cheap ass glow plugs.... HELP PLEASE

Thought I would treat the old girl to a new set of glow plugs.

Old set came out a treat no probs...

New set when screwing them in the top / nut section sheared off the threaded part.

Now I have 3/4 of a glow plug stuck in the head!!!!

Firstly any advice on removing and re-fitting glow plugs?......

Secondly how the hell do I get the broken plug out??

Please advise....

ATB

Mike

you might just have to live with only having 3 - unless your happy to have the head off

post up a picture showing where it's broken and what if anything is sticking out

it'll start just fine using 3 anyways

Well it goes from bad to worse! tried another one and the nut part and part of the threaded section has come out but the main body and the heat element is still inside!!!!!
Looks like its head off time.
Once I have the head off will it be straight forward job to remove parts broken off??

Well the head is off !

2 of the plugs snapped off, these have definately never been changed before! they are so so so tight! managed to get one of the broken plugs out using a tap wrench and extractor.
Trying to undo the 2nd one I have managed to break the tap wrench!
off to borrow a tap wrench off me mate tomorro and fingers crossed will be ready to put new plugs in and refit the head.
Any advice for re-fitting the head would be appreciated?.....

The glows probably snapped because of a carbon build up along the length of the plug, this bakes on and holds the plug in position (as you saw) very very well.

You can get a decoke kit, it has EVERYTHING you would need for taking off the head, right down to every washer, the little gaskets for the turbo oil return pipe the lot. I would advise fitting this when you have the head off. Would it also be so wrong to change valve stem seals and check the vales and grind them if need be? I will let you make these decisions. As for refitting the head:

Start off by getting the mating surfaces of the block and head meticulously clean. I am sure some people have given them a wipe and left it at that and all has been fine but, why take the risk here?

Using a sharp chisel (with the top edge facing down so you cannot gouge the metal) clean off the old gasket and carbon build up around the cylinder edge from the block and head. Don’t be tempted to use sand paper, not to mention that if you used to low a grit the grooves in the metal would stop the gasket from sealing properly. Don’t worry too much about bits of the old gasket falling into the cylinders but try and stop it falling into oil and water passages. Clean up everything with alcohol until your cleaning cloth/tissue wipes without picking up any oil or dirt. Do the same to the head.

Clean out the piston bowls of any rubbish, also ensure that there is NO water or oil in the head bolt holes, not a bit, I used an old glow plug and connected it up and dipped it into each hole to boil off the water. Once it stopped fizzing I knew it was pretty dry. Even as you put the bolts in finger tight, if there is any fluid down the holes it will get caught in there, and you can feel the pressure build, this and then the heating of the block when the engine is on can cause the block to crack.

Now that you are happy everything is very clean, and there is no fluid where it ought not to be get a GOOD HG, Payen or elring (OEM), Unipart £16 – Craddocks sell an unknown brand, and Paddocks probably use a slice of cheese.

You may also want to use new head bolts if you suspect the head has been off before, they do say they can be used several times in the workshop manual. If I know or suspect the head has been off before I tend to go for new bolts.

Ensure the two locating dowels are in position, lay the gasket onto the block and gently lower the head on top, once it’s seated make sure it’s sitting OK and start putting in all the bolts finger tight.

Now follow the proper bolt torquing sequence to the letter. When it comes to the final angle tightening don’t be tempted to give it a little more for luck. The angle tightening is designed to be more precise by ruling out differences is the bolts or dirt in the thread causing the bolts to reach there desired torque prematurely.

Rebuild the rest of the engine, and cross your fingers!

Thats some useful advice discomania. I think one of my glow plugs has welded itsself in with carbon build up inside.I checked them last w.end as its not starting well on cold mornings, no.1 came out easily and looks new,no.2 wouldnt budge so gave up as ididnt want to snap it off,no.3 unscrewed to the end of thread but was still tight ,so i kept unscrewing and luckily cut a thread in the carbon build up ! and no.4 same as no.1.
I think someone has tried to get them out befoe and not risked snapping 2 and 3 off.
So today I will be tryingto get the last one out with plenty of wd 40 and hopefully wont need discomanias tips on refitting the head.......

