Check those plug tips

[Dave_in_TX]

It's been posted in other threads about the iridium tips on the 1250's spark plugs going missing due to erosion of the weld holding it on the electrode. I had this happen on my 2020 GS when I put the existing plugs back in after a 12k service. I thought it was only a problem when not replacing the plugs every 12k. However, on my 2023 GS, when a tip went missing in less then 12k, I switched to the dual electrode style plug used in the liquid cooled 1200s, even though I thought this might just be a freak occurrence. However, a recent post on advrider.com (https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/r-1250-engine-ngk-lmra8ai-10-spark-plug-failures-need-your-help.1712903/page-8#post-51356959) seems to indicate it's not as rare as I thought. I would recommend inspecting the plugs at much less mileage than 12k. You'll probably need a magnifying glass to check the the weld isn't eroding.

 

FWIW, I have been using the dual electrode plugs in my 2023 for about 27k miles and have not been able to detect any difference in fuel mileage or performance. The dual electrode plugs have a 0.8mm gap while the iridium plugs have a 1.0mm gap. However, I think the difference in gap between the 1200 and 1250 is due to the difference in plug construction, not because of any differences between the two engines and that 0.8mm is correct for the dual electrode plug in the 1250.. Fine wire electrode plugs like iridium require less voltage to fire, and there are usually benefits to a larger gap when the ignition system can support it, so I think BMW simply took advantage of this when going from the dual electrode in the 1200 to the iridium plug in the 1250.

[JCtx]

Did you have to re-gap those plugs? Or they come from the factory like that, and are specific to the 1200 LCs? Do you happen to have the P/N by any chance? I don't like how flimsy those iridium plugs are, and a fallen tip could cause a lot of damage, and my bike is a week away from losing the warranty. I might replace them sooner rather than later. Going on a short bike trip tomorrow (finally), and should come back with about 4K miles on the clock. Should I replace them now? Or until when? Thanks.

[Paddler]

I still can't believe BMW uses those plugs in their new bikes.  How embarrassing for them.  

I replaced mine with the dual electrode type in my 2020 R1250RS, didn't worry about the gap.  They work fine.

[Dave_in_TX]

8 hours ago, JCtx said:

Did you have to re-gap those plugs? Or they come from the factory like that, and are specific to the 1200 LCs? Do you happen to have the P/N by any chance? I don't like how flimsy those iridium plugs are, and a fallen tip could cause a lot of damage, and my bike is a week away from losing the warranty. I might replace them sooner rather than later. Going on a short bike trip tomorrow (finally), and should come back with about 4K miles on the clock. Should I replace them now? Or until when? Thanks.

The dual electrode plugs come gapped at 0.8mm. I'm running LMAR9D-J but the standard heat range LMAR8D-J should work fine too.

 

Should you replace them now? That's up to you. All I can tell you is not to trust the iridiums without periodically inspecting them.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

19 hours ago, Dave_in_TX said:

You'll probably need a magnifying glass to check the the weld isn't eroding.

 

Everybody needs an Optivisor:

https://www.amazon.com/Donegan-Optical-OptiVISOR-Headband-Magnifier/dp/B0068OSIIS

 

I was using one of these before my eyes ever hit middle-age and turned to crap.  Very handy.   Get a variety of lenses so you can be ready for different viewing needs.

 

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing the ADVRider thread.  having read through both, I'm pretty shocked at how bad those iridium plugs are behaving.  My 2023 1250RT has just over 5K on it; I think I'll look at swapping out the plugs when I do the 6K oil change.

 

 

[rounder jim]

I have been running these iridium plugs for 108,000 miles now and have never seen the iridium tip fall off or be worn to nothing.  My wife"s 2018 Honda Accord, Touring ,2 liter, comes with NGK Iridium  (DILKAR8P8SY)..  The recomended service interval on this car is 100k. I replaced the plugs this weekend at 64K because 4 plugs cost less than $30 and the job took me less than 35 minutes. The iridium tips looked fine but I was surprised at the dark color of the plugs. Much darker than the nearly white color of the plugs coming out of my 22 Triple Black RT. 

