91 Ranger that sat in my grandmas garage. Went to change the spark plugs 2 were seized. A mechanic friend torques on one and it broke below the nut in the block - only threads left. Is there an easy way to get it out.

 

No, but first bring that piston up t.d.c ..drill the center out of it then try an easy out .use magnet after to get any metal pieces out of cylinder . wish you luck.

 

Don't drill the center out. you won't be able to get all the material that is left behind out of the cylinder and you will end up ruining the cylinder wall.

 

As Kernes suggested, do not drill the plug.

Get a quality penetrating oil, I prefer Kimball Midwest, but anything is better than nothing at all. Spray it well and allow it to soak 10 minutes or so, do this a few times. Take a long flat punch or screwdriver and hammer and see if you can gently tap it in a counter clockwise direction (unscrew it). Depending how far down it broke off you might be lucky and the tension is no longer on the threads.

If this does not work my suggestion is to remove the head, by the time you put the time and effort into getting it out and taking unnecessary risks, you can have the head off and back on again.

Good luck

 

Isn't it required to machine a head that has been taken off?

 

“Not knowing this motor” I would absolutely recommend having it resurfaced, yes. But let’s weigh options, if for nothing but conversation and a learning experience for me. I love to learn and have read many of your posts and know you have a lot to offer.

If the suggestion I made him does not work the only other I “personally” can offer is to drill it. I would not recommend drilling a spark plug while the head is still on the motor. Maybe I play it a little too safe, but dropping shards of ceramic and metal into a cylinder is not an idea I would entertain. Not to mention those never-outs break quite easily and the cost to have them drilled out by a machine shop are outrageous. Been there, burnt the T-shirt to hide the evidence.

My approach on this would be to try to tap them out as I described. If this proved to be impossible, I would remove the head and have a machine shop remove them and resurface the head. The machine shop would remove the plugs, tap/chase and check the threads and mill the head, very likely for under $100. The risks, in my opinion, are just not worth it. This is all keeping in mind that ninjai will likely need to purchase the bits, taps, cutting oil, and never-outs needed to try to do it on the motor, putting the cost very close to the same.

If I “know” the head is good, then no I wouldn’t have it resurfaced. I would drill them out myself, check the matting surface with a straight edge and feeler gauge, clean it with an 18 inch flat file and bolt her back with a new gasket. Ninjai has options but trying to remove them as described above would be my first move.

This is the greatest thing about a forum, everyone coming together sharing their experiences and learning from each other. I honestly look forward to reading the replies to this now. As I said I love to learn and I feel this post will teach me something.

Man I can really get long winded at times

 

I believe all the suggestions made so far are good, but might be overlooking one thing and that is; if you lube it up and still can't get it loose to remove it then to try drilling it out might break it loose and drive the remaining piece into the cylinder. If we stop there,,,,,,and use a portable drill with a "left handed drill bit" turning counterclockwise that piece may just come loose and unscrew out to be removed. Have done that and cleaned the pieces out with a magnet first, then some compressed air. A vacuum attachment will remove just about all the non- metallic parts, if used before, a lot of it can get into the cyl. Then use an easy out. If all else fails, then head removal would come next. By the way, which engine is in the vehicle ?

 

Thanks all. Im going to try to see if i can oil and tapping them first. The engine is 3.0 6cylinder

 

remember t.d.c i have done this many times in 42 years after the broken plug is out and you got all the pc's you can crank it a few times befor you put the new plug in this will blow out any remaining. "and you dont have to drill all the way though the plug"

 

Hey ModestRick: Thanks for sharing your expertise and opinions. I as well like to tackle issues here in order to gain more knowledge myself and I find it very satisfying if my post help someone out.

The last time I took a head off was in the late 70's and then there was only one school of thought: before you put the head back on it must be machined. I don't think anything has changed since then. these heads cycle hot -cold all the time and build up internal tension. Once the head bolts are released the tension will warp the head. You can't compress the new head gasket evenly if the head is not perfectly plane. Considering the time it takes to remove a head it is better to be safe than sorry.

I once had stripped plug on cylinder 3 in a VW beetle. The mechanic blindly tapped it out and inserted a heli-coil (similar to time-sert). Before putting hte plug in he ran the engine on 3 cylinders and gunned it a few times to blow out any shavings.

I like to go from the least invasive procedure and step up if it will not work but I don't accept shortcuts when certain lines are crossed, such as loosening the head bolts.

Thanks for your posts. They are worth reading. And, how good it is to know that Hanky looks over my shoulders!