sparkplug

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote: Don't be TOO sure....(clip)
the shop which did the job found that the ground electrode on one plug had
disappeared, and installed a new plug at no cost. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My suggestions we 1.) Crank the engine to blow air in and out of the
spark plug hole. 2.) Blow it out with compressed air. 3.) Clean it out
with a vacuum hose. 4.) Fill cylinder with oil and expell the oil by hand
cranking.

From what you say, I would NOT do step 1.), because that's where the valve
could opened against a piece of debris, trapping it against the inside of
the head. (Kind of like what happens when the timing belt breaks on an
interference engine.)

>
> 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.
>

I would be very leery about just letting chips blow out the spark plug hole. It
may work and it may not. I had a spark plug insulator crack while I was driving
the car once, and the chip got caught between the exhaust valve face, and the
valve seat. Put a nice big chip in the valve and I had to pull the head to
replace the valve. I realize this is a different scenario, but it shows what
can happen with a small piece of loose insulator.

You will most likely get all the big pieces out by vacuuming, etc., so you
probably won't have anything like this happen. But even small amounts of debris
MIGHT get caught on the valve face and COULD result in the valve not sealing
properly when closed. Not only that, but some small pieces MIGHT get caught
between the piston and the cylinder wall which could yield some nice scratches
in your cylinder wall with resulting loss of compression and oil seepage into
the combustion chamber.

But if it comes down to a few hundred dollars to pull the head to remove the
plug, or just a few dollars to try something else . . .your call. Is the car
worth enough to do the job properly, or is it an old beater that you just need
to get running for a while?

Just my $.02

Wayne

On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:39:59 GMT, Jim Chandler > wrote:

>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.

Sorry, but I've seen this. And yes, the blasted thing was hard to get
out. <g>

>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.

I've used vacuum to get things out of plug holes too.

>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.

And that would be the *correct* way to fix it... <bg>

>
>Jim Chandler

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
>

Just for ****s and grins, how many of you have ever encountered one of
the early Champion spark plugs which comes apart for cleaning?

http://home.comcast.net/~jwisnia18/jeff/plug.html

Mine was pretty beat up when I found it at an antique store in Minnesota.

Jeff

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

"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
>


Something is wrong with that story.

Put a old plug in your bench vise and try to do that
with a hammer and chisel to see what I mean.
Drilling or even beating out the center of a plug when
it's installed would be a good trick. Even in a vice its
real tuff.


GL
Dan

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
>

You have two threads going...

The only safe way to do it is to remove the head, but you already knew
that right. ;-)

If there is still a core in the plug, it can only fall 'in' when messed
with so....

Did 'all' of the plug come out except the last bit of thread? If so
then the easy out might be a first option.

'If' you try the easy out, I personally wouldn't recommend it, but, you
should spray the piece down with a 'good' penetrating oil like PB
Blaster several times before you start.

I would also have the cylinder on the intake or exhaust stroke so there
would maybe be a chance of a shopvac sucking out any crumbs that fell in
because the open valve would allow air flow with the suction on the plug
hole.

Good luck!

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

"Mike Romain" wrote: (clip) I would also have the cylinder on the intake or
exhaust stroke so there would maybe be a chance of a shopvac sucking out
any crumbs that fell in because the open valve would allow air flow with
the suction on the plug hole.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think it might be better to be near bottom-dead-center on the power stroke
or the compression stroke, so both valves are closed, and the debris is well
below the spark plug hole. That gives you a good angle for picking up any
debris. Use a suction tube that is smaller than the park plug hole, so air
can flow in.

On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:46:24 -0000, 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

I assume you're talking about an EasyOut. An EasyOut probably won't
work. You need quite a bit of metal in order to use an EasyOut. You
need to drill a pilot-hole about 1/4" to 1/2" deep but not all the way
through. Then the EasyOut threads into the pilot-hole using left-hand
threads and bottoms out in the hole. You keep tightening it up until
it breaks the bolt loose. You won't have enough metal in a sparkplug
to do this.

However if you are talking about an easyoff, I don't know what that is
or if it will work.

Jack


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In article >, wrote:

>However if you are talking about an easyoff, I don't know what that is
>or if it will work.

That's oven cleaner.... don't think it'll work either. :-)

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:39:59 GMT, Jim Chandler > wrote:

>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

Not to be a smart-a-- here but how will he get the oil soaked cloth
into the cylinder?


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