Glow plug strip - worst case best case?

Oh my....Shade tree mechanice I am not. I replaced my glow plugs with a new set and one of them went in difficult. I am a dumb ass.

What is the worse case if it is seated wrong? I lose compression?

I don't know how much the plugs will be used again until winter.

Car started fine, sounds fine. But I didn't spin it around the block or anything.

It seemed like a simple procedure. I've changed one here and there before. I didn't have any anti-sieze and although I didn't use a torx wrench I am sure I exceeded the torx when putting one of them in.

What is the best case scenario. I hope that it was just "gunk" in the threads. I tried repeatedly to reseat the darn thing. In the end I just forced it. I tried to use canned air around the plugs to get the gunk around them off before taking them out so it carp didn't fall in but its hard to get under the plugs.

Any advice is helpful. I'll read around.

Try to spray something liquid (kind of a WD-40) on the begging of the seat and look for bubbles

Worst case is you've buggered up the threads which means removal may be impossible (depending how tight you got). If you can, without destroying the plug, remove it to have a closer look at the threads to make sure they are ok. It could have been just a little debris. If you can't remove it with a gentle force, then using a liquid to look for air bubbles might help but I would think with the pressures inside the cylinder being so great, you'd be able to see pretty clearly if it was sealing in the head or not.

I will try that. I guess what I really meant was not stripped but I may have cross-threaded the head when I put in the glow plug. It is in, I just don't think it is in "right".

Thanks. Once I tightened the plug down, I did back it out a bit to see if it was easy, and it seemed ok. I guess I have to look for it to be leaking now?

flatlanded said:

Worst case is you've buggered up the threads which means removal may be impossible (depending how tight you got). If you can, without destroying the plug, remove it to have a closer look at the threads to make sure they are ok. It could have been just a little debris. If you can't remove it with a gentle force, then using a liquid to look for air bubbles might help but I would think with the pressures inside the cylinder being so great, you'd be able to see pretty clearly if it was sealing in the head or not.

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hypanis said:

Try to spray something liquid (kind of a WD-40) on the begging of the seat and look for bubbles

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Do this and let us know what you find.

OK. I have bubbles with Wd40. This is bad huh? Now what?

Is it ok to drive my car? I'm pretty upset with myself. I knew this could happen and it happened. I'm done trying to do maintenance on my car myself.

I wouldn't drive it. (well maybe in an emergency)
Carefully remove the plug, get a bottom tap (whatever they're called), clean up threads and repair as necessary. Be careful not to deposit metal shavings into the combustion chamber.
good luck!

**** really? Im screwed without a car. I can't do any of what you are talking about. The best I could do is take the damn thing out and try to put it back in. I don't know how to clean up the threads like you're saying. I will call my garage tomorrow.

Live and learn I guess. What I have learned is pay someone else to do it.

BobnOH said:

I wouldn't drive it. (well maybe in an emergency)
Carefully remove the plug, get a bottom tap (whatever they're called), clean up threads and repair as necessary. Be careful not to deposit metal shavings into the combustion chamber.
good luck!

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JayT said:

Live and learn I guess. What I have learned is pay someone else to do it.

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That what I always tell to people. Being Mechanic is not simple, You have to be born for it.

jetta said:

That what I always tell to people. Being Mechanic is not simple, You have to be born for it.

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I think there may be some truth to that. It certainly takes the right mind set...............

It went in difficult but did you get one or two turns by hand before applying the wrench? If so it's not crossed threaded.

JayT said:

Is it ok to drive my car? I'm pretty upset with myself. I knew this could happen and it happened. I'm done trying to do maintenance on my car myself.

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How loose is the GP if you try to wiggle it by hand? If it's pretty firm in place and won't wobble or turn then I think you would be ok to drive. It shouldn't shoot out of the head if it has enough grip.

How bad was the bubbles?

Yes you are losing compression but it might not be that bad to be noticeable.

I bought a project TDI which had horrible injector sealing washers, every single one bubbled when sprayed down but the engine ran fine.

yeah I think I got an number of turns before it got difficult. I hope its not cross threaded.

KLXD said:

It went in difficult but did you get one or two turns by hand before applying the wrench? If so it's not crossed threaded.

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The plug is not loose. if you didn't know better you would say it is in right. It was noticeable that air was coming out from around the plug but not creating big bubbles...but then again it wasn't soap but wd40.

I spun the car around the lot a few times and although it wasn't up to operating temp, everything seemed fine. I haven't driven it, but I will drive it to the garage. The car sounds and drives the same. It is possible that the threads were damaged by a mechanice a vw or somewhere else before i f-ed em up. I've changed all the plugs except that one previously, but I am pretty sure that one was changed by someone at VW while it was under warranty way back.

Thanks to everyone for their insights...

greenskeeper said:

How loose is the GP if you try to wiggle it by hand? If it's pretty firm in place and won't wobble or turn then I think you would be ok to drive. It shouldn't shoot out of the head if it has enough grip.

How bad was the bubbles?

Yes you are losing compression but it might not be that bad to be noticeable.

I bought a project TDI which had horrible injector sealing washers, every single one bubbled when sprayed down but the engine ran fine.

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JayT said:

The plug is not loose. if you didn't know better you would say it is in right. It was noticeable that air was coming out from around the plug but not creating big bubbles...but then again it wasn't soap but wd40.

I spun the car around the lot a few times and although it wasn't up to operating temp, everything seemed fine. I haven't driven it, but I will drive it to the garage. The car sounds and drives the same. It is possible that the threads were damaged by a mechanice a vw or somewhere else before i f-ed em up. I've changed all the plugs except that one previously, but I am pretty sure that one was changed by someone at VW while it was under warranty way back.

Thanks to everyone for their insights...

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If it was my car and the plug was tight, I wouldn't even bother with it and just keep motoring. Sounds like it is an extremely small leak and could possibly seal itself with carbon after driving for a while.

I'm sure I'll get flamed suggesting this

it's what I did greenskeeper a few months ago ! Like you said - motoring fine ^^

One of the most important things I found out during the GP change is to use air gun to blow anything that's accumulated there before you put in the new one in.
Another friend of mine didn't do that and when I was trying to remove the old one, it broke. I had to remove the head to have it fixed.
I would drive it for now and monitor daily.