A3 - Glow plug snapped off! - help!

[Steve Addy]

So it's about 15 degrees outside here in Iowa, not a great day, but my new glowplugs came a few days ago and being home I wanted to get them in. Everything looked good for the 20 minute job but the first glowplug came out really hard, lubed it and worked it until it finally came out. From the looks of it the plug was never seated properly, there's carbon up past the seat almost up to the threads. When it came to installing the new one here I used some anti-seize compound and worked it in and back out again, it was tough!

Thinking that it wasn't going in so well I backed it out and took one of the old ones and started using it to clear the path. Right when I thought I was getting it in the stupid thing snapped off just below the hex, but of course the inner stem didn't give!

I finally got the hex drilled off and the inside stem ground down to where I can get a drill on it, trying to clear the way for an extractor. This is not how this was supposed to go, the other three went great, easy out and back in.

Anyone else had this problem and resolved it with an extraction tool? I really dont want to have to send this to the dealer to resolve.

Anyone with any words of wisdom please chime in here!

thanks
steve a

 

[saabguru]

First of all remember one thing. Do NOT go all the way through that plug. You do NOT want chip, swarf, drillings in your engine.

The trick I use as an aviation mechanic is the proper EASYOUT with the corresopnding drill- EXCEPT- I trim the EASYOUT so it grabs before it gets in too deep.

This helps you by keeping you from having to drill through that plug.

When my sparkplugs got sticky on my aluminium cylinder headed Mercedes, I would work them up to and away from the stickness with a lotta WD-40 until they came out without strain.

Don't give up. Patience, dexterity, and more patience will pull you through.

Do you have a good drill motor, sharp drills (5 or 6) some EASYOUTS and a tap handle available? A 12V DeWalt will do, if you have a spare battery.

I would say a number 2 or 3 EASYOUT would be the right size. The correct size drill is stamped on the EASYOUT.

Remember, steel is best drilled with slow speed, high feed. (Feed = pressure)

 

[NadaGasser]

Using a thread "chaser" after the old plug was removed should have been used to remove the hard carbon in the hole threads. I remember the time that I tried to remove a spark plug from an aluminum motorcycle head, and the plug wouldn't "give". As I applied more removal torque, the plug finally came out .... with the aluminum hole threads attached! You are very fortunate that you haven't (yet) stripped the hole threads. Be VERY careful as you extract the broken glow plug as the previous writer suggests, or you will have a bigger problem on your hands.

 

[Steve Addy]

Thanks for all the help, I picked up an easyout set this morning.

All of the old plugs were coated with anti-seize, I dont really have an explanation as to why the first one came out so tough, but based on the fact that there was carbon above the seat I have to conclude that the first one was not installed properly. Whether the shop that did this last time screwed this up or not I dont know, the prior owner mentioned that it had had some glowplug work done to it a while back.

I'm not really wanting to run a chase / tap down through there because of the filings and the potential for them to fall into the combustion chamber.

I cant explain why the plug was so difficult to get out but the threads were cut funny when it finally came. I worked it back and forth with liberal WD-40 so as to avoid a break on the extraction. When I used the other to clean-out the opening I used liberal anti-seize.

Thanks again!
Steve A

 

[Steve Addy]

Hey all
Well it was nerve wracking but about 20 minutes worth of work and the balance of the plug was out. Problem appears to be that a prior plug had left some of its threads in the hole. I didn't have a 10-1 tap so I just used a dental pick to chip away at the junk and then a magnetized screwdriver to pull out the metal filings. Once that was completed it was easy to insert the new plug and torque to specs.

This is something I do not want to have happen again! On a positive note, although all the old plugs tested ok the car starts better. This excludes the plug that snapped off...it may have been toast. Also, no more CEL light for the moment although I'm suspicious of the harness, at 100k miles and original I dont expect it to last much longer.

I will say however, that the last time the plugs were changed it was supposed to have been done by VW, but I find it odd that three of them were not torqued to spec, I barely pushed on the ratchet and the handle flopped and they were loose....not good!

I have to say it's nice to have a Harbor Freight in my town, very reasonable prices, picked up a nice extractor set for very little money.

thanks for all the good advice!
steve a