Spark Plug Cap puller

[DavidR1200RT]

I've recently sold my R1150RT and didn't realize until I got my new R1200RT that the toolkit was pathetic that comes with the R1200RT. I've been able to replace most of the tools but need that little spark plug cap puller. Would anyone have one they would be willing to let go. BTW, I love my R1200RT - a great improvement over the R1150RT.

 

Thanks,

 

David

[Allen Rowand]

Welcome, David!

 

I have one of these:

http://www.marcparnes.com/BMW_Plug_Tool.htm

 

sitting in the garage unused, since it won't work on my fancy police wires. It could be yours for the price of postage and a box/shipping envelope if you're interested. The garage is at my mother in law's, so it may take a day or so to get over there to get it…

 

Send me a PM if you're interested.

 

Allen

[T__]

David, you can chase down & buy anything from a cheap plastic COP remover to a very expensive machined aluminum one to an easy to make yourself loop of wire or string around the coil below the bend.. Personally & just use 2 screwdrivers with a little protection on the valve cover area where the screwdrivers fulcrum sits.. Tip of screwdriver blades in the coil removal notch top & bottom on the coil..

 

What ever method you choose be sure to disconnect the wire harness to the coil first as it is O so easy to ruin a coil where the wire attaches when removing the coil if the wires are not removed from the coil first..

 

 

Twisty

 

[JayW]

..make yourself loop of wire or string around the coil below the bend...

 

This is what I do. It's not quite as fast and certainly not as elegant as the custom-made tool, but does the job well enough given how infrequently I change out the plugs (every 2 years or so).

 

Jay

[Hall Vince]

Personally & just use 2 screwdrivers with a little protection on the valve cover area where the screwdrivers fulcrum sits.. Tip of screwdriver blades in the coil removal notch top & bottom on the coil..

Twisty

 

And this is what I do.

 

BTW,

I have two of the cheap plastic ones, complete waste of time IMO.

\v/

[Kannon]

Twisty, where (how) do you disconnect the wiring from the coils (plug caps)? I have changed the primary plugs 5 times and the secondarys 3 times on my '05 RT without disconnecting any wiring and so far haven't had a problem, but I don't want to cause problems if wiring is easy to disconnect.

(I also just use the 2 small screwdriver method to remove the caps.)

 

Thanks,

[Albert]

Check where the wire goes into the stick coil. You'll find a little clip (much like the plugs used on a telephone line in your home). You depress a little clip, and the wire pulls out of the coil. The reason for removing (in my opinion) is that they're easy to pull "partially" apart when you remove the coils. If you put things together like that you may find an extremely poor running bike (DAMHIK). By removing the plug each time you miminize the chance of damaging the wire/connector and you're forced to insure all is plugged securely together when you finish.

[T__]

 

Kannon, the problem of not disconnecting the wires to the coil is (IF) the coil suddenly pulls or pops loose from the spark plug it can jump out with such speed & force it damages the wires or coil connector..

 

This isn’t a big problem with the 2 screwdriver method as that method usually just gently & softly unseats the coil from the spark plug with little if any coil jumping or sudden coil popping loose..

 

The wire damage is more prevalent with the coil puller tools or the string loop method as that takes a pretty decent tug on the coil to unseat the coil so there can be a fairly violent coil release from the spark plug.. (the main reason I use the 2 screwdriver method)

 

 

 

Twisty

[Kannon]

Thank you both for the tip - this is one lesson I'm sure I eventually would have learned the hard way

 

 

[Grumpy-ol-Fart]

I guess this may sound really freaky to you all, but when I did the 6000-mi. valve adjustment, I removed the plastic cover and reached into the little hole and grasped the rubber cap with my thumb and forefinger and twisting gently back and forth easily pulled the cap off the plug. Based on the posts, this obviously isn't the preferred method, but I found it pretty simple...

[T__]

I guess this may sound really freaky to you all, but when I did the 6000-mi. valve adjustment, I removed the plastic cover and reached into the little hole and grasped the rubber cap with my thumb and forefinger and twisting gently back and forth easily pulled the cap off the plug. Based on the posts, this obviously isn't the preferred method, but I found it pretty simple...

 

Tim, nothing wrong with that but as your bike gets more time & miles on it you will find those coils just won’t come off the spark plugs that easily..

 

I guess the bottom line here is: it really doesn’t matter how you get the coils off the spark plugs as long as you don’t damage the coils or the wires going to the coils doing it..

 

Twisty