spark plug stuck... need help

Greenemachine

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on the passanger side 1 of the spark plugs is stuck in there cause I am a retard. the last time I changed my plugs, I guess the little boot inside the socket got stuck on the plug, and I didn't realize till I tried a new set of plugs. so now the boot has melted on and I don't know what to do. the wire fits on the plug so it still works. I tried letting the engine get hot so I can maybe see if it will melt again that way I can just beat a socket in and get it out... didn't work.. any advice please
 
RE: spark plug stuck... need help

What ever you do, make sure you suck out any pieces of boot or broken plug before you remove the plug from the Head. Do not want any FOD in the motor.
 
RE: spark plug stuck... need help

if it is like my sockets, its a dense foam rubber compound. If you could find something that would eat away at it i think you would be good. I dont think that stuff like that like penatrating oil too much, but i dont know if it will work for you. Just thinking out loud...
 
RE: spark plug stuck... need help

jam the socket without the foam in it over the plug. It should go back in, if you mess with it long enough.

Good luck.
 
RE: spark plug stuck... need help

Same thing happened on "Tiff's car".
Inadvertantly the rubber grommet thing stuck to the plug on installation.

an oversight kept us from "spotting" it until the next plug change.

By then.. the engine heat coupled with the spark plug wire pressing DOWN on the rubber grommet, the darned thing was melted to the spark plug, and flattened to such an extent it was covering the part of the spark plug that the "socket grabs"

Here is how I got the danged thing out.
1 hr of cussing, crying and prying on the grommet.
.5 hour of lightly hammering with a soft mallet

Here's the deal.
I put the spark plug socket w/extention down as far as I could JAM in onto the plug.
I lightly tapped and rotated the spark plug socket until it wore thru the rubber grommet and finally "attached" itself to the spark plug.

{note} tape your spark plug socket FIRMLY onto the extention.
this will save you a half hour of trying to retreive it from the spark plug hole as I had to.

After about 15 minutes of LIGHTLY tapping with a soft mallet the spark plug socket did grab the spark plug and was removed quite easily.

After that we had to dig the remnants of the gormmet out of the spark plug hole with the equivilant of a "dental pick" {which we broke in the process, thus leaving us with not only rubber grommet to dig out, but a small piece of metal that was precariously dangling dangerously as if it wanted to fall INTO the cylinder}.

a magnet from autozone got the piece of metal out of the hole, and finally we dug all the rubber grommet remnants out of the hole.

After that, I went thru my tool box and removed and DISCARDED the rubber grommets from ALL the spark plug sockets!

I hope this helps you to some extent.
If you need further clarification of my "babbling prose"..lemme know
Kindest Regards
Tommy {aka XLRVIII}
 
RE: spark plug stuck... need help

Dont try this...

during the process described above, I got the bright idea to try and JAM a 8mm socket onto the end of the spark plug TIP..
It ALMOST worked..but the electrode wound up breaking and splitting the porcelian.

It was a good idea... it just didn't work.
I just wanted to make sure that you didn't duplicate my mistake and waste time in a futile endeavor.

hope it helps.

Tommy
 
RE: spark plug stuck... need help

Another idea...

I had luck with a stuck boot end once by using superglue on an old boot. I slathered the end and jammed it in there. About an hour or two later I yanked it all out. I guess the superglue sticks better to the rubber than the metal stuff.

Good luck.

After you succeed (and quit that stupid dancing around) let us know how you did it. This is likely more common than you think.
 
RE: spark plug stuck... need help

I'll let you know how it all works out when I have time. the weather has been crappy for like the past week here. only nice day was sunday and I was working all day. probally by wednesday or thursday I'll get to it. many of you have given me good ideas so I'll try it untill it works. thanks

Steve
 
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