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Stuck Glow Plugs

11K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  vail426 
#1 ·
I am changing the glow plugs in my truck. Ihave three that have I have managed to get losened, but they will not pull through the hole. They are mushroomed at the end i suppose. How do I get them out?
 
#2 ·
try twisting and pulling, if they break off then you will have to take the injectors out and remove the tip with a magnet trough the top. is easy that way ,just dont drop the piece trough the precup hole on the piston
on the remaining plugs, do not put more than 35 lbs torque on the wrench to prevent breaking of the plug outside the head. if you cant break them loose post back,there are other options to get them out
 
#3 ·
I got one of the stuck plugs out only to find the tip broke off. What now?????
 
#4 ·
read my post
 
#5 ·
Spray them with PBlaster .. soak things to see if they pull out. Turn, pull, if not, push back in,turn a bit, try again. Sometimes they only come out in one angle, not another.

The other way you can get them out is to pull them as far as you can, then turn the engine over and let the compression blow them out. Less chance of breaking off the ends that way...
 
#6 ·
There is a tool to remove swollen glow plugs successfully. I have never used it but heard it was worth every dollar (http://jjandaracing.com/en-us/dept_9.html). Without this tool or for a glow plug that is already broken I would do what has already been posted and remove the injector to that cylinder, turn the engine over by hand to get the piston close to TDC and either pull the broken glow plug out with a magnet or small pair of pliers (surgical type).
 
#7 ·
Neat... all that thing is is a straight press... what they're saying is that if you just pull in a straight line with steady pressure, the plug will come out without the tip breaking off.

Makes sense... most people, when pulling on something that's stuck, tend to wiggle side-to-side, like a dog pulling on a towel when you're holding the other end..

...pushing it out with compression makes it go straight, too.
 
#8 ·
I've got glows coming up soon, if any of mine get stuck I'm going with the compression method. I want to see em fly.:D
 
#9 ·
LOL ... it was listed on here by one of the gurus as a sure-fire method of getting them out without breaking off tips. When I changed mine, I was actually HOPING one would stick... :)

... but none did :(

The guy DID say to put a box there to catch the flying plug so it didn't damage anything. Not me; I think I would have broke out the movie camera!
 
#10 ·
What a mess!!

I changed the glow plugs on my truck. Two tips broke off. I pulled the injectors and found nothing. The truck now a knock and a miss. Is there anyway to get thos tips out without pulling the heads?
 
#11 ·
if you started the truck with the tips in the engine its most likely already done damage. if they weren't in the precup they fell onto the piston at some point in time.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I moved the last 2 threads in here to keep things together. Please post further instances, questions, or suggestions in this this thread.

If you had checked with the people who replied to your first post, Craig, you would have gotten more suggestions on how to get the ends out.

You certainly would have been warned not to start it.

In any case, there are several pictures around here of glowplug tips melted into piston tops. You can guess how they got the pics... the heads have to come off.
 
#13 ·
Hi
If you take a small piece L- or U-shaped aluminum and bend this around the treads of the glowplug, hold thight with a Wise-Grip while you unscrew and the plug will make treads in the soft aluminum and pull itselves out.

First who understands what I mean, can translate to good language.:)

Trond
 
#14 ·
I understood it perfectly. You are making the threads "longer" to pull out the plug. Good idea!
 
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