[brs127s]

Hey folks,

I am putting new plugs on my 02. I bought the hotter NGK iridium plugs, because that is what it currently has in it. My problem is the manual calls for a gap no greater an 1 MM. The new plugs have a gap greater than that, and the box states not to gap them in order not to damage the iridium electrode. Has anyone installed the NGKs and did you gap them or leave them alone?

 

[seajay]

1 mm can't be right. I just looked it up and found 30-43mm gap. That sounds normal to me for a fuel injected engine.

 

[Gearhead759]

Plug gap is not measured in mm, it is measured in thousandths of an inch. .030-.043

 

[brs127s]

My manual and my gap gauge shows mm and in. 1 mm is equal to .04 in. If you really want to get technical, it is 1.016mm to .04 in.

That still doesn't answer my question. Do you gap the plugs or leave them alone?

 

[coopi]

My manual and my gap gauge shows mm and in. 1 mm is equal to .04 in. If you really want to get technical, it is 1.016mm to .04 in.

That still doesn't answer my question. Do you gap the plugs or leave them alone?

Why are you changing plugs at 11k?
But I will answer your question for you in a technical way...........DO NOT ADJUST....but I'm guessing here that you will go ahead and adjust them anyway and screw them up. The box is labled do not adjust for a reason,not because they had extra ink and decided to print useless info.
I changed the serpintine belt on the CEO's cage last week it had a warning label "Do not change belt while engine is running" did what the label said, no problems..............
Coopi

 

[joemomma]

Do not gap Iridium plugs! They are pre gapped

 

[brs127s]

Why are you changing plugs at 11k?

One, I thought the VTX was idling a little rougher that usual. Two, it may not have been within the mileage for changing, but I didn't know if they were the original plugs for sure, and if so they would have been 7 years old. Over time, things break down. Your owner's manual and shop manuals say to change the oil every 8000 miles, but what if it takes you a couple of years to reach that? Are you going to go by the mileage or the time? Plus I used to change the plugs in my old bike every two years, regardless of the mileage. Parts do have flaws, and they may not show up right away. I have even had new plugs that were bad.

But I will answer your question for you in a technical way...........DO NOT ADJUST....but I'm guessing here that you will go ahead and adjust them anyway and screw them up. The box is labled do not adjust for a reason,not because they had extra ink and decided to print useless info.
I changed the serpintine belt on the CEO's cage last week it had a warning label "Do not change belt while engine is running" did what the label said, no problems..............
Coopi

Not everybody ignores directions, so don't make assumptions. I put the plugs in as they were. I didn't torque them either...I hand tightened them, then used the rachet/plug socket to tighten them another half turn, just as the manual states.

Do not gap Iridium plugs! They are pre gapped

They may have been pregapped, but the boxes did not indicate that they were. Also, I always check the gap on new plugs, even if they are pregapped, as they may not be pregapped to the correct gap. My shop manual states the plug gap should not allow the 1mm(.04in) wire of a wire gap gauge to fit. Well, all 4 brand new plugs allowed the 1mm(.04) wire to pass with no resistance.

Doesn't matter now, the plugs have been installed just as they came out of the box. The VTX is idling much smoother.

 

[kaos1369]

plug gap!

dont run the hot plugs unless you are revving the mother real hard bro!! run the spec plugs and just put them straight in, dont touch the gap!! cheers mate!:choppersm

 

[tnvnl]

According to the manual, the gap is 1 - 1.1mm, it also says, do not adjust a plug gap, if gap is out of spec, replace.

 

[coopi]

One, I thought the VTX was idling a little rougher that usual. Two, it may not have been within the mileage for changing, but I didn't know if they were the original plugs for sure, and if so they would have been 7 years old. Over time, things break down. Your owner's manual and shop manuals say to change the oil every 8000 miles, but what if it takes you a couple of years to reach that? Are you going to go by the mileage or the time? Plus I used to change the plugs in my old bike every two years, regardless of the mileage. Parts do have flaws, and they may not show up right away. I have even had new plugs that were bad.


