Am I flucked?

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Hi guys,

Was about to adjust the valve clearances on my Honda XR125 this morning, using the old TDC method. All fine until I couldn't find a thin screwdriver or metal rod to put in the spark plug hole to watch it rise as TDC approached.. so I used a pencil.

It snapped in the damn hole as the piston thing rose. 

I struggle with an oil change, so what to do next I have no idea or & don't think I'm capable of stripping the engine down if that's needed.. but then I can't afford 100's of £££ to get it done either.

Any ideas?

I've given up basically, I honestly feel getting the damn bike was the worst thing to happen to me right now.. a bus really doesn't seem too bad considering. 

[UK Bike Forum Member]

try a small magnet first to see if you can get it out, otherwise it head off mate.


whereabouts are you, the may be a spanner monkey nearby

[UK Bike Forum Member]

I can probably save you........

[UK Bike Forum Member]

just an idea but if it was me i would flush it out with petrol, bits of pencil should float up to the entrance to the hole and you should be able to grab it with forceps or one of those cheap grabby tool things.

like i said, thats what i would do but i dont know if its wise or not obviously you would have to suck the petrol out afterwards with a tube or syringe or something and let it dry out

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Cheers guys. The pencil is jammed pretty solidly down there somehow so flushing it out won't work I don't think.

Gonna have to attempt to take the head off as mentioned I guess.. just downloaded a Haynes manual, gonna give it a go on my day off if possible. 'Spose I gotta learn somehow.. fingers crossed I don't mess something else up while attempting this job. 

Cheers for the offers too, figure it's best for me to have a crack though, least then I know what to do in future should I need to work on it again.

Any tips or things people tend to mess up when removing the head or is it pretty straighforward?

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Cheers guys. The pencil is jammed pretty solidly down there somehow so flushing it out won't work I don't think.

Gonna have to attempt to take the head off as mentioned I guess.. just downloaded a Haynes manual, gonna give it a go on my day off if possible. 'Spose I gotta learn somehow.. fingers crossed I don't mess something else up while attempting this job. 

Cheers for the offers too, figure it's best for me to have a crack though, least then I know what to do in future should I need to work on it again.

Any tips or things people tend to mess up when removing the head or is it pretty straighforward?

where do you live ?

a second set of hands can be helpful if the pencil is jammed then i assume you can see it?

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Bettws, Newport.

I can see the edge/side of it slightly now, managed to unjam it but it moved deeper in and at an angle to the hole so it'd need some kind of wire hook etc.. 

What about oil, fill it with oil and hope it floats and can be fished out. Would that be safe?

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Wax fill it up with paraffin turps or white spirit and it will float fish out as much as you can tweezers or long nose pliers so all the big bits are out !

Then keep filling up and then ocassional turn it over WITH THE H.T LEAD WELL OUT THE WAY .

Oil is thick but with the spark plug out it may do the same job .
WHITE SPIRIT and turps are cheap and  are petroleoum based but not as vilotile as petrol and not as messy as oil and the bits will float better in turps or spirit than oil matey .

I will pm you my number

[UK Bike Forum Member]

erm , i wouldnt want a cylinder full of oil .

[UK Bike Forum Member]

If the pencil is loose you could try some double sided tape wrapped around a piece of wire.

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Swing the motor mash the pencil,suck the remainder out with a vacuum cleaner,if you take the head off its renew the gasket,tourque up bolts,better suck the grubbings out with vacuum.

[UK Bike Forum Member]

try a small magnet first to see if you can get it out, otherwise it head off mate.


whereabouts are you, the may be a spanner monkey nearby

 

Sorry..... I know it may have been misread by Triple...... But, magnetic pencils????? 

Anyways..... put the plug back in. Put the lead on, and start the fecking thing. It wont last long in there!!!

[UK Bike Forum Member]

fuzzr yes but remind us of the condition of your 675 ;-p


its a magnetic telescopic tool for spanner monkeys, very handy for when you lose suff in the engine bay

[UK Bike Forum Member]

fuzzr yes but remind us of the condition of your 675 ;-p


its a magnetic telescopic tool for spanner monkeys, very handy for when you lose suff in the engine bay

But as good as a chocolate fireplace if the item needing to be removed is non-metallic!!

[UK Bike Forum Member]

You never know, perhaps he had loads of lead in his pencil