Don’t you hate the sinking feeling you get when you realize you have stripped a bolt or broken the head off a fastener. The car project, whatever it was, suddenly ...

Don’t you hate the sinking feeling you get when you realize you have stripped a bolt or broken the head off a fastener. The car project, whatever it was, suddenly got harder and less fun.

Near the top of the Don't-strip-or-break-it list are spark plugs. Nobody wants damaged threads in a cylinder head or half a spark plug frozen in place. Unfortunately, the potential for problems increases when high mileage spark plugs are left untouched in relatively soft aluminum cylinder heads.

Watch Pat Goss's hands-on tips for removing spark plugs without breaking them. Hopefully you will learn a few things that will keep the next spark plug change fun, not nerve wracking.



Listed under Extras and some specific car models, RockAuto has spark plug non-foulers and spark plug hole chaser tools that can clean up damaged threads. There are even tools specifically designed to remove broken spark plugs and bits of spark plug porcelain from the Ford Triton engines.

Pretty good information.

That's an awesome video. As both my track car and my tow vehicle have aluminum heads, this could save me a lot of pain in the future. I already do most of the techniques mentioned but I never thought to do the engine rev bit.

I always use anti-sieze on the plugs in aluminum heads. It's messy stuff and hard to wipe off, but it does wonders.

Goss he's not an expert but he plays one on TV

He must have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

He calls the socket a wrench and later calls the ratchet a wrench the first signs of a true professional mechanic and I never seen a straight piece of fuel hose, being sold on reels or spools it always has a nice curve to it from being on the reel. Maybe that's why he only showed a 3 inch piece on the plug? If you used an 8 or 10 inch piece of even slightly curved hose to start the plug in an overhead cam engine as shown in his display I think it would be next to impossible to start it correctly? Lastly on the anti-seize he said to apply smalls dot to 2 side of the plug at the end, I always lightly paint all the treads with a brush applicator and don't rely on it to spread itself.

Yes, I noticed those slips too, but overall he had some good advice. I won't knock the advice, the price was right. I have started plugs many times with a piece of fuel hose that has a slight curve to it, like you describe. It's not like you will strip it with the amount of torque you can apply with the hose. You will be able to tell if it's started with the hose before you put the socket on and tighten it up.

Good idea about the fuel hose over the plugs..never thought of that!

I wouldn't ever buy one, but they actually make a rubber tool for that (no, not THAT, to put the plug in).