Spark plug blew out, stuck in NE how to fix

UPDATE—-driving on I-80 near Lexington, NE at about 75 mph. Check engine light came on and engine started ticking. Pulled over and noticed oil/ gas and some smoke coming out of #2 cylinder on driver side from front. Took off coil which was burnt and was able to use long nose pliers to pick out damaged spark plug from spark plug tube.
Threads looked okay

Had towed to oriellys in Lexington and bought a new spark plug. Plug threads in but does not tighten. I bought a thread repair kit but the tool to resize the thread will not fit with a socket into the tube to turn the resized. it sucks big time. Any how to fix it suggestions or any local trusted repair shops nearby.

I removed the valve cover but can’t remove the spark plug tube which is pressed into the head with an adhesive sealant. Any how to fix suggestions would be appreciated. Spouse and dog are not happy and I guess I’ll end up in the dog house. Thank you in advance for the help—-UPDATE (10/19/19)

 

How loose is the plug when you try to tighten it, and how far are you from home?

 

First, I'm guessing that the problem with the tool you have is it's not long enough to reach to the bottom of the spark plug tube. There are a wide variety of those thread repair kits with tools. Try to find something else that will work at the bottom of the tube, or a tool that can be used with an extension.

Second, if you are completely unsuccessful with finding a proper tool, I found a youTube video "hack" that might get you home. I suggest this with the greatest of trepidation, and take absolutely no responsibility for the results or any damage to your engine. I would not recommend this for anything except an emergency situation. Be careful with tissue or paper towel falling into the cylinder, especially since you won't be able to maneuver very well at the bottom of that tube with any tool. If O'reilly's has an air compressor, see if you can borrow an air hose to blow out the cylinder after you've "retapped" the threads. Once you've got it home, I would take it to a real mechanic ASAP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY_fuDRltZE

 

The plug feels like it hits bottom then tensions a little and starts turning again. I am going to try to find a longer thinner rethread tap or see if there’s a NAPA or other store with different tools. We’re about 1400 miles away from home in northern Virginia. I’m going to look at the video. I tried installing a second spark plug gasket on a plug but no joy, it still did not tighten. Thank you both for the information.

 

Brilliant hack! Using a spark plug as the tap.

I would first look to extending the length of a real tap if too short, possibly by welding on an extension. Should that not be feasible, then I would seriously look at this hack using a couple of new spark plugs as thread cutters, as taps themselves. Meeting success, I would then install another new spark plug and use a thread lock when installing.

Now just as a discussion - If I were met with difficulties in placing the paper wadding in the hole, I might settle for doing less than ideal, while getting whatever can be easily placed, and eventually removed, in place in the hole. If I remember correctly from my machine shop years of tapping blocks, heads, and such, when sending a tap down to correct a thread issue you are not necessarily cutting all new threads as the cutter will take the path of least resistance and cutting just enough to repair those threads already in place, any shavings (minor and minute in size) that did pass beyond the wadding shouldn't be too much of a concern. The pistons stroke to exhaust the cylinder should blow whatever shavings out through the exhaust port under pressure. I would image there is sufficient pressure to clear the cylinder of whatever minute particles might have fallen in past the wadding. By all means, correct me if I am wrong.

[edit] In the case that the hole is damaged and too large (the plug won't tighten), you would need to set new threads after narrowing the hole. Again if memory serves me, you would tap with the appropriate size tool and create a new threadway which you would use to thread in a helicoil suited to the diameter of the spark plug. Yeah, its coming back to me. Helicoil.

If unable to use a helicoil, my next guess would be to thread a bronze wool bushing like material into the hole while being soft enough that one might be able to thread a plug tightly.

 

The grease is an old trick and the primary chip trap (the belt), the tissue was the backup (suspenders). It would pretty easy to lose that tissue down into the cylinder, which might be worse than the chips, but I can't deny a second line of defense would be good. I would consider access to pressurized air essential to blow out the cylinder afterwards. ANY chips that fall into the top of the cylinder, and can't be removed, will score the everlivin' hell out the cylinder wall.

 

Quick fix but may work long term.

I’d melt/drip a bead of aluminum solder high up on the actual spark plug neck near where the plug washer meets the ceramic. No drips lower, as that is off limits so the plug will thread smoothly at first.

Once the drip rolls the thread, very quickly wipe the drip with a wet cloth 360° to spread the aluminum evenly in the thread. This should give your plug thread just that extra bit of thickness to fill the gap.

Somebody hit that one home please!

Another alternative is load the crap out of the plug with spark plug anti seize and then screw it in.

