What happens if spark plug bits fall into the engine...?

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

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Just out of curiosity really. There was a bit of spark plug next to my actual spark plug, so perhaps in the car's past a bit may of fell into the engine.

What would it do and what would happen to it?
 
Tesla said:
Just out of curiosity really. There was a bit of spark plug next to my actual spark plug, so perhaps in the car's past a bit may of fell into the engine.

What would it do and what would happen to it?
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If your lucky, not a lot, if your unlucky, it could do some serious internal damage.

Depends on the size of the piece and where / if it gets lodged anywhere I'm guessing.

Not an ideal situation, thats for sure.
 
I guess that would depend on the size of the piece that fell in.

If it's like a really small bit I wouldn't worry about it to be honest. On the other hand I'd be ******** bricks if a sizeable chunk fell in!
 
s_piston_knackered.jpg


:p

The insulator would probably not do much. Core could pose you problems, along with the tips.
 
I don't know if any has done or if it did what size the bits were.

Say a small piece fell in, 1/4 of a spark plug. I guess it would get smashed to bits?

Would it still be there, as dust? Or would it leave with the exhaust?
 
1/4 of a spark plug?! :eek:

I doubt it'll be flung out the exhaust, it'd probably be ground up and mashed into peices causing quite a bit of damage I would imagine.
 
if its bits of the white part of the plug wouldnt worry as they prolly get crush and spat out the exhuast
 
If it's something that may have happened in the past and the engine has run since without any noticable ill effect then don't worry about it.
 
kaiowas said:
If it's something that may have happened in the past and the engine has run since without any noticable ill effect then don't worry about it.
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Oh, im sure that it hasnt caused damage. I was just curious as to what would have happened.

There was only ceramic in the spark plug well. Well, there are still some bits in there, tiny bits, I removed a big piece (1/2 the ceramique!) I was going to tape a straw to the dyson and hoover the small bits out.

Not that it needs new plugs at the moment anyway.
 
If you were unlucky then even a relatievly small piece of the ceramic insulator could bend a valve in a 16v engine that has tight cleanerances between the piston and valves.
 
Enfield said:
I was seeing images of the threaded part of the spark plug in the engine lol.

What's actually happened then?
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When I checked everything over in the engine bay thoroughly the other week there were/are some bits of spark plug next to one of the actual spartk plugs.

The bit I was able to remove with forceps was 1/2 of the ceramic (ceramique?) from the top 1/2 of the spark plug (the part the HT lead connects to).
 
VW had a problem with this when they used to use Bosch plugs, they changed to NGK about a year or two ago. It was just the tips falling into the cylinder but enough to cause pretty serious problems.
 
usually they'll get flung out the valves and out thru the exhaust (or more likely trapped infront of the mesh for the cat, but ya know)

if you have a turbo, throwing anything through the turbine wheel which is possibly doing 150,000rpm isnt going to be too clever and could shorten the life of the turbo considerably.

so, most likely nothing at all, all the way through to disaster, bent valves and blown turbos.
 
I'd save myself some money, take the head off, fish it out, before i even BEGIN to think about turning that engine over :p
 
Jimbo Mahoney said:
Spending too much time in the Overclocking and Cooling forum? :D
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I did actually think of the Artic kind and then thought err... I don't actually know which is correct.

I will go and check my dictionary. :)
 
Someone I know dropped the little screw on top bit of the sparkplug down the sparkplug hole then drove the car into work, We tried to get it out with a telescopic magnet but, it didn't come out, then he wasn't sure if it went in the hole. After a week it was blowing fuel out of one of the carbs. It had bent the Inlet valve and stamped 'O' shaped dents in the piston and the Cylinder head.
 
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