Using an impact driver to remove stuck spark plug?

Participant said:
I had a Fiesta a few years ago and one of the spark plugs rusted itself into the cylinder head. Fiestas had a problem with the front washer jets leaking into the spark plug hole and the pool of water would weld the plug into the head. Was a head off job on mine, then they drilled it out and fitted a new thread insert. Hopefully this isn't the op's problem as it cost £600.
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600 notes?! That's ridiculous, you could have got two fully reconditioned cylinder heads for that!
 
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Millwall.FC said:
I still stand by leverage using quarter turn method all your looking to do is just break the seal. people seem to think leverage is going in full force like a Neanderthal. That's not the case if its done properly by a competent person.
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If it's properly seized then a 1/4 turn will be more than enough the sheer the plug off.
 
thepharcyde said:
well no as he has already stipulated that it has an alloy head ;)
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Doesn't mean that the spark plug won't rust though, does it Winky McWinkerton. It happened to my car which had an alloy head and it was a very well documented problem.

Might not be op's problem, but if it isn't it's not for the reason you gave. An alloy head doesn't automatically make everything else in the engine bay immune to rusting ;).
 
I'm so paranoid about this happening I make sure to copper grease them thoroughly and am super anal about the torque settings.

Personally I always try and shock stuck threads loose but it is your car and you need to do what you feel comfortable with.
 
Putting copper grease and then torquing them, your gonna get inaccurate torque on them. I just stick with NGK plugs, no need for anti-seize grease.

I hope the Fiesta doesn't have an Alu head, cos the threads might get stripped, using an impact drive sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
 
We need Fuzz's input here, expect he's had to deal with this kind of thing before... Expect there's no magic solution here though, everything you can do will have a risk attached in terms of damaging the thread or breaking the plug.
 
BTW have you tried using a long breaker bar at the end of the extension bar? That would allow you to put some decent amount of manual force than a short ratchet would.
 
lemonade said:
BTW have you tried using a long breaker bar at the end of the extension bar? That would allow you to put some decent amount of manual force than a short ratchet would.
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I've never encountered a stuck plug before and as such have no idea how much force they can really take before snapping so I've been trying to avoid this.

Thanks for the replies so far people, hoping the WD40 can loosen it enough to avoid any problems :D
 
Have you tried undoing it with the engine hot? Aluminium has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than steel.
 
Give the engine a good thrashing and remove from the hot engine. This is normal. Infact when compression testing an engine you are meant to warm the engine up then remove the plugs :).
 
lemonade said:
Putting copper grease and then torquing them, your gonna get inaccurate torque on them. I just stick with NGK plugs, no need for anti-seize grease.

I hope the Fiesta doesn't have an Alu head, cos the threads might get stripped, using an impact drive sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
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What I've always done is put a tiny dab of copper grease on the thread, then do them hand tight with just an extension bar, then add the wrench and do a quarter turn.
 
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