well i decided i should prob change the sparkplugs/wires etc. in my "new" camaro today.... everything went pretty much perfect until the last plug(i found it easier for alot of them to go from underneath.... all came out loose so it suprised me when it took so much to start it off. so as my dad was looking for the breaker bar to get more leverage, i repositioned myself to get a better pull on teh ratchet, and guess waht? the area between teh nut and the threads on the spark plug skeared off.... GREAT! now i ahve the "nut" part in one had with the ceramic insulator and only one point in my hand... HOW CAN I GET THE THREADED PART OUT? all i ca think of is to us an "easy-out" those reverse threaded bits, my dad is borrowing a bigger one from work tomarrow.. the other thing that worries me is if i put the easy out in, the end of the spark plug that bends over to make the otehr point that the arc jumps to will bed strait and break if in my cylinder....and suggestions whatsoever? is this the first you ahve head of it? i REALLY don't want to end up pulling the head.....

a side question: how accurate are plugs gapped out of the box? cause one of teh ac delco plugs i got i pulled it out of the box and the metal arm was bent right down i think veven touching the other side for zero gap... we measured another and t was at about 40 so we sert it at that, (even though i thoguht they were supposed to be 35? )

thanks for hte help, please re asap. we are planning on trying the easyout tomarow, night, its going to be pretty hard to try to maneuvar it in there... just so you know the cylinder is the back on on teh passenger side... 8??

wow, im full of quesitons, i think the other wires i reversed which end i put for te cap and which for the plug, i think the only difference is the length of the shield.. i think im wrong cause the ones with only one end angled the mold of teh angle head which must go to the cap is what i had already started putting on the spark plug for the wires with both ends angled....

THANKS FOR THE HELP....
tj

 

so did the nut break off? or did just the part the plug goes on break off?

if the is still on there you should still be able to get it off.

 

thats the problem, it sheared off between the nut and the thread... i gotout the nut and the insulated part, but the threaded portion and the metal "hook" that bends around that you use to adjust your gap is still in there.... all we cna think of short of taking hte head out is to use a reverse threaded 'easy-out" ,but it has the be pretty big because theat is the portion of the plug that the insulator passes throught the metal and must be almost 1/2"

also how tight shoudl i make the new plugs? shoudl i use antiseize on them???
that wodl mean removing them and reinstalling them, is it worth it? i think this one nut was jsut a fluke because it corroded some, but im worried i am tightening the new ones too much....

thanks again
tj

tj

 

you decide if its worth it or not.. if there was anti seize on there you wouldnt be in the situation your in now.. just a thought

 

TJ,

As long as the insulator is out of the plug, use an extractor to get the shell out. Chase the threads with a tap if necessary, then crank the engine with all the plugs out to clear out any debris.

Obviously, you'll be using anti seize compound on the replacement plug threads, right?

 

Snug, but not over-tightened. I usually spin 'em in by hand, use my ratchet until they stop, and then snug 'em down. Some guys think they have to lean on the ratchet and tighten them with all their strength- no way.

If they loosen up, you'll know (pfft! pfft! pfft! = spark plug fell out), and then you just put 'em in a little bit tighter. Is torque spec the same as for v8's? 15 ft/lbs? That's for my v6.. and it's so light, I don't even bother with the torque wrench anymore.

 

the "easy-out" worked great! my dad had one cut off at work to the right length so that it wouldn't touch the prong on the spark plug.... he had someone take anothe one of teh old plugs and cut it along where the other had sheared to see what the inside that we weere dealing with looked like.. and then got an aes-out that fit perfect adn cut it short enough that it wold not interfere with the prong. worked like a charm!

about the antiseize... no i didn't use it all the others were working so well that i didn't bother, and then that one broke off, i really think it was a problem of corrosion and not being overtightened... i'm hoping it wont happen again... they were pretty old plugs, and i would presume i will either keep teh car well tuned and change them before they get like teh ones that were in there or the car wont need plugs again for the time i ahve it... that stuff ahd been in there for a while! we had to break the rotor to get it off... then use some sand paper to clean off the post it sits over...

well