Glow plug removal tips?

[Team Dirt]

I let mine soak for a few hours with aerokroil. Then when I removed them they were all swollen on the tips and would not come all the way out. I just used my slide hammer with the vise grips and was able to tap them all out with no issues. When I put the new ones in I used a dielectric grease on the threads.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

When using antisieze I'm guessing it's just on the threads not on the tip​

That's right. Since they are Morotcraft, they should come out fairly easily. If they weren't, I would have a long conversation with whoever your religious deity may be before you try to remove them.

 

[CBRF3]

That's right. Since they are Morotcraft, they should come out fairly easily. If they weren't, I would have a long conversation with whoever your religious deity may be before you try to remove them.

could not agree more as I said before beru / motorcraft only.

 

[Daniel McCurdy]

Well hopefully the ones that are in there are the motocraft plugs so they'll all just come right out.(wishfull thinking)

 

[sjwelds]

So if all 8 plugs are "bad" wouldn't one suspect the relay or controller?

 

[Daniel McCurdy]

I have a manual controller and I checked the ohms of the plugs and there all bad. When I click the switch you can here the solenoid click but the battery voltage stays the same/ there is no power draw. 1 or 2 plugs were working a few weeks ago but they finally died out

 

[Kurt_M]

I've broken a couple off over the years. The tip is hollow and I was able to screw a long dry wall screw into the broken tip, just kept working and soaking