<VV> Oops - need advice

[Mark Durham]

What about grinding it down until almost flat with the spark plug
opening then drilling it out progressively until you can weaken it
enough to pry it out with a dental pick? Tedious work for sure, but
worth it to not take the head off unless you have to. Mark Durham

On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 10:39 PM, Chris & Bill Strickland
<lechevrier at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>It sheared the plug off flat against the head - so just the metal of the sparkplug is in the threads of the head with nothing to grip. ... a mouse had made its nest around this plug, so i suspect that getting the remainder out will be a challenge.
>>
>
> Since it does sound like you broke the hex head off of the spark plug's
> 'shell', I will fully agree that this sounds like a challenge.  If you
> tore the hex from the rest of the shell, it is unlikely that any reverse
> twist drill or 'no such thing as an easy'-out will do much good without
> some other more drastic measures, like a cutting torch to split the
> shell.  (And while you were at it, the rest of the shell, too.  But then
> you have debris that won't just "burn up" - yuck.)
>
> I would suspect the ceramic tip to no longer be in the shell, correct?
> Just a hole into the combustion chamber? If so, perhaps you could thread
> the inside of the shell to accept some small diameter motorcycle plug
> for that one hole -- yeah, I hear the purists hollering already -- I
> think the pulling the head route will be the way to go for you..
>
> [Maybe, for a way out idea, you could thread the inside of the shell and
> using Locktite green sleeve goo, lock a good bolt in there to twist on,
> then, when you break the bolt off, you take the head to a machine shop
> for a good laugh!]
>
> I thought the hacksaw idea sounded good, but you will find yourself
> getting really tired of that process in a big hurry, and the threads
> that didn't turn when you had a hardened steel hex to turn them will
> still be corrosion welded to the head.
>
> Running the engine to heat the head sounds good, but  if the tip of the
> plug is in the combustion chamber, maybe not.
>
> Again, under the 'if you have to ask' rule, yes, you probably need help
> -- or just replace the head and save the old one for a conversation
> piece at club meetings and swap meets.
>
> Godspeed!
>
> Bill Strickland
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