Not everybody ignores directions, so don't make assumptions. I put the plugs in as they were. I didn't torque them either...I hand tightened them, then used the rachet/plug socket to tighten them another half turn, just as the manual states.

Just hope the are tight enough to stay in,cause when they loosen enough to blow out, well you might be able to use a hela-coil(sp?) or a chaser and by the way, don't ass-u-me anything


They may have been pregapped, but the boxes did not indicate that they were. Also, I always check the gap on new plugs, even if they are pregapped, as they may not be pregapped to the correct gap. My shop manual states the plug gap should not allow the 1mm(.04in) wire of a wire gap gauge to fit. Well, all 4 brand new plugs allowed the 1mm(.04) wire to pass with no resistance.

Read your original post concerning the box info

Doesn't matter now, the plugs have been installed just as they came out of the box. The VTX is idling much smoother.

Glad to hear you did not adjust the gap

 

[Scotrod]

Well, call me a rebel, but YES, you CAN indeed gap Iridiums if you go about it the right way!



I've done it on several jet ski's and also on my Silverado long before I ever owned the X

Most people like to increase the gap on plugs by jammin the gauge between the electrode and the ground 'strap' and wigglin it around,,,

Well, that might work on 'standard' plugs, but if ya done that to an Iridium, Chances are ya just busted the iridium electrode,,, :spank:

It's far easier to tell the end user to NOT gap a plug than it is to teach him how to do it correctly.

You can gap Iridiums (or any similar plug) if you use the right tool for the job:

VERN, if ya look real close, you'll see it says GAP OPENER on that there hole in this 99 cent tool,,, Contrary to popular belief, that 'hole' has a greater purpose, and isn't just there to 'hang it up on the wall',,,,

Use the GAP OPENER to slowly open the gap, (if needed) and gentle taps on a hard surface to close the gap.

Never busted a plug yet. Gaps all set where they should be.

 

[TM1]

^^^^What he said

Kinda surprised by some of the responses here.

 

[Ihubby]

^^^^What he said

Kinda surprised by some of the responses here.

I have an 03 and am installing Autolite iridium xp3924. Right on the box it says “Important, set gap before installing”. That says it all.

 

[DreamBike]

Most spark plugs are not adjustable, only cheapest ones are. I bought cheap ones recently but didn't adjust them anyway... It is a good idea to visually check all of them at once to make sure none of them have unusually small gap due to damage.

 

[Mpg2015]

Why are you changing plugs at 11k?
But I will answer your question for you in a technical way...........DO NOT ADJUST....but I'm guessing here that you will go ahead and adjust them anyway and screw them up. The box is labled do not adjust for a reason,not because they had extra ink and decided to print useless info.
I changed the serpintine belt on the CEO's cage last week it had a warning label "Do not change belt while engine is running" did what the label said, no problems..............
Coopi

So contrary to popular belief those plugs might have been pretty gapped at the factory however by the time you get them they are not where they're supposed to be, many times I've had to regap a plug because it the Gap was wrong, a lot of them come at 45 however sometimes your car calls for 40 or even 65, let's say that you get a plug that's supposed to be gapped at 45 and it's sitting at 65 do you leave it where it's at? I assume any good mechanic would regap

 

[JPT]

So contrary to popular belief those plugs might have been pretty gapped at the factory however by the time you get them they are not where they're supposed to be, many times I've had to regap a plug because it the Gap was wrong, a lot of them come at 45 however sometimes your car calls for 40 or even 65, let's say that you get a plug that's supposed to be gapped at 45 and it's sitting at 65 do you leave it where it's at? I assume any good mechanic would regap

My understanding with iridium sparkplugs is if you gap them the traditional way is you can damage the electrode, as they are very brittle. If someone really felt they NEEDED to regap them, one should use a gap tool.

I don't gap iridium sparkplugs, for cars or for motorcycles (I have a 1300 now). I do gap copper spark plugs.