   I am not an engineer . I trust Honda"s and BMW's engineers to put what they feel is the best plug in my engines

[Dave_in_TX]

1 hour ago, rounder jim said:

I have been running these iridium plugs for 108,000 miles now and have never seen the iridium tip fall off or be worn to nothing.  My wife"s 2018 Honda Accord, Touring ,2 liter, comes with NGK Iridium  (DILKAR8P8SY)..  The recomended service interval on this car is 100k. I replaced the plugs this weekend at 64K because 4 plugs cost less than $30 and the job took me less than 35 minutes. The iridium tips looked fine but I was surprised at the dark color of the plugs. Much darker than the nearly white color of the plugs coming out of my 22 Triple Black RT. 

   I am not an engineer . I trust Honda"s and BMW's engineers to put what they feel is the best plug in my engines

Are you saying you have been running the LMAR8AI-10 for 108000 miles in a 1250? Not everyone seems to have a problem with them but they don't seem to have the durability of other iridium plugs.

[JCtx]

My guess is he's been reusing them, so not just 1 pair. For what I've seen on this forum, there's no way the engine would even run with half that mileage. So let's wait for Jim to respond, but no way in hell I'd leave them even for 12K miles. I'm going to order the much sturdier (and more reliable) dual-plug ones shortly, and change them at 4K miles. Seems to me bikes use more powerful coils, which eat up plugs much quicker than cars. Not sure there's any other explanation.

[MikeB60]

He is referring to the iridium plugs in the Honda Accord. 

[Dave_in_TX]

11 hours ago, JCtx said:

My guess is he's been reusing them, so not just 1 pair. For what I've seen on this forum, there's no way the engine would even run with half that mileage. So let's wait for Jim to respond, but no way in hell I'd leave them even for 12K miles. I'm going to order the much sturdier (and more reliable) dual-plug ones shortly, and change them at 4K miles. Seems to me bikes use more powerful coils, which eat up plugs much quicker than cars. Not sure there's any other explanation.

If you're switching to the dual electrode [lug, there's no need to switch them out at 4k. NGK says they're good to 50k in auto applications

[JCtx]

I'm going to switch TO the dual-electrode LMAR8D-Js for the first time, at around 4K miles. I just want those potentially dangerous stock LMAR8Ai-10s out of there. Apparently there's no need to order coil extractors, with only 4K miles. If somebody had an issue removing the coils with just your fingers, and I need an extractor tool, please post which one I need to buy. Thanks gang.

[Dave_in_TX]

5 hours ago, JCtx said:

I'm going to switch TO the dual-electrode LMAR8D-Js for the first time, at around 4K miles. I just want those potentially dangerous stock LMAR8Ai-10s out of there. Apparently there's no need to order coil extractors, with only 4K miles. If somebody had an issue removing the coils with just your fingers, and I need an extractor tool, please post which one I need to buy. Thanks gang.

I doubt you'll be able to pull the coils by just using your fingers. You can use two flat bladed screwdrivers to pry them loose. Put a rag between the screwdrivers and valve cover to avoid scratches.

[Rougarou]

I've been using these forever.  Put the tips in the coil wedges/indentations and use the head as leverage.  Coil slides right out.

 

[JCtx]

Somebody here told me he did it with just his fingers. But after your post, rather have the proper tool. Any idea where to buy it? Hopefully they're not too expensive, as I'll probably use it just once or twice. Thanks.

[Rougarou]

10 minutes ago, JCtx said:

 rather have the proper tool.

 

The proper tool is the one that gets the job done and it doesn't have to be the specifically designed tool for the purpose. 

[Dave_in_TX]

6 hours ago, JCtx said:

Somebody here told me he did it with just his fingers. But after your post, rather have the proper tool. Any idea where to buy it? Hopefully they're not too expensive, as I'll probably use it just once or twice. Thanks.

A Google search for bmw coil puller shows them available at ebay, Amazon, and Sierra BMW, as well as others. Ebay appears to be cheapest.

[JCtx]

Hey, thank you very much for your help. Found several on Amazon, but went with the only one with 5 stars, so avoid any potential issues, and it's a reasonable $13, so not worth looking elsewhere. Here it is, in case somebody else wants it too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BJVBNC5C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AUVSHH72YEZ2Z&psc=1. Thanks again for your help. Have a great weekend ahead.

[Rougarou]

Let's do realtime plug change