Okay ... so I'm replacing glow plugs. I need my truck in an hour and a half.

3 of the glow plugs broke when removing. I was backing them out, and *CRACK* the tips broke off inside the engine. I can shine a flashlight down and see them down inside, well below the threads.

How do I get those out??? Am I correct in assuming that if I start my truck, those could wiggle loose and drop down on top of the piston, causing all kinds of damage? HELP!!!! How do I fix this???

 

I just tried turning the engine over to see if it would just pop them out. No luck. They look to be really stuck in there. Do I drill them out?

 

vacume cleaner

 

pull the injector for a bigger hole to work from. If the tip broke off because it's swelled up inside the chamber, I don't care how much you can suck, it ain't coming out the glow plug hole Injector hole has more play for your broken tip.

 

So what do I do ... pound it down into the engine and then try to get it out the injector hole with a magnet?

 

Would I be okay to just run it without putting a new gp in? Maybe it would blow out eventually as the engine heats up?

 

Being that these engines are IDI (InDirect Injected) the glow plug and fuel injector are both positioned into the precombustion chamber. Pull the injector out and try to vacuum it out the injector hole or try to grab it with a magnet. There's a small 3/8" or so hole between the precombustion chamber and the actual cylinder. The injector will give you about a 7/16 or 1/2 inch hole to work through while the glow plug is just a dinky little hole.

Best of luck!

 

chances are it would fall down into the cylinder bore before it'd pop out the glow plug hole. Better chances of it blowing out if you ran with the injector removed but then you have fuel spraying everywhere and that's kind of a fire hazard. I'd leave the "start it up and hope it blows out" as a last ditch effort for those who don't care if they damage their engine. Those glow plug tips can destroy a cylinder.

 

oh and I'd run that cylinder up to TDC before you start trying to suck it out.. minimize the chance of it falling down into the cylinder

 

take the injectors out and put compressed air down the glow plug hole and a vaccum tube down the injector hole....taht should get them out

 

other option is to pull the heads but that takes time.... you must have the cylinders in question at TDC to ensure it wont fall down into the cylinder and then the only option is to pull the heads however if one cylinder is moving towards TDC that means another is moving toward BDC possibly sucking the tip down into the cylinder so its a gamble either way but DO NOT START THE ENGINE if a piece of the tip gets into the cylinder you will ruin the engine no if ands or buts about it that would not be a wise decision.

when you do get the tips out and go to install new ones i would put anti seize on them i did with no ill effects. and also MOTORCRAFT ONLY glow plugs no matter what anyone else says

 

Motorcraft only meaning BERU

Beru makes the oem Motorcraft plugs, just wanted to clarify here.

 

going into any parts store here and saying beru would only get you a deer in the headlights stare but yest they are the same thing lol

 

Okay ... so here's where I'm at.

I sprayed WD40 down each hole. Let it sit for a while. Checked it, and it hadn't drained at all. The glow plugs I did get out whole, I barely got out, and there was a whole lot of crap on them, and the ends were swollen.

When I saw that the WD40 was not draining, I realized that those GP tips are sealed real tight. I hooked up the 5 GP's that are good and started the engine. It ran perfectly. A slight bit of white smoke as the cold engine got purring nice.

The way I see it, it's a gamble with anything I do. Any action to remove the GP's can result in crap getting into the combustion chamber and likely, the down to the piston.

What I decided was to do what I had to do tonight. I drove the truck 15 miles to town, and then the 15 miles back home. I figured as the engine heated up, 1 of 3 things can happen. 1) Nothing. THe GP tip is swollen and sealed tight into the GP line; 2) The GP can blow out once the engine gets nice and hot and expands a touch; 3) The GP tip can get sucked inside the combustion chamber. I was prepared to install a new GP just incase I suddenly heard the pop and the sound of air gushing out the GP hole, and I was also prepared to kill the engine immediately if I heard a pop followed by a knocking sound in the engine.

I gambled, and nothing happened. All cylinders are firing well, and after 15 miles to town after a 20 minute idle at the house, followed by a 15 mile ride home, nothing changed.

Thanks for the tips and help, even though I didn't take any of it. If I get the time, I'll see if I can get to it from the injector. I can't believe those tips are frozen so solid.

 

Also ... I am using Motorcraft glow plugs. The previous ones were motorcraft, and the new ones are as well.

I also clipped the controller line to the relay so that the GP system is completely manual. LIke Dave said a while ago, don't want that thing to decide to fail high and burn up my plugs.