actionman

Hi

i was doing a basic service on my mk5 1.3 Fiesta today when 1 of the spark plugs snapped clean off!! I hardly put any pressure on at all & it just sheared!! i'd noticed it was rusted to hell around the spark plug but as i've changed them on most of the cars i've had since passing my test, which is 20+ cars & have never had this problem before!!

I thought about it for a min or so trying t odecide wht to do about the other plugs so went t oremove the 2nd plug, same again!! sheared off!!

1st thing that comes into my head is that i'll have to get the head removed so i can remove the stuck in half of the pug without bit of it falling into the engine!!

Anybody got any other ideas???

thanks

Craig

st3v3

i think the heads coming off matey, might be the only way.

actionman

Yeh that's what i'm thinking!! can't think of how you could remove the rest of teh plug with the head still on the in place without bits of the plug dropping into the engine!!

wulliesxr4i

iTrader: (1)

i had this at work the other day mate all we did was chap a easy out in to it nd got the hot spanner onto it nd they came rite out, mite b worth a try mate b4 u go down the route of taken the head off,

steanlol

So your saying that the nut you put the socket on has snapped off the thread leaving that in the head ??

Never heard of that before , so its a head off job im afraid , nothing will drop into the engine if the threaded part of the plug is still in place .

Shings

Can you not tap an easy out into it?

wulliesxr4i

iTrader: (1)

thats wot we normal do wiv them

Shings

Was gonna say - it aint really rocket science.....

Its prob snapped because its never been changed...

Was it still hot when you tried to take it out?

BIG.GEOFF.H

the way to get it out with out taking head off is to get a torx 55 socket on an extension and get a hammer knock it into the bit of spak plug that is left in the cylinder head as far as you can get the ratchet on it and it will undo no problem. the reason why it has done it is because the plugs havent benn done for a long time and they have rusted and weakend. hope this helps it will take mins to sort out dont worry.

benporter

iTrader: (1)

That is common on these , ive had one snap all 4

MarkN

This is a common problem with 1100 and 1300 OHV Fiestas, - I always give them a good soaking overnight in WD40 before changing the plugs and even then they can still be very difficult to remove.

Tbh - it's probably a head off job to get it drilled out. You might be able to get it out with the head on - but you'd have no way of stopping debris getting into the cylinder, which would then give you another problem.

When you replace them - some copper grease on the threads should stop it happening again. I always used to loosen them off and do them up again every three months or so as well. Once you've had this problem once, you don't want it again.

actionman

nope!! i'm saying they snapped clean in half, there's nothing sticking out of the head at all now!!

I'd never heard of it before until it happended to me & i did a search & found quite a few people saying it's common on this engine!!

actionman

oh & for those that recommened using easy outs etc!! i've thought about buying a set as i doin't have any!! i've also nothing to heat up the rest of the plug with!!

I'm still unsure about the easy out as i don't wanna risk any bits of the plugs dropping into the engine. I'm also guessing the other 2 plugs will prpb snap as well!!

I's also had the engine running for quite a while before hand to get it hot, which is what i've always done when doing oil/plug change etc!!

cabriolet

fella i know welds a bolt inside the broken bit and unscrews them he says works every time then spins the engine over with no plugs in the crap flies out the plug holes

xr2john

heads got too come off mate

RUPERT THE BIG HAIRY BEAR

y r u saying the head needs to come of when uve read ways of doing it all ready and from people that have allready done it

bigal1978

i do it this way to

actionman

if you'd read everything i'd put then you would've seen that i put that i don't want bits of the plugs dropping in the engine so i'm thinking the only way to gaurantee that is to remove the head!!

Oh & that's the 3rd time i've said i don't want bits of the plug falling into the engine!! jus tin case you missed it!! lol

Diesel combi pete

I fill for you; I recentlygot my hands on a lovely little 1300 mk4 with only 5,000 miles on clock, the first thing I do is try to put in new plugs and stuff. well same as you I snapped two of they had not come out from new, it is a weak bit between the shank and the thread that goes. I had never seen this before then. We tryed easy out soaking first overnight with wd and a bit of heat but we found no way, in the end it is head off, sorry but it will all be back together one day good luck

tabetha

I've had loads of these engines, and never had that, I think if memory is correct the plug sticks out slightly so get carbone dup and can get tight, but f**k me they must have been done stupid tight, only done this job on a few pinto's and a french pain in the arse ww1/2 V8 tank engine helping a mate.
tabetha

BIG.GEOFF.H

its the easy way i used to get my engine man to get em out till i found out how he did it no bits in the engine done in mins easy peasey no head off

actionman

Right!! i took some advice from some of you on here & had a bash at it this morning!!

