sparkplug

My mechanic broke off a sparkplug trying to remove it from the engine
on my 4runner and I am trying to research possible solutions. It
broke off halfway down the threads, so that half of the bottom metal
part is still in the engine head. I was thinking using and easyoff
extractor but worry about metal pieces includint the electrode tip
falling into the cylinder. Anyone have ideas or experience with this?
thanks, rick

"semidemiurge" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> My mechanic broke off a sparkplug trying to remove it from the engine
> on my 4runner and I am trying to research possible solutions. It
> broke off halfway down the threads, so that half of the bottom metal
> part is still in the engine head. I was thinking using and easyoff
> extractor but worry about metal pieces includint the electrode tip
> falling into the cylinder. Anyone have ideas or experience with this?
> thanks, rick
>

why are you worrying about it if your mechanic broke the sparkplug. let him
figure it out and deal with it.

": P" wrote:
why are you worrying about it if your mechanic broke the sparkplug. let him
figure it out and deal with it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's not really the mechanic's fault, so I think he would be justified in
charging to remove the head and take the plug out at the bench, using an
easy-out, a drill, or whatever means he has available.

I assume you are trying to reduce the labor. I would go ahead and use an
Easy-out, and then, before running the engine, turn it over with the starter
for a minute or so, to pump air in and out the spark-plug hole. This will
most likely blow out any small stuff that may have fallen in. In addition,
you could position the piston at bottom-dead-center, and then shove a vacuum
hose in and wiggle it around a lot. You could also dump in some oil, and
then turn the engine by hand, pumping the oil out the spark-plug hole, which
will also help flush out things that could have fallen in.

If any really little stuff remains, I would expect it to be blown out the
exhaust valve when the engine is started, causing no harm.

If the threads in the spark-plug hole are damaged in the process of removing
the plug, it's very easy to Helicoil it. A Helicoil is actually stronger
than cast iron or aluminum, so the results are better than new.

Slightly OT: I once had a mechanic Helicoil the spark plug hole in the
number 3 cylinder of my VW, using a mirror. There was someone with real
mechanics hands.

because he is his own mechanic, and is now lost as to what to do.
": P" > wrote in message
...
>
> "semidemiurge" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> My mechanic broke off a sparkplug trying to remove it from the engine
>> on my 4runner and I am trying to research possible solutions. It
>> broke off halfway down the threads, so that half of the bottom metal
>> part is still in the engine head. I was thinking using and easyoff
>> extractor but worry about metal pieces includint the electrode tip
>> falling into the cylinder. Anyone have ideas or experience with this?
>> thanks, rick
>>
>
> why are you worrying about it if your mechanic broke the sparkplug. let
> him figure it out and deal with it.
>

semidemiurge > wrote in article
. com>...
> My mechanic broke off a sparkplug trying to remove it from the engine
> on my 4runner and I am trying to research possible solutions. It
> broke off halfway down the threads, so that half of the bottom metal
> part is still in the engine head. I was thinking using and easyoff
> extractor but worry about metal pieces includint the electrode tip
> falling into the cylinder. Anyone have ideas or experience with this?
> thanks, rick
>
>

I would worry LESS about the chips and metal pieces falling inside the
cylinder and MORE about how I would remove the hardened piece of easy-out
that breaks off in the head.......................

They SHOULD be called "hole-pluggers"..........

semidemiurge wrote:
> Anyone have ideas or experience with this?

If he doesn't already, your mechanic will! <G>

He broke it. STAY AWAY, let him fix it. What happens if your
suggestion goes arwy?

>
> I would worry LESS about the chips and metal pieces falling inside the
> cylinder and MORE about how I would remove the hardened piece of easy-out
> that breaks off in the head.......................
>
> They SHOULD be called "hole-pluggers"..........

Man, you can say that again! I've used "easy"-outs a bunch of times and
most turned into, as you say, hole pluggers. Then you really have a
problem: How do you drill out that hardenen steel? Interestingly
enough, apparently I never learn the lesson. Each time I have a broken
bolt, I look at my collection of easy-outs and think, maybe this time...
jor

"jor" > wrote in message news:2007071806510216807-jor@jorcom...
>>
>> I would worry LESS about the chips and metal pieces falling inside the
>> cylinder and MORE about how I would remove the hardened piece of easy-out
>> that breaks off in the head.......................
>>
>> They SHOULD be called "hole-pluggers"..........
>
> Man, you can say that again! I've used "easy"-outs a bunch of times and
> most turned into, as you say, hole pluggers. Then you really have a
> problem: How do you drill out that hardenen steel? Interestingly enough,
> apparently I never learn the lesson. Each time I have a broken bolt, I
> look at my collection of easy-outs and think, maybe this time...

'Never hear of a "left-hand drill"? For many extraction jobs, that's the
ticket. If sized appropriately, it doesn't tend to expand the item in the
hole, rather, it "grips" from the top.

LLoyd

semidemiurge wrote:

> My mechanic broke off a sparkplug trying to remove it from the engine
> on my 4runner and I am trying to research possible solutions. It
> broke off halfway down the threads, so that half of the bottom metal
> part is still in the engine head. I was thinking using and easyoff
> extractor but worry about metal pieces includint the electrode tip
> falling into the cylinder. Anyone have ideas or experience with this?
> thanks, rick
>

If he managed to break a sparkplug off down into the threads, you have a
lot more to worry about than a few metal flakes getting into the engine.
That plug must be welded in. I've NEVER, in all my years of working
on cars and trucks, seen the metal part of a plug break. The ceramic,
yes, the metal, no. If you have to get crazy with it, an oil soaked rag
in the top of the cylinder, with the piston at TDC should take care of
most particles. After you get the remains of the plug out, carefully
remove the oil soaked cloth. The metal shavings, for the most part,
should come out with it. If all else fails, he will have to remove the
head and drill it out and retap the head.

Jim Chandler

Leo Lichtman wrote:

> ": P" wrote:
> why are you worrying about it if your mechanic broke the sparkplug. let him
> figure it out and deal with it.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> It's not really the mechanic's fault, so I think he would be justified in
> charging to remove the head and take the plug out at the bench, using an
> easy-out, a drill, or whatever means he has available.
>
> I assume you are trying to reduce the labor. I would go ahead and use an
> Easy-out, and then, before running the engine, turn it over with the starter
> for a minute or so, to pump air in and out the spark-plug hole. This will
> most likely blow out any small stuff that may have fallen in. In addition,
> you could position the piston at bottom-dead-center, and then shove a vacuum
> hose in and wiggle it around a lot. You could also dump in some oil, and
> then turn the engine by hand, pumping the oil out the spark-plug hole, which
> will also help flush out things that could have fallen in.
>
> If any really little stuff remains, I would expect it to be blown out the
> exhaust valve when the engine is started, causing no harm.

Don't be TOO sure....

About a year ago my daughter had her Olds tuned up, which included a new
set of plugs. A week later the engine started running rough and the shop
which did the job found that the ground electrode on one plug had
disappeared, and installed a new plug at no cost. The car seemed to be
running fine after that.

Nearly a year later when she went to get the car through state
inspection it failed because its computer "said" one cylinder had been
firing "weakly" too often.

A leakdown test at my favorite mechanic's shop showed that the cylinder
with the failed sparkplug was in trouble. When the cylinder head was
pulled there was a "dent" in it's exhaust valve's head just about the
right size to have been made by the valve banging against that buted off
spark plug electrode.

The shop which did the original tuneup had closed, so her daddy got
tapped for a $750 valve job so the car would make it through state
inspection. He's still cursing whoever screwed up welding the electrode
onto that original spark plug's body. <G>

Jeff


--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.