Broken Spark Plug

[Number4]

The number four cylinder spark plug (2004, 4.0) sheared off at the nut. I’ve never had this happen before. I disconnected the injector and was going to move the car and it shot the porcelain out of the threaded part. So now it’s a little loud, holes open into the head through the remaining threaded portion of the spark plug.

I’ve been dousing it in PB Blaster, I’d tried hitting it with map gas. I currently have a spiral easy out and am hoping to either order a four point socket or use a Gator Grip socket to get a wrench on the easy out.

Update: gator grip was destroyed by the easy out. Picked up a weird set of metric sockets at Harbor Freight that had square teeth, then filled the socket with JB Weld and stuck the easy out in it. Still no dice on getting the spark plug threads out, but the JB Welded tool is solid as heck.

1. Anyone hav luck getting these out?
2. Any issues driving the Explorer around the driveway? It’s blocking in other cars. I can’t think of anything, it’s just loud from that cylinder compressing air.

 

[donalds]

I'd try a bolt extractors first
Grab it from the outside
Or rent a spark plug extractor
I've never seen that before on these plugs only on the Lon long ones

 

[Number4]

@donalds
Issue I’m having is there’s no good socket to grab the square end of the extractor.
Gonna buy a cheap impact socket from HF and fill the gaps with JB Weld. See if this will keep the extractor bit from rounding out the socket.

 

[TechGuru]

Disconnect the the fuel injector for that cylinder if you're going to run/drive it like that.

and you'll need to ground the spark plug wire so that the paired cylinder can still fire since this vehicle uses a wasted spark ignition. Otherwise you'll be running on 4 instead of 5 which would be bad because that other cyl will throw gas in your CAT and ruin it.

 

[donalds]

Disconnect the the fuel injector for that cylinder if you're going to run/drive it like that.

Smart

 

[Number4]

Disconnect the the fuel injector for that cylinder if you're going to run/drive it like that.

and you'll need to ground the spark plug wire so that the paired cylinder can still fire since this vehicle uses a wasted spark ignition. Otherwise you'll be running on 4 instead of 5 which would be bad because that other cyl will throw gas in your CAT and ruin it.

Would you explain grounding the plug wire? I’d already disconnected the injector.

Just have the loose wire, fire to the block?

 

[TechGuru]

Would you explain grounding the plug wire? I’d already disconnected the injector.

Just have the loose wire, fire to the block?

Yes.