Only difference being i used a Torx T50 & not T55!! Hammered it straight in, attached ratchet!! Binlgo!! cracked it!! 2nd plug was as easy!! So then moved onto the other 2 remaining unbroken plugs, which funnily anough, both broke!!

Anyways, as i was on a roll i just usd the T50 again & out came the rest of the plug!! Fitted new NGK plugs & it started 1st time!! Although it did have the odd miss when sat idling on drive & the new clean oil seems to have made the gnine slightly noisier thna the sludge the previous owner had in!! lol

So i'd like to thank everybody for advice etc!!

Craig

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Good stuff! Now on to the tappets, made the world of difference to my missus's old mk3 fiesta when they were adjusted up properly! Sounded like an engine again rather than someone shaking their toolbox lol

actionman

lol!! well it's not actually that bad once it's warmed up a little!! Although i mus tadmit the 1st time i started it up after the oil change it sounded like a 5,000,000 mile diesel!! almost shat my pants wondering what was going on!!

Got quieter within a few seconds then after atrip to the gym & back is sounds almost like it did before the oil change

bennett88

2 year on, I am having the same problem,

The spark plug sheard below the nut. just leaving the ceramic in the well, a read somewhere about starting the engine briefly (couple of seconds, covering the engine with a towel to stop it flying out everywhere), I did this and it seemed to do the trick to get rid of the guts out of the spark plug.

But now I'm wondering "what if" any debris has gone into the engine ??, and what should my next steps be.

1) Easy out tool
2) Take of the head, and try getting it out (if I can't a machine shop), but if I take the head off will I be able to see if anything has dropped into the engine?

Many thanks
Liam

actionman

i'm pretty sure nothing will have dropped into the engine with the amount of pressure in there when it's cranked. So everything just flies straight out of the top. There should be no plug core left in the head at all.

There wasn't when i did mine anyways, all that was left was the threaded part of the plug. So as i said in my earlier post i just tapped a T50 torx socket into the threaded part. That bit into it enough for me to just undo it with my ratchet

1.9 xr2 on 40's

its a 20 min job to do the whole head gasket so if you cant get soething smahse dinto them and wound out get a gasket set
dont need a skim really as its not done the gasket and is a big chunk
sadly i have no spare parts to offer, i recently broke up a 1.2 fiesta and was shocked the amount of engine parts people wanted
i sold the head and the exhaust manifold! shocking

Brendan

iTrader: (1)

boroscope and you can check in seconds!

richard youll

Pull the ceramic out to leave the threaded part of the plug in the hole knock a torx or easy out in and in wind , easy I do it all the time , I can't remember the last time I took plugs out of a hoc without one snapping!!

bennett88

I managed to find an Easy out tool (with the threads going the opposite way to a screw) kindly donated from a neighbor, now I'm thinking this needs to be turned anti-clockwise in order to get the plug out, is that right, Im gonna put some anti-cease grease on the other 3 if I can get them back out again .

Many thanks
Liam

Twizz

Easy out tool? Don't bother - whack a long T-55 as the others have said and away you go. The amount of times I've done that its unreal.

bennett88

So I would need these http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10001 &productId=167858&categoryId=255215&langId=-1 an extension bar and ratchet.

BigChuck

yes, the easy out will tighten in to the hole as you unscrew the spark plug.

botters

iTrader: (2)

even though it appears to have been mentioned several times im going to say it again USE A TORX 55 IT WILL TAKE THEM OUT GUARANTEED there now its in capitols maybe everyone will see it lol

Bailes1992

Does this effect the later KA's with the revised head?
Girlfriends KA had new spark plugs today and they come out no issue. Look like they had been in there a while too.

richard youll

The newer ka hoc engine plugs are ok to get out but they are prone for coils

botters

iTrader: (2)

and the brand new ka has a fiat punto engine so has its own host of problems lol

bennett88

Well, still no luck soaked it in PB Blaster last night and this morning. I tried a T55,T50 and the easy out, and it came out by about 1-2 mm. So I have re applied the PB blaster tonight, and will attempt again tomorrow , but im starting to think it may be a head off job, as I am certain some shavings from using the T55 have gone into the engine . It really is fused in there

neilgriffs

Thought we were in mega trouble when the plug snapped in my sons fiesta, quoted £1500 by ford to sort it, bit of searching online and found this thread, followed instructions used the 50 sized rather than 55 worked a treat, many thanks, really saved the day. Thanks again would have had to struggle myself to take the head off and get it running again.
Neil

furry

as above done it loads of times before, also pays to have a hoover handy to catch any bits from dropping in the bore