Good luck with it! 
Sparkplug broke in head
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New User
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: louisiana
Sparkplug broke in head
Changing the plugs today on my 01 f-150 5.4 & the #7 plug broke off in the head.I got the porcelain and the little nut out but thats it. The threaded part & the tip are stuck. Anyone have this happen before? Any tricks to repair this with out taking the head off? Thanks.
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Joined: Nov 2008
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From: manchester
i know on the newer 5.4 engines they are known for that and snap on makes a tool that threads into plug and pulls it out but i have not herd of that on a 2001 before i would check with a local garage and see if they have any good ideas for that if they pull the head your looking at 15 or 16 hours in labor.
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2005
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before i pulled the head, i would take an old plug and break it off the same way, then see what is left. how big is the hole in the threaded part? maybe some type easy out, or a long tapered square cold chisel could be driven into the broken part to remove it. worth a try before pulling the head.
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New User
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: louisiana
The truck is an 01 & just bought it not even a month ago. It only has 24000 miles on it so I think it sat up for a while. It developed a slight miss around 45-50mph so I replaced all the cops. It was still slightly missing so I changed the plugs next. I did cyl. 1-4 then moved on to the next side did #8 first moved to #7 & it broke. The plugs were really corroded between the threads on the plug & the hex area where the sparkplug socket fits like it may have moisture in there and sat up and rusted. It broke right in that spot with hardly any pressure on the wrench. I think I may try a torx socket on my ext. to see if that can get some bite on what is left. I have it soaking down with pb blaster overnight so I will try it tom. Thanks guys.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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i had this happen on my 99 f-150 last year, since it was a sunday afternoon and i had to be at work the next morning at 6am i had no choice but to get it out, i used a square drive wrench for replaceing faucet washers, i first drilled out what was left of the spark plug, then heated the plug, i then tapped the wrench into the plug and with the help of some rust buster spray and some very slow going i got the plug out, i then ran a tap down the threads to insure they where clean and not messed up, mine was the number 4 plug, but next tuneup it will be going to the dealer as i do not want this headache again,
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Joined: Feb 2007
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Did all the porcelain, including tip & electrode, come out? I once had a spark plug break in such a way that the ceramic tip remained in the base of the plug, threatening to fall into the cylinder.
Not wanting to remove the head, I searched industrial suppliers for a very large, tapered E-Z-Out type extractor. Then I ground off most of it's length, so that just the right diameter remained at the end of the tool, so as to engage the opening in the broken plug.
I'd warn against drilling "out what was left of the spark plug" b/c debris will fall inside the cylinder. W/the porcelain out of the way there should already be a bore to work with. IMO its better to match a tool to what is presented, than to risk drilling the broken plug to match a tool.
Not wanting to remove the head, I searched industrial suppliers for a very large, tapered E-Z-Out type extractor. Then I ground off most of it's length, so that just the right diameter remained at the end of the tool, so as to engage the opening in the broken plug.
I'd warn against drilling "out what was left of the spark plug" b/c debris will fall inside the cylinder. W/the porcelain out of the way there should already be a bore to work with. IMO its better to match a tool to what is presented, than to risk drilling the broken plug to match a tool.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: Florida
I broke one off in my #3 hole. What a pain. I eventually got it out by using a smaller scoket and hammerinng it on. I do not advise this cause I have heard that the metal is very thin and I would be afraid that I would break it. However the local mechanic shop welded an eazy out to an extention for this exact problem. But I did not find out til after I beat mine silly
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Joined: Feb 2009
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had the same thing happen in #3 cyl of 2003. spent 8 hours and all kinds of easy-out tools to try and get out the barrel. Never could get it out. I ended up buying a remanufactured enging for $2400.00. it took 3 days to chage out engine. I had 136,000 miles on the old one. it was going to cost $1800.00 to replace head.
