Replacing Spark plug Lines

How do I replace the boots that slip over my spark plugs?

 

spin them off like a light bulb lefty loosely righty tightly

 

NGK Makes nice replacment boots. They screw on like the stock ones

 

I was actually looking at the plug boots with the transparent window so I can visually see that my plugs are firing strong.

Also they just look cool.

 

"plug boots with the transparent window " that sounds cool - never actually seen them - any pics or links?

 

JC Whitney sells them. You may be able to find them other places but here's the link to the ones that fit my bike.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/FLASHING-SPARK ... _10111.jcw

 

Gimmick.

 

How so? Does it not accurately portray the spark condition or does it not really flash? Because if they don't really flash enough to tell then I'll forget about it.

I only really want them just to make sure my plugs are firing, period.

 

If you want to see the spark and how its running, why not get a color tune plug from Chacal?

 

I actually ordered one today. I just want to make sure at any given time that my plugs are firing.

 

You will know when they stop firing! anyone know if this would take away from the useable current to the plugs? could look cool when riding at night tho!

 

Feel the headers.

 

Just to clarify, you mean feel the heat, not actually grab the header, right?

You posted that and my friend James, who is working on his "idling" bike in the garage, thought it was a great idea and proceeded to run out and grab his headers. He screamed as the 800 degree metal burned his hands.

*sigh*

 

Wizard, you had better back off this thread before someone gets cremated!


We've all grabbed things that were too hot to handle (I seem to get a burn somewhere on my body every time I weld) but glow in the dark headers???

Not to put words in Wizards mouth but it might be best to check the header temp when the bike is first started up cold. It's easy to tell the temp differential in the early stages of warm up. Once the headers get to operating temp it would be difficult to tell the difference between 500 deg and 800 deg without a non-contact thermometer. Unless naybe you were to assess the quantity and severity of the blisters on your hands.

The really important information is to know how rich or lean each cylinder is running. This is where the colortune comes into play.

There are a number of great posts re: the colortune plug.

 

First off you can't blame Wiz if someone is goofy enough to GRAB a hot head pipe. Of course he meant "feel the heat" the same way you check your charcoal fire by holding your hand a DISTANCE away and then bringing it toward the heat source. One has to assume a basic level of common sense here.

Those "blinky plug" things are a trashy gimmick, not a diagnostic aid. I couldn't tell you if they do anything to the ignition current, probably not. I wouldn't count on them to be really all that well made though you are probably just looking at introducing a new point of failure.

There is a horribly politically incorrect Detroit street slang name for those that I'm not going to repeat here but needless to say, I would't be caught dead...

Personally I put them in the same category as the blinky cell phone antennas you can buy.

 

Tell james not to worry, the nice men in the clean white suits will take him to a good home.

 

Sorry, I was assuming there was a basic level of common sense lurking out there.

 

Let's look at the dynamics of the spark plug. It needs a couple thousand volts to jump the gap to create that all important spark. Now suppose you are running on a mediocre set of coils (imagine that on our beloved XJs!) and you throw those sparkle toys in there. You are now forcing the ignition pulse to jump through two hoops, reducing it's effectiveness at the pointy end. Not worth the trouble. There is a great little tool I picked up at the auto parts store that lets me hold a pen-like device next to a line and it will inductively flash as the pulse occurs. No loss and less than $10 for the silly thing.