What's the best way to get a spark plug out of the engine after it's been broken off. The part that broke off was the threaded part. So there's no way I can unscrew it.  I don't know what to do  :dunno:

They must make some kind of special tool right?


-Timothy

EZ out?  go to a hardware store and ask for it.

Wow, never seen that happen before...  I made an compression tester adapter out of an old spark plug, and that thing was a Buddha Loves You to get apart.

Did it break at the top of the threads?  Are there any of the metal or ceramic insulator sticking out? What about the electrode?

IF you can your best bet is to take a flat blade screwdriver and a hammer and slowly tap on an edge to get it to rotate out of the socket.

bummer...

Damn Timothy, I think your bike must be jinxed, you have had one problem after another.  Is the side that it broke one the same side that you laid it down on?  I agree with the easy out, you can take a small drill bit and drill the metal in a little ways(don't drill all the way through, or you will have little metal bits inside and have to take the head off) and then use the easy out to grab hold of it and back it out.   Good luck

Can you take a pic and post it on the board.  So that way we can have an more of an idea of what your looking at?  If I have this straight you are looking at just the very bottom part of the spark plug along with just the porcelien threads stuck into the metal threads.  so the spark plug is smooth where the threads were right?

Sure, I can take a picture, but I don't know how to post it. Not to mention I can't take it tonight. Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow. :x

-Timothy

Okay what you will have to do is find someplace to host it, if you want you can email it to me and I can post it for you tommorow night (okay techically tonight since it is past midnight my time)   .

Damn man.... that's a first for me... Never had a plug come apart...Almost makes me think it was crossthreaded in there or something  to be that hard to come loose that it sheared of the section that the socket grabs...

A big easy  out  is the only thing I can think of to try. Maybe even solicit some professional help...

Yeah easiest way is to go get a big easy out.  You might even be able to borrow one from Auto Zone or Advanced APs  which ever has a tool loaner program.

I remember a years ago I was driving my mother's car one day (chev caprice). As I was going up a hill there were two loud *BANG*s and it suddenly got REALLY noisy.  

After pulling over to see what the hell was wrong, I discovered what was left of two spark plugs just hanging there by the wires!    Her plugs were SO old that they just rotted and eventually blew right out of the engine...leaving the base (the threaded bit) sill in the engine.

Anyway, if I recall correctly the mechanic used an easy out-like tool to get them out so I would imagine that should work for you. Yours probably aren't nearly as corroded as hers were.  

Good luck!  

John

You already have a hole for the easy-out. Is there something else you can wedge in there to spin it out? The threads are all that's left, so the crush washer is no longer exerting pressure...

After I worked on a Kawasaki Police Special, I took it outside to run it and as soon as I hit the starter button I sent the #1 spark plug into orbit. The threads had just plain worn out.

Cross-threaded? Does the sparkplug look like it's perpendicular to the sparkplug hole surface?

So now 2 sparkies have broken off in this head... I believe you should take off the head and tap in and put an insert in it... Dont mess around... anything you do other than that will only postpone the inevitable and potentially do more damage... like if pieces end up in the chamber and you run it... it will gouge out the walls etc.
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: seshadri_srinathI believe you should take off the head and tap in and put an insert in it.

I assume you're talking about a HeliCoil, Srinath.  (Are there any other brands?)

My '92 Pontiac LeMans coughed up plug #1 last year, just like JohnNS described.  Afterwards, I remembered having seen the plug kinda vibrating when the hood was up and the engine was running.

Duh!  :guns: ME

Eventually the threads in the block wore out, and out came the plug.  The shop installed a HeliCoil insert, and she's been running fine ever since.

broke a new one off in the head? how tight are you cranking? you should damn near strip out the threads in the head before breaking a plug

A half turn is a bit much for a plug once it snugs tho isn't it??? I maybe do an eight to a quarter turn (have'nt had a plug come out on me yet)...

Did it turn in freely by hand til it hit the washer?