Yeah use LOTS of WD40 or even better that really potent penetrating oil that sort of eats up rust and grease and oil. I will look in the garage when I am out there later and see what it is called, but man it shifts EVERYTHING. I cleaned out some turbo and manifold bits and it just turned the carbon and crud to black goo and it washed right out!

Thanks for the advice discomania.

completely cleaned everywhere and made sure there was no water lying where it shouldnt be.
Fitted new gasket from Craddocks, put everything back together, topped up the coolant..... double checked everything was reconnected.
having my fingers crossed.... tried firing her up............
Looking the the head from the front of the car..... the bottom left corner is ****ing out oil..........

Have I gotta remove it all again and check for anything on the seal or faces causing the leaks??....

Please advise......... please......

I am sorry to hear this but I think you are back to square one. I think you will find it will need a complete strip, new gasket and rebuild. You will NOT get it to seal properly now and if you do you will be on borrowed time.

Out of a matter of interest try torquing the bolts down a bit more to see if it stops the leak (if it does don't be temped to leave it, the head will not be torqued evenly etc. If it does you got the torquing sequence wrong or the bolts are dodgy if not the head may be warped or something (bit of foreign material where it ought not to be).

Get a Payen or elring gasket too and a set of head bolts.

B*stard!!
Thats what I thought would be the answer....!!!
No where open now to get a new gasket! I will be having another go tomorrow, fed up to today!!!!!!!

Where are you, I have one here, 3 hole gasket.

Something has clearly gone wrong. Get some photos on here.

photo attached, oil leaking from head gasket just below the end glow plug.

Im in Staffordshire mate, thanks very much for the offer but im on Afternoon shift on monday so i will strip it down tomorrow and get it all cleaned up ready for new gasket and pick a new one up monday morning from local supplier.... PM'd you my number

stripped her down again today, only to find a thin slither of silicon sealer smack bang where the oil was ****ing out from!!!!!
all cleaned down and ready for new Head gasket and rebuild tomorrow.
Wish me luck please

Good luck - you have done the practise run now - you will be fine!

Thanks for your advice and phone call mate, i wil let you know how i get on tomorrow.

Cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned again both mating faces, went and brought a new HG from craddocks this morning..... tightened it all down to the letter......

tried to start her up........ EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE 1ST TIME! Oil ****ing out from the front left corner of the head gasket!!! why why why????..... some one please advise?...

all the time and money spent on doing the head gasket twice.... no body gonna advise this guy to skim the head...... chisel and a bit of a clean down wont do it ...
hope this helps mate arca

Mike you are not having much luck here.

There are several reasons as to why this is happening. The first time you used RTV so that immediatly gives us a reason as to why it leaked oil. You took the head off to sort out stuck glow plugs so we had no reason to suspect the head was damaged as there was no history of head gasket problems.

Now it looks like the head and or block have some damage to them, unfortunatly a groove caused by sand paper or the edge of a chisel would be enough to create a low point that the gasket will not seal into properly and it looks like it might be something like this. Or there was underlying problem with the head that you have uncovered, such as a warp or crack.

Can you post photos of the block and head face where it leaks please.

Do the head and block faces look OK i.e. without any gouges or anything?

How do the bolts feel on that side of the head, when angle torquing them do they seem about as tight as the rest?

It probably would be a good idea to take it to a machine shop now.

Hello DM, Just spoken to a local 4 x 4 specialist and he asked if both locating collers / dowels were in place?.... I said there is one at the back right of the block... nothing else..... Do'h!!!!
The locating coller / dowel creates the seal for the top oil feed.... so 3rd time lucky I am about to strip it down again, me mate is going to Craddocks to pick up a new coller and bringing it over to give me a hand......
Both faces are perfect, I cleaned them several times as you instructed.

stripping it down and replacing this coller is going to cost me £5.05p and a couple of hours work, I will try that 1st, if the problem is still there I will be out of motivation and time for a garage haha!
DM thanks very much for your support, I will let you know how it goes later on tonight.