Removing a sheared off glow plug

[Whatmot]

just need some options/opinions on my minor problem...

ive had my mav over a year now and since ive had its had a sheared off glow plug stuck in the head. its a bit difficult starting it this time of year but ive put up with it for a year now with no problems. its got to the point now though where id really like it removed and replaced to with a functioning plug. im hopefully having the exhaust manifold off in a few weeks to replace it (as its cracked) so thought id have the cylindor head off to remove the plug.

my dad doesnt think an 'easy out' will budge it as the threads are too long and seized, so im thinking of drilling it out, does anyone think thats the way to go or has anyone got any other suggestions??

any help appreciated, thanks tom

[mick_d]

Is there anything showing you can get a spanner or some sort of socket on?

If so, run the engine upto operating temp and try removing it then.

I'd try everything I can before removing the head, a lot more work. Although you may find if you get the plug out, you might have to helicoil the head...

[Roger]

Can we have the following please:-

a) photo's, from various angles, to give us an idea of the plugs condition and position.

b) If pictures not that good, can you draw a diagram, photograph it, and post on forum.

Roger

[J.]

If you can get at it with head on Maybe worth getting it to full temp and getting them reverse drill bits..

The heat from drilling can sometimes un-stick things and the momentum of the drill going backwards will maybe screw it out.. (remember to use a drill smaller than your thteads)

And never underestimate the power of wd a good soaking over night would maybe help..

[Norv.]

If your going to try to take it out at engine temp then put some card board over the radioator and thrash it. The hotter the better! Soak it with some penetrating fluid too. Though if it sheared off chances are it will be stuck solid.

In my experience with the Merc CDi engines, its better to get a pro in to do it, the amount of bodge jobs gone wrong I have seen is unreal.

Good luck though!

Mark.

[terence]

Mig weld a nut over it and back it out with a big socket.... afetr warming the engine up first...

failing that its head off and vice grips on the smooth end, assuming of course the tip hasnt fallen off..

[Whatmot]

there is nothing to attach a spanner/socket it as it has sheared off 15mm below the surface

[mud and diesel]

id be very worried about the tip falling in the engine! if you have got the know how i would take the head off!
Pete

[Nathaniel]

If it was mine - I'd leave it.


The only way for you to sort this is to remove the head, drill out the snapped glow and helicoil the threads.

If its snapped then it is well seized and holds little hope of a recovery with any "Removal tools"

[Roger]

It would appear that the problem's of removal outweigh the benifit's of removal.
As you have 3 working plugs, the only problem would be on initial starting and as it does start the need for the extra plug would appear to be arbitry.
I am with Nathaniel on this, leave it alone.

Roger

[Nathaniel]

The 5 Cylinder LR TD5 engine only has 4 Glow plugs...

[Roger]

Land-Rover always were tight fisted.

Roger

[Whatmot]

[mick_d]

[winchman]

I dont think you will get it out in position, but If I was trying I would turn a bar that will fit in to the hole and drill a pilot hole down the center (must be done in a lathe to keep it central.
Then do the same but with a bigger drill until you can use a stud extractor
like this
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/10-Screw-Extractor-Set/EN/index.htm
Easy outs are not very good this is what the professionals who charge to remove broken stuff use.
I have the above set and its saved me and my employers £1000s.
But you still have the problem of the end falling off.
When ever you drill some thing to remove it always use a left hander drill as most of the time the stud etc will just unscrew its self.
Yes they do exist
http://www.northerntooluk.com/products.asp?partno=150272E
I would take Nats advice and leave it untill it causes a problem.
If the heads off then drill it from the piston side as the drilling may loosen it and unscrew it but again make a guide to locate the drill in the center.
I used to work with a bloke who never failed to remove a broken stud he just spent plenty of time looking and planning it, made a drill guide so it was always drilled central and off he went, I often think of his skill when I am struggling

[bigt]

I had a similar problem on a citroen head......ok starting on 3 glow plugs until the weather got really cold.....any problems when cold I found that another glow plug had packed up so it was trying to start with 2.
3 good plugs always dragged the last pot into life...........not ideal but as others have already said may be the least hassle way around it

[:)]

Good comments from Dennis ^^^ especially about cheap heater plugs - false economy!

I ran an XUD engine for many years with one dead glow plug - it stripped the thread in the head, just went round and round, so I fitted an aluminium clamp to clamp the heater plug in until the next time the head came off - it never did.
--
Tim.

[cieranc]

A trick for catching any loose bits. I use this method on Ford CVH engines for changing valve stem seals.
Remove the injector, feed a long length of string into the bore. Wind the cylinder up as close to TDC as you can get it to compress the string. The valve/broken plug can't drop any further down into the bore, and it should hold in the plug hole.

[Whatmot]

anyone who was following this topic might be interested to know that i went ahead with remove my mavs cylindor head. ive had all this week off work so tuesday morning i set about dismantling the top half of the engine, and i can tell you this. it wasnt easy!! ive come to the conclusion that they must assemble the engine then drop it in, because it is almost impossible to remove either the intake or exhaust manifold separately because of the egr pipe that runs around the back of the engine. the studs to undo the egr system were impossible to reach, and so were the bolts to to pretty much everything else related to the manifolds!!

anyway, i resorted to lifting the head off with 'everything' still attached (including the turbo). trust me when i say that it wasnt light! wednesday morning i then took the head and intake manifold to my local specialist (martin hunniball, north walsham if anyones interested) and asked them to remove the sheared off glowplug and clean the intake manifold; the curse of egr means it was thickly lined with black sooty oily cr*p!! i also took the exhaust manifold to my local fabricator (roo weld, again in north walsham) and asked him to 'blank' off the egr and make with a new exhaust downpipe out of stainless (because the old one is holy).

thursday afternoon i popped into see martin and ask how he was getting on: "not well" was the reply. the old plug is titanium cored so he was struggling to shift the ******. the good news was he also checked the valve seats and hardly any of them were seating properly so he said he would fix that while he was at it.

friday i got a call from martin to say the cylindor head was done. total cost for that: £100. the intake manifold was still crudded up despite going through his cleaner 3-4 times. i took that around to roo and asked him to blank the egr on that too. by the end of friday i had all my parts back, so yesterday i started re-assembling. all went pretty smoothly, expecially since i didnt have a fiddly egr to deal with! i cleaned the inlet manifold with some parafin and toothbrush and i had also left my intercooler soaking in parafin too. by 7 last night all was pretty much done except the radiator wasnt in yet, so i went out on the **** to celebrate!!

this morning i finished her and went to start her...flat battery!! one jump start later and shes running again. abit tappet-ty but ill adjust them later in the week. shes running smoother (probably the fresh oil) and a bit quieter despite still having the holy exhaust (just waiting for roo to make my ss one). the engine isnt pulling as hard but that might be because the oil hasnt got 'everywhere' yet, theres probably 'crap' still in the manifolds and probably some air in the injector pipes. ill see how she runs the rest of the week and hopefully thatll be the end of it

btw, total cost for this 'repair'...about £350. that includes the parts cost and the new downpipe. look at it this way though: four working glowplugs - priceless!!

[Nathaniel]

Sounds like an excellent job.

Always satisfying when you do major work like that and it all goes back together and works.

If its any consolation, my Fourtrak didn't seem to go as well as it had done before I swapped the cracked cylinder head for a good one.