[Fixed!] Don't Laugh. I Broke a Spark Plug... Before I Could Remove It...

Not so good: While attempting to remove a spark plug, I broke it.

Bad: The broken plug is #5 on the passenger side nearest the firewall.

Worse, there is a small, very small piece of porcelain wedged between the hex nut and the plug tube. But it is large enough to prevent me from seating a 5/8" socket down over the nut on the plug. I'll have to remove it before I can remove the plug.

Worst, I can't see very well out of my left eye - even with glasses, but I can see the little fukker. Somewhat. I fashioned a hook out of a thin piece of coat hanger but so far have not been successful in removing the piece.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what I can do to remove it, please post them here. Meanwhile, I'll keep trying.

 

Get it loose and try a shop vac to see if that will suck up the broken piece?

 

So the "Hex Nut" is still attached to the metalpart of the spark plug?

 

If you have an air compressor you could try to blow the porcelain piece out, but protect your good eye from flying debris.

Or try something sticky on the end of a piece of wire

 

All good advice, if all else fails taking the passenger valve cover off at least is easier than driver side

 

you could use a combination of both compressed air to knock it loose and the vacuum to pull it out.

 

Long screwdriver or wire hanger, etc with a bunch duct tape or double sided industrial tape wrapped around the tip. Little porcelain sliver should be light enough to come out easy enougg

 

Use a mere.

 

You could fill the spark plug tube with mercury and have the little porcelain piece float up.

 

It's 10 pm now and I am happy-happy. After I fashioned a tiny hook on the end of some very thin but strong wire, and after I worked it around the porcelain piece for about 3 minutes, the piece finally moved. When I couldn't pull it out of the tube, I went to my motorcycle boneyard and found a can of moly grease that I used in 1983. After putting it on the end of the hook I made, I was able to pull the tiny piece out and then two more, even tinier pieces.

Yes, the metal nut was still attached to what was left of the plug, and I easily got that out.

I would like to thank all of you for helping me out! All of you had good ideas. If the grease didn't work, I would have tried Cruiserguy's idea with the duct tape. And if that didn't work, I would've tried the mercury...

 

Glad it worked out. But seriously...Mercury? Stuff is deadly...

 

I was just jesting. Like, I assume, Dr. Z was doing.

 

Thank god! I was thinking that may have been the case. But you never really know these days. People...right?

 

Yes mercury when vaporized and inhaled is bad. but room temp, out side with any air flow, you would be fine. Infact you can eat it, and it will pass right thru, they used to do that for some intestinal parasites. But I would still not recommend it, as there are ways to get poisoned like that. But vaporized is the easiest to get very sick.

I am glad you got it out, I was about to suggest.... because mercury can be dangerous... that you melt some aluminum beer cans and pour that in to float out the chuck of the plug. This is perfectly safe....






Dont follow my advice....

 

Glad to hear it

 

Lol at the mercury... Good job though on getting that porcelain piece out. That stuff can cause some nervousness and anxiety attacks

 

The expression mad as a hatter came from people working in hat making a long time ago where they used mercury for some reason in the process. The fumes would cause insanity symptoms. I don't even know where you could buy a lot of mercury today.

It's just cool to see metal objects floating on liquid because the mercury is so dense. Some science experiments float the instruments on mercury to damp out vibrations to get more precise measurements.

If you don't have compressed air or a small vacuum attachment you could probably dislodge something with a blast of water from a hose as long as the spark plug is in place to prevent water getting into the engine.

 

If the mercury didn't work might have to SAS on tons and LS swap

 

Mercury replaced camel urine in the process of making felt for hats.

https://www.quora.com/What-did-hat-makers-hatters-use-mercury-for