developed their skills (i.e. made their mistakes) on crappy old bikes and cars while in their teens and not on a shiny £10k+ BMW. If you are inexperienced, a torque wrench will not save you from buggering up some parts on your bike while climbing the learning curve.

 

[Boxerboy55]

+1 for that

. . . There does seem to be an over reliance on torque figures and torque wrenches by a lot of home maintainers, but probably because thay have no mechanical background and little experience of maintaining machinery.

Most exprienced home mechanics on this site will have developed their skills (i.e. made their mistakes) on crappy old bikes and cars while in their teens and not on a shiny £10k+ BMW. If you are inexperienced, a torque wrench will not save you from buggering up some parts on your bike while climbing the learning curve.

I've had many a chuckle on here with some of the questions and answers around Torque Figures

And has anyone read the saga in the BumWee club magazine about extending a torque wrench. The letters ran for months. Hilarious.

A sense of feel and a fair bit of experience gets you there. I'm not knocking the use of a torque wrench to ensure even tightening on critical fastenings. Bolt tightening is all about stretching the bolt, normally measured via torque, but torque alone will let you down if the bolts are unevenly lubricated or have uneven, sticky threads. The old "seat it + 1/4 turn" on plugs was usually right on.

I did actually check my rear wheel bolt torque at 60 nm as it's coming off tomorrow and I know my limp wrist will struggle to tighten it fully with a 5" torx key alone. But I wouldn't call out the breakdown service if I only had a 5" torx key at the side of the road either. Full right wirst followed by a wee kick would always get me home