Spark Plug removal

[CornellMedic]

Ok, so does anybody know what size the plugs are in a '93 1100? I have some new ones to put in that are 18mm but I can't get the old ones out. my 18 mm socket doesn't seem to work. Is it possible that the socket is too thick to fit all the way down? This is really starting to piss me off.

[Black_peter]

I use a standard deep Craftsman 18mm socket..
I have heard others say they need a "thin walled" socket.
I have never had issues. But maybe some of the castings are different?
So some are ok and some need thin wall?

[The CyberPoet]

You'll need a deep-welled, fairly thin-walled socket. Odds are your socket isn't getting down over them. You might want to also check the toolkit for the bike -- the standard field tool for the plugs may still be in there (it'll look like a piece of round metal pipe with one end stamped into a hex shape and a pair of holes close to the other end for a screwdriver shaft to fit through).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[CornellMedic]

I am familiar with the socket that comes with a bike tool kit. Unfortunately I was not so lucky as to have said kit included with the bike when I got it. Yeah, I figured the socket I have wasn't getting done far enough. And the thin walled one I do have isn't long enough to both reach the plug and clear the top enough for me to turn it.

Anyone happen to know where I can get a thin-walled socket/wrench, for an 18mm nut size.

[Keyhole]

Careful of debris around the plugs. It can fall into the cylinder head.

[The CyberPoet]

Like Black_peter said, most people find them at Sears as a craftsman deepwell.
If I recall, MD86 reported sucess with cheap tools at various auto parts stores (where thin-walled is a matter of construction cost rather than specific design).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

Yes , I bought a cheap socket and it fit perfectly . And "not tall enough to turn it" . I hope you don't just need an extension ......

[Black_peter]

And "not tall enough to turn it" . I hope you don't just need an extension ......

I think he means it's not deep enough..

[md86]

Oh . I figured if it was a deepwell socket , it'd be deep enough .