get a torque wrench.
look up cost of removing broken spark plug from head and compare it to the cost of a decent torque wrench. This tool will last you years and even decades if you care for it and it will save you plenty of cursing from broken parts.

 

Correct spark plug part is BKR6EQUP, which is different by one letter than what the OP typed above.

+1 on getting a torque wrench. I bought mine on Amazon.com.

 

You can hand tighten them no problem. Just tighten them until they are snug. Start if off by hand, and then make it snug with the wrench. I wouldn't do this 1/4 turn BS. If you use a torque wrench it will actually click when they are snug.

A torque wrench is not a bad idea since it's useful for other jobs on the car, but you can get away without one on this job.

 

A cheap torque wrench can be faulty, especially at such low torque values.

Like stated, hand tighten them with the extension you're using, and then just secure them a tiny bit with the socket wrench.

 

I have this, great stuff

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/Schwaben/ES2221245/

 

this looks EXACTLY like the wrench i have. i don't remember the brand though. mine doesn't have an engraving on the outside. it had a sticker i think but that's long gone.

i'm often scared to use it though. i have a very deep paranoia of breaking bolts. even with the torque wrench.. i only trust it as far as i can throw it. haha

anyway, for spark plugs, just snug them up. there's no need to tighten them like a beast. as long as they're creating a proper and tight seal on the cylinder. just use a 1/4" or 3/8" ratchet. not a 1/2"

 

It's been working good so far. Between my friends car and mine we did two sets of full brakes with it, a strut bar on his VW and some other misc stuff.

 

Buy or borrow a torque wrench. Correct crush on spark plug washers controls the heat transfer.

 

Correct crush on spark plug washers controls the heat transfer.

 

http://www.ngk-sparkplugs.jp/english/techinfo/qa/q18/index.html

I recall the tightening angle was shown on the box of the NGK plug I used for a different car a few years ago. I didn't use a torque wrench at the time and everything was fine.

 

Never used a torque wrench for plugs in my 40+ years of owning a BMW. I snug the plug and then give an eighth of turn.

 

Are you writing this from a USB typewriter?

 

I owned many cars including my current 330 and I never used a torque wrench.
Snug and then 1/4 turn more. Use one hand and "palm" the wrench. It's easier to feel the power you are applying
That way. Good luck.

 

FYI - the NGK BKR6EQUP spark plugs do not require any anti-seize compound on the threads. The NGK plugs are coated with a trivalent plating which is an anti-corrosion plating and negates the need for any anti-seize compound. If you use anti-seize you risk over tightening and damaging the threads in the head. This is true for any bolt or nut, but especially so in the cylinder head where the cost of failure due to overtightening could be very high.

I would recommend using a torque wrench, too.

 

FYI - the NGK BKR6EQUP spark plugs do not require any anti-seize compound on the threads. The NGK plugs are coated with a trivalent plating which is an anti-corrosion plating and negates the need for any anti-seize compound. If you use anti-seize you risk over tightening and damaging the threads in the head.

Can you cite the source of this info?

 

23 pounds is what i torqued mine down to, at first i did snug and a quarter turn and i had misfires

 

Asked my uncle who used to work at bmw..... and it actually worked unlike guessing and getting misfires

 

below is an attachment about the "torque versus tightening angle"
I did check that on other six bangers several times (that is torque wrench versus the angle method), and they seem to be very close in the end-result.
"your mileage may vary"...
coming from a motorcycle background, always used torque wrench.

View attachment spark plug.pdf

 

For those of you who prefer to do it without using a torque wrench, here is one engine manufacturer's recommendation.

Honda, for their line of small generators, recommends hand tightening spark plugs until snug and then, if it is a new plug, tighten it 1/2 turn. If it is a plug that has been installed previously, tighten it 1/4 turn.

 

I have a craftsman 1/2" drive torque wrench and a Pittsburgh 3/8" drive torque wrench. The craftsman is by far better, but the Pittsburgh works well for its value though.

 

The spec for the plugs is 22 lb-ft.