need serious help, by a professional i think!!!

righty boys, i have a problem getting the plugs out of my 4 ltr they are very tight and one of em has broke on the enamel, i have managed to bodge it so i can run the engine but it's by no means a fix.

i need to know why the plugs are so tight, alsmost seized and why i cant get a plug socket that will give a good purchase.

also one of the hex heads has rounded/stripped in the process, the broken one, how will i get this out and is there anything i can use to free the plugs off as brute force has caused damage and i want to avoid any more!!

cheers fellas!!!

gavbriggs said:

righty boys, i have a problem getting the plugs out of my 4 ltr they are very tight and one of em has broke on the enamel, i have managed to bodge it so i can run the engine but it's by no means a fix.

i need to know why the plugs are so tight, alsmost seized and why i cant get a plug socket that will give a good purchase.

also one of the hex heads has rounded/stripped in the process, the broken one, how will i get this out and is there anything i can use to free the plugs off as brute force has caused damage and i want to avoid any more!!

cheers fellas!!!

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It sounds as if they have fused together on the taper-seat, how long since they were last out and has the engine overheated badly since they were last out ?

If you are going down the brute force route (and I think you will be unless you remove the heads and work at them on the bench), only use a 6 point socket. It is near as damn it impossible to round of a hex with a 6 point socket that fits properly.

Sorry .. no clever ideas, just find a 6 point socket ......

just as i thought, heads off time!!!

a 6 point would be an improvement i think but my main worry is damaging the heads. i did manage to get one out and it was very stiff to the end, is there anything that can stop this happening in the future???? some kind of grease????

it has overheated but not badly, pipe to the plenum disintegrated!!!

would penetrating spray(wd40) help, i havn't used any as i'm unsure if it would prove fatal for the aluminium head!!

i try a freeze spray rather than penitration oil as it may help brake the bond between the alloy and steel of the plug

This often is one of the signs of coolant entering the combustion chamber as a result of blown head gakets/cracked block/loose liners etc.The bottom of the plug rusts and drags the ally thread out with it.Getting the plug out may be the least of your worries.

eightinavee said:

This often is one of the signs of coolant entering the combustion chamber as a result of blown head gakets/cracked block/loose liners etc.The bottom of the plug rusts and drags the ally thread out with it.Getting the plug out may be the least of your worries.

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:jaw:the one i did manage to dislodge was dry and a little sooty, no signs of rust. it was however on the opposite bank so no guarentees there!!

but i would suspect just one or two to be stuck if head gasket had gone not all the bleeding things, i reckon the prev. owner was at **** and didnt change the plugs every year, i myself change them every 12 months max and leads too!!

years ago i had this problem on my classic, what i ended up doing ,was too grind the sides of the end of the plug socket, so that it would go down in further and make a better grip on the plugs. i still use it now

al-one-arm said:

years ago i had this problem on my classic, what i ended up doing ,was too grind the sides of the end of the plug socket, so that it would go down in further and make a better grip on the plugs. i still use it now

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the hole where the plug is and the gap between is quite tight so i will try this to get further in there!!!

cheers

Sounds like you may be better off taking the head off. I have only once seen a similar situation. A broken plug wedged in the head was removed by removing the centr part of the plug - electrode, insulator etc then with the head on a bench, take a hack saw blade, pass it through the remnants of the plug, attach to saw frame and gently cut through the plug, if you cut through the thread in the head, you should still be O.K. as long as the cut isn't too deep or adversely affects the seat of the plug.

Hope that helps ya.

never had this on a range rover but its very common on ford KAs. I have a tool my snap-on dealer made up for me. Its a stud extractor mounted in a 1/2 inch drive 3/8 socket. It has only failed me once and i have had some very tight plugs. You remove the centre of the broken plug and insert the extractor into it then using a long bar (hopefully) remove it. A good spray of plus gas (not WD40 as IMO its rubbish) will help you out no end. Good luck

My son who cut his milk teeth in scrap yards told me to always use a long lever for seized or heavily torqued threads

Get a top quality 6 point socket and a long handled rachet or breaker bar - talk to Snap-ON - if you need to lengthen it use a close fitting tube on the handle.

remove all local ancilliaries to make some space for good leverage

do not jerk the socket wrench - slow steady pressure.

at first hint of movement - retighten and loosen again and squirt in some plusgas or other thin penetrating fluid - wd40.

there is nothing to fear but fear.

If fear is impossible to overcome go thro yellow pages for your local engine rebuilder and get them to quote for one of their technicians to visit and remove them.

Mind you the odds are he will use the tools mentioned.

Ramon

cheers guys for all yr help, i will be tackling this on saturday and fingers crossed it will be good news by sturday afternoon!!!!!!!!!

well, in my moment of madness i decided to do the plugs this mornin, used some plus gas and an extendible rachet and six faced plus socket, worked a treat, had to go back and forth with the very stubborn one and used loads of spray to help them in and also, hopefully out next time, which will be 6 months time!!!

there was alot of carbon built up on the end of the threads that must have been locking them in!!!.

thanks to everyone for thier input and a combinstion of advice got me through this daunting task.

also the backfiring seems to have stopped!! so its two birds, one stone!!!

once again cheers fellas

Gav

six sided socket as suggested and get the engine as hot as you dare we generally leave them running for about an hour when they do start to move work them in and out a bit at a time with lots of penetrating oil works for me