 

The grease will catch the most chips/shavings, the paper a few - more if also greased. Though the possibility seems small to me that more than a few might get past this regimen, I would think your statement a remote possibility. But, should a chip fall between the piston's skirt and the cylinder wall and be pinched tightly, there would be scoring, though how much is uncertain for sure. I believe there would be a better chance those chips that fall between the piston's side skirt and the cylinder wall to the first compression ring, a gulf that may be quite a bit larger than the chip, would negate any damage, and that it is not necessarily a given anyway considering the area of the piston's head and whether it is flat or not, the probable minute size of any chip landing in that area, and the time it would take to blow it out the exhaust valve port. Again, not to argue any point, rather to just bring another view to the discussion.

 

Anti-seize? I would think the alternative. Wouldn't thread lock or J-B Weld work better in that scenario? 1400 miles is a long road.

 

Chips will not make it to the piston skirt, or that part of the piston below the wrist pin. Any chips that fall into the cylinder will be trapped between top of piston, cylinder wall, and piston rings unless they are removed. Standard (new) clearance between cylinder wall and piston skirt is 0.002" or less, with momentary contact on an oil film every stroke. Chips, or any other foreign debris, are not an option inside the cylinder imo.

But, no point in us arguing about it...the OP is the one with the risk. I'm conservative, and I'm making him aware of the risk.

 

Anti-seize (made for plugs) has some metallic filler that fills the gaps in the thread. Its not perfect, but its an easy quick fix maybe? Your suggestion may work, but to long term detriment?

I alway defer to the KISS method and work my way up. Keeps my intelligence from getting in my way.

 

@Professional Hand Model ...Oh I agree for the most part, yet feel compelled to be unsettled by the 1400 mile aspect. That's not a run but rather a marathon.

 

Ingenious idea on the solder, but getting just enough solder to "fill the gap" without too much would be tricky. Get too much solder and it may begin to "roll" and gall the aluminum threads before the gasket was fully seated. I suspect the plug being loose has caused combustion pressure to "bang" a lower thread(s) into the one above, and as the OP attempts to tighten the plug, the plug thread will not continue to follow the aluminum thread, it just skips back to the beginning of the damaged area and spins.

I would try the anti-seize idea first, as being the idea with possible success, but with least opportunity for a unrecoverable condtion.

Using thread lock or JBWeld in this situation is likely to result in a FUBAR imo @marbleville.

 

To the best of my knowledge the plugs are made using steel. If the washer get some solder on it, then a quick flash of flame should melt the (softer Aluminum) solder off and back into the threads.

Let the plug cool off before inserting. Not what she said.

 

@JohnLakeman ...A misnomer, skirt vs side. I meant the side of the piston down from the top of the piston to the first compression ring. It's been 50 years since I last built an engine as an apprentice machinist in a full service auto shop in northern New Jersey. Some of the nomenclature has been lost or jumbled up with other rusting parts. Heck, it took me several hours this morning to even remember the name - helicoil - though I did a mess of them if my early years in the shop. And I don't recall the typical tolerances between the piston and cylinder walls, I sure remember them, in error, as larger than .002 inches., and I reconditioned beaucoup pistons, installing many sets of rings.

 

My question is why did the plug blow out?

Also, sorry this happened.

 

I bet whoever did the spark plugs in the past over tightened it or it was somehow rusted when it was removed causing the threads to gall.

 

I have a theory which was posited over in another section the other day after installing new plugs on a 2002 4WD with 165k miles.

Theory: Steel Spark Plugs and Tundra Aluminum Heads/threads contract at differing rates, thus loosening themselves over time.

In the OP’s case, maybe someone in the past stripped the threads with too much torque? A plug came loose(r) and stripped its self? Someone cross threaded wrongly?

Highly recommend the use of a magnetic plug socket when installing plugs in our Tundras. Keeps them from falling out when removing/inserting. Always reverse turn when installing and wait to feel the thread drop and then start your tightening turns. This prevents thread strip.

 

Well you certainly seem to have a solid grasp of the mechanics, whereas mine is now foggy at best, and I defer to you in the matter (though I do fail to see the error in my solution, especially as to the thread lock - it's way easier to catch a pig with tar on your hands than with grease). The matter is made more difficult by a forth coming project of mine - replacing the spark plugs in my wife's Ford Expedition. Some say use thread lock because the engine likes to spit out the plugs and others say use anti-seize because everyone is breaking the plugs off at the seat when removing.

 

Most quality plugs (like NGK for example) already have an anti-seize coating from the factory.

Most engineers/mechanics recommend NOT using anti-seize because the paste usually consists of Copper which heats at a differing rate and can cause a hot spot along with early detonation (circumventing the design of the plug spark tip) inside the chamber.

 

Wondering if a High Temp teflon tape applied generously would work.
We use this stuff on Steam applications which works well.

May not find locally.

Gasoila Nickel PTFE High Density Thred Tape Roll, -450 to 550 Degree F Performance Temperature, For Stainless Steel, 4.3 mil Thick, 260" Length, 3/4" Width

$18 Gasoila Nickel PTFE Thread Seal Tape – Professional-Grade, 3/4" x 260", High-Density Thread Tape for Stainless Steel Pipes– Leak-Proof Seal, Non-Toxic

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HPVX4M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_rUYQDbTEY8SPK

 

If you can get your hands on some thin brass sheets, think shim material, you could cut two pieces and bend the top of each piece over then place those in the plug hole with the bent taps on top of the outside of the hole, then try to thread the plug in. The brass should be thin enough to allow the plug to thread, while the brass conforms to the shape of the threads and fills in the void between the plug thread and the threads in the plug hole.

Might work, should not cause any permeant damage. I have used this trick before when I worked on machinery in a factory at my old job, and the parts were not available to make the repair, this would get us back up and running for awhile.

 

If this is the kit you got maybe see if they have a newer version, they've apparently changed it for the tap to accept a 3/8 extension. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...-kit/533414/4368699/2002/toyota/tundra?pos=17

Otherwise maybe some Permatex Orange threadlocker, it's one step short of red but may work to get you home.

 

Since I've owned cars with aluminum heads, I've used anti-seize paste on spark plugs.

This habit began after that first azz-puckering plug change in an 87 Corvette. I hold no fear of a hot spot w/early detonation; it's not even close compared to that of stripping plug threads out of an aluminum head. But, my high temperature anti-seize paste is made of aluminum (all anti-seize is metallic afaik) by a German company...a supplier to the Euro stars, BMW, Mercedes, uhm...Volvo. I've never had any problems getting spark plugs out again. The threads of the plug are likely to be silvery dry with no evidence of ever having anti-seize on it. I assume the oil base carrier flashes off in the heat leaving aluminum dust in the threads. It works for me.

 

Yes, I agree. I remembered piston/cylinder clearance being more, but I think we've revealed our "born-on" century.

Having experienced the embarrassing consequences of "Assume", I looked up the clearances for a 3UR-FE in the Toyota SRM before I opened my big mouth. Cylinder standard diameter: 3.700"-3.701". Piston standard diameter (skirt): 3.6988"-3.6992". They caution to use any dimensions beyond the 0.001" place for reference only, but they are clearly shooting for targets in the ten-thousands place...no wonder "break-in" is no longer required.

 

When I was a much younger lad I made sure to anti-seize everything, including the newly installed Motorcraft sparkplugs in my 1966 mustang coupe's 289. Funny thing is that replacing the plugs suddenly gave me a horrendous misfire on multiple cylinders. Spent the whole day chasing the issue. Nightfall made the problem obvious as you could see the "lightening bolts" as the anti-seize was grounding out several of the plugs as they heated up and the anti-seize expanded, smeared to meet the sparkplug boot. Doh!
B

 

Aluminum foil wrapped around the threads like you would teflon tape (wound the opposite way you'll be twisting the plug so as not to have it bind up) works well for taking up space in compromised threads. Won't work in a high torque application, but should do the trick for this.

 

Update. I got up early and went into Oreillys when they opened. The manager and I talked about and I showed him the kit I had bought last night. He went int the back of the store and brought up a helicoil kit that I think FESTERW had mentioned. The thread tool was smaller in diameter and you could use a 3/8” extension to make it longer. It included three lengths of helicoil that fit the NGK spark plug. Cost about $69 compared to the $20 kit. If they brought it out last night I would have bought it.

This was the ticket. I have installed helicoil a before in other engines and it worked well. We are on the road and have put about 70 miles and so gr it seems fine. Only time will tell. FYI I changed all the plugs after fixing the one that blew out. Of the seven other plugs, five were loose, meaning I used minimal force to get them out. On this site or another, a member had also experienced the same issue with a blown spark plug. He suggested to check you plugs at every oil change or some similar time frame. I have a 99 land cruiser with the same motor and I’m going to check my plugs when I get home. I need the land cruiser plugs about 40k ago but I want to err on the safe side and not have to deal with this again.

Thanks to all who have provided information and responded to this post. Be safe.

 

It's a good cautionary tale. I've never checked the plugs on any vehicle....ever (besides when I replace them)....but I think I will start now.

 

You're the one on the road with family while some of us are watching college football on the couch and pounding on a keyboard....safe travels to you and yours