Need suggestions please --- I am "screwed"

My first thought is get a cheap wide-blade, long shaft straight-slot screwdriver... sharpen the side edges with a file or grinder & hammer on down until you have a slot in the upper part of the remainder of the plug metal, soak in WD-40 overnight, then see if you can extract it using a pair of Channellocks around the handle of the screwdriver. Should leave no metal shavings, but you can always flush if that's a risk.

Do you have sufficient access for something like that?

 

Never seen a plug break like that. Fortunately you got the ceramic part out.

I would start by cutting one of the other plugs apart so you can plan the best approach. You might need to fabricate a tool. There are a few different types of extractors. I prefer the straight type over the screw type. As the Dawg mentioned, you might easily make something similar out of a screwdriver or long chisel. Tap it in GENTLY to get it started.

If the other plugs came out easily, it might be simple.
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It sounds like access will be difficult. If you drill the plug for an easy-out, there are two bad things that can happen that I can think of. The first is that you drill too deep and you get material from the plug in the combustion chamber. The second is that the drill bit gets into the threads in the head which would be an expensive fix.

There are some sockets made for extracting broken bolts that you might try. I have a set that I have used with limited success. I think they are the Kobalt brand from Lowes. I saw them one day and they were an impulse buy. If that doesn't work, I would pull the head. It will be a pain in the butt, but it may be quicker and less expensive in the long run.

I see that Sears sells a Hanson brand:
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I very foolishly overtightened a brand new plug which snapped in the head - to say I felt sick at the thought of wrecking my Ferrari after only owning it a week or 2 is an understatement.

However, fear not - with a bit of ingunity it was out very easily - hardest part is getting the thread extractor to stay attached to the socket extensions etc so I used some tape to hold everything together. Heres a pic just after removal. Boy was I relieved!!!!
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The same thing happened to me a couple of years ago on a Honda block. The pug was way too deep in the spark plug hole to get an easy out in it, and the only other way was to pull the head to get at it from the combustion chamber. After pulling the head and taking it to a head shop, THEY couldn't even get it out. The machine shop had to sent it to a place that burned it out. How in the heck they do that is beyond me????? To get it burned out was only like $50-ish bucks. The enigne needed rebuilding anyway, over 300k on the odometer, so after head head came back from getting the plug burned out, I had them rework the head. Total cost was $350-$375 bucks, that included burning out the plug, the valve job, cleaning up the ports, and decking the head.

 

Look up EDM

 

AH HA!

Looked up EDM, Electrical Discharge Machining and watched a video about it on YouTube. And now I know how they did it.

Thanks for the heads up Tim.

 

Well done, but, if the OP's sketch is accurate, he/she might have a much tougher problem to solve because the shoulder on the remnant piece may still be tight against the head (whereas the seating shoulder portion was completely lost from your remnant piece -- so you only had thread friction to overcome to remove it).

OP -- Can you confirm that the break in your case occurred exactly in the location per your sketch -- i.e., the hex portion is lost, but cylindrical section below it is still present?

 

Most of my stuck threads, bearings, bolts, or other parts problems have been solved with the right amount of heat (especially, if a torch is accessible) and a good quality tool.

It is generally not the time to use a cheap tool or extractor.

I also think the easy-out is the most appropriate tool for the first try.

I might also try an impact wrench on the easy-out, after the easy-out is firmly attached to the broken plug.

Good luck,

DRG
Jerry

 

Thanks for clarifying that, and I really have no good suggestion beyond what the others have already suggested:

Plan A - try the internal Easy-Out (but it may not have enough "bite" strength into the remnant to support applying enough torque to remove it).

Plan B - external Easy-Out (if if fits -- may not, and might need some tweaking, as these are usually designed to fit rounded-over hex nuts). Will be able to apply more torque as the "bite" is applied at a larger radius and may have more biting flutes.

Plan C - remove head

If nothing is damaged, Plan A has hope; however, if the threads are all mangled/galled-up you wind up doing Plan C and EDM -- Good Hunting!

 

Man I feel for you. Don't lose hope. Do you think corrosion is involved. This will play against you if electrolosis is starting to corrode it all together. My favorite extractor which has saved me in desparate times is the spline type.

348Jeff has shown exactly what you need. Hopefully you'll be posting happy news.

What brand plug was that?

 

Finnerty,

Any chance you can borrow a bore scope from someone? You might want to take a look down there and confirm what's actually left in the hole. From the sound of it, Steve's Plan A might well work, with the easy-out. Like the example photo. But once you've got it out, you also might want to take a peak into the cylinder just to confirm that nothing fell in that might cause a problem later. The last thing you want is to get the broken plug out, put a new plug in, start the engine, and wham-o, have an even more serious problem from a broken part down there. If you bore scope it and it's clean, you're good to go.

Just a thought.

 

That is terrific. Nice work!

DRG
Jerry

 

LESSON:
Most people overtighten EVERYTHING, but spark plugs need only 1/4 turn to crimp the washer after a snug finger tightness is reached.

ONE QUARTER TURN!

Here endeth the lesson

 

Ford 5.4 triton v8 is terrable for this. So much so I refuse to do tune-ups on them. The it's break exactly like yours every time. So much so kd tools made an extractor kit just for these engines. I bought it, used it once, and never let another ford f150 tune-up in the shop. Problem solved.

 

Or the proper torque ! 1/4 turn is good enough if you don't have a torque wrench

 

Hi David I'm so pleased it worked for you!

We will have to patent this tool and give it a Ferrari part number then we can sell it on ebay for a rediculous amount of money! LOL

I'll have to ask Ernie if I'm allowed junior stooge rank

BTW When you fit spark plugs adda smidge of copperslip to help prevent corrosion/problems with removal (its even in the manual to grease them slightly before anyone tells me off!)

 

Glad to hear you got the plug out and no damage to the cylinder. While you were down there with the scope, did you by chance check the thread in the plug hole to be sure that the prior plug had not been cross-threaded? If you can't turn the new plug into the hole by hand with just a little pressure, pull out the scope and double-check it. I use a length of fuel hose that fits tight over the plug to insert them and turn them in. With a little engine oil or anti-sieze on the threads, you should be able to turn them in all the way to the shoulder.

IMHO, Autolite = crap. I've used NGKs in all my cars for a long time, and have never had a problem with them. I used to use Champions in my old Jaguar XKEs, but I now use NGKs in the E as well. YMMV, but I like to stick with what works.