Spark plug super stiff coming out?

I am slowly going through this 300k mi tacoma which runs fine but wanted to get to work on several things that are easy to replace (looking for another 50k as I buy an engine and new goodies) . Half the plugs took a lot of force to crack (no antisieze) , once removed they looked in pretty good shape even if the were obviously worn, electrodes were worn down a good bit. My problem is one cylinder had a spark plug in there that took a lot of force to crack with a standard ratchet. Trying to unscrew the thing its taking a lot of damn force and instead of pblasting it and trying to tighten it a bit first I unscrewed it (i think) about 4 rotations. Ive never had a cylinder head do this (besides stripping exhaust manifold studs). Is it a known problem that can occur on these or do you guys thing im stripping it? it did seem to back out by a couple mm but im not sure if I should keep trying to turn it or leave it as is and drive it till I get a lower mile engine. Just Fyi the coil was sitting higher than normal so I did tighten it (I think) back down and I was able to screw the coil back on. Ill start her up tomorrow and see if im getting a miss fire now. Just have never had a plug so hard to remove after the initial crack and a thread or 2.

 

I’ve ran into stuck spark plugs often. Let it soak in penetrating oil and don’t be afraid to use some force. Just be aware of how much force you’re using and don’t snap it.

 

Alright thanks, was worried as im not "arm shaking" with so much force but woo wee I am having to put some shoulder/weight into it. Ill let you know if it worked tomorrow by having a thread titled "has anyone used sav a thread before?" heh.

 

Did you put any penetrating fluid before?

 

no, it was the second plug I did. used it on all the others after that. Just never broke free a plug before and still have had it so hard to turn. Ill take back off the intake tube tomorrow and spray the old plug with pb blaster then start unscrewing again.

 

You want to let it soak in penetrating fluid, ideally overnight. When I know I have a job coming up I always soak all the fasteners (or spark plugs) with oil a day or two before.

Make sure your plugs are gapped and torqued properly to the correct value.

 

yeah .43/.44 and 13lbs is what i had them at. makes me feel a little better it might not be stripped i want to see how long the block can go for. Thanks guys

 

Thanks horn man, I let it soak over night and it came out fairly easy. I was afraid my few turns prior to soaking had already done damage but it seems okay. Aluminum heads scare me.

 

Use anti-seize when you put the new plugs in and then don't worry about them being stuck ever again.

 

1st time doing my plugs I used penetrating oil and had to use a half inch wrench to get a few out. Asshole puckered entire time.

 

And...I'll add...never pull a plug on an aluminum head when it's hot
Cheers Jeff

 

I was going to say the same and forgot!

 

It was kind of amusing how easy it came out after soaking that tube in pb blaster. I am also used to hand tight and a quarter turn for plugs, so normally they pop right out. A long time ago I stripped not one but 2 exhaust studs on a brand new machined 4g63 head. Ever since then when I feel something isnt coming out easy I start to cry a little. I guess these need a little more elbow grease when it comes to things than what I a use to. Thanks again guys. (also so I do not create a new thread and hopefully someone sees this, why do some valve covers have ribs and others dont, last night when I was crying I was looking for heads and noticed the covers look different but are otherwise the same)

 

Could be a later design...or an aftermarket cover. Who knows...love the HMSTerror handle though.
Cheers, Jeff