Ok, I'll start with that.. Thanks.. I'll hit them all with blaster morning and night for the next couple days and hopefully it will help.. Still use heat when I go to take them out???????

 

Personally I wouldn't use heat. I would try taking them out and if they act like they are turning really hard, I would turn them about one turn and reapply some Pb Blaster or whatever. After turning about one turn the PB Blaster will then be able to soak down the threads. Make sure to use a 6 corner socket or regular spark plug socket with 6 corners, not a 12 corner socket. Blow out around the spark plugs with compressed air before attempting to remove them so dirt doesn't fall in the holes.

 

All great advice, Thank you!! What should I do about the hole with the blown out plug, I don't know if any chunks of dirt or rust made it down in, and more might fall in when I use the easy out to remove the remainder of the plug??? I have a small hose (a little bigger than standard fuel line) hooked to a vacuum attachment that I use for cleaning the small holes in my pellet stove, was thinking I'd start by trying to vacuum out any dirt or rust that is still sitting above the hole before I start, then I'll do my best to remove the remainder of the plug. Then follow up by running the hose down in the cylinder to try and suck out any dirt, rust, and particles from the easy out that I can.. I think this is about as good as I can do to prevent crap from getting inside the motor.. On the other plugs, I'll follow whats been suggested and blow them all out with air first, then loosen the plug, and blow out again to try and get any crap I can out..

Thanks for all the help guys.. Keep the suggestions coming its greatly appreciated....


Edit..... I'm working 12 hour days (7a-7p) today and tomorrow and then Off on Tuesday, I plan to get this truck repaired then.. So to get things started I snuck home and crawled under the hood and sprayed all 8 plugs with Blaster... Its very difficult to get the can in there and at an angle that will hit the plugs. I couldn't visualilze the base of the plugs at all so I just doused them all as best I could..... I'll hit them again tonight and tomorrow and let it soak until I get ready to do the repair on Tuesday..

 

If one plug rusted to the point that it blew apart be very very careful trying to back the other ones out. Most likely most of them are going to twist off in the middle and you're going to have to EZ-out them out. I just redid the 5.8L in my rusty '97 HD and broke one plug off. The others were all paper thin in the middle, but I had the engine out on the stand and was able to lay it on it's side and fill the plug holes with oil for several days. I think this helped me get the rest out without breaking. If I had tried in the truck I'd probably have twisted most of them off.

The problem isn't that the plug rusts to the head it is that the body of the plug rusts through so it has not strength to it when you go to unscrew it. The normal force required to unseat them is too much and they twist off before the threads loosen. The threaded end of the plug I broke came right out after I got the EZ-out in it.

Here's what it looked like.



Good luck.

 

Im a little worried about how the others will come out too. I hit them with a shot of blaster yesterday, I'll do it again today and again tomorrow and hopefully it will loosen them up.. Hopefully if others do break I can get them all out with the easy out.. It'll be a challenge, but gotta do something with these 25 year old plugs...

 

I've been soaking them all with blaster for the last couple days, getting ready to try and pull this broken plug soon, hope it all goes well.....

 

More Help needed guys... I currently have 6 plugs changed, 2 are giving me trouble.

4 came out and new ones went in easy
2 snapped off but came out rather easily with the "easy out"
The one that originally blew out of the motor is not coming out for me no matter what
and another one had no metal left for the socket to grab onto so I got ahold of it at the very base and it snapped right off, problem is the ceramic is still in the hole, it broke off flush, so how the hell do I get that out....

Thanks for all the help guys...

 

I hate to tell you this, you may have to pull the head though.

 

I'm afraid of that, its nothing I've ever done before so I'll really need some help if thats the case...


the two plugs giving me problems are right next to each other so I'll only have to pull one head right??

What should I torque these other new plugs down to?? didn't find that anywhere......

 

Yeah, just one to fix it but I mean since you gotta tear the whole top end down anyway to get the one head off, what's a few more bolts to get the other loose? Then you can replace both head gaskets, inspect everything, and when it's back together you know everything's good.


That's usually on the box that the new plugs come in, but if not... go as far as you can using just the socket and your fingers til the plug seats/bottoms out, then put your ratchet on and go a smidge more, maybe an 1/8th of a turn, if even that. Not as tight as possible, just snug. Sorry I can't describe it better, I don't think I've ever used a torque wrench on plugs.

 

Thanks for the advice.. I'm still working on it and hoping I don't end up having to pull the head but if I do, I do.. gotta get her up and running..

 

Are you using the easy out on the inside of broken plug ?If the outside of plug is rounded off you must drive easy out into inside part of plug left .I'm assuming you tried this .that's why heating up whats left of your spark plug is the key

 

Yea sounds like a stubborn one might have to get it pretty hot/soft to get it to turn but it will turn, drain the block of coolant via both block drains if you have to make it easier to get the heat to it and retain it while you're working with the easy out. Let it cool to much have to heat it again.

Direct the heat of the torch to head right tight around the plug heat the head you'll heat the plug in the process doing so, get it hot then shock the remainder of the plug with an ice cube or two to cause it to suddenly contract touch the cube to it (touch the cubes to the plug only not the head), be ready with the easy out and it's wrench right after doing so you wanna turn it right after doing so.

Gotta have the tool ready don't loose heat by fumbling around gathering what you need next, best if can have someone stand ready to take the lit torch from you handing you the easy out in return. Have your plain worked out, where the easy out bites where the wrench access it leaving you room and the leverage to turn it once on it. Work that out first before getting it hot.

It won't hurt it to get it hot hot as you need to to get it loose provided you allow it to air cool afterwords. Don't hose it down with water to cool the head once the plug is out, once its out just walk away for couple hours allow it to cool return to air temp naturally don't refill the coolant system or put in the new plug until it has..

Make sure the piston that cylinder is near the bottom of its stroke.

 

thanks alot, I'll try doing this tomorrow. I was thinking if I could get it as hot as possible and while doing it I'll have the easy out stuck in the snow bank so its very cold, then put it in the broken off plug cold and it should cool the plug and help it contract some.. I'm still working on this. On a positive note, the plugs that have come out look great, motors running good inside...

 

Well I've tried everything I can think of and can't get these two plugs out. I'll have to send it to a shop and pay some big bucks or junk it.. I'm sure the head needs to come off and I don't think thats anything I can do myself so looks like I'm throwing in the towel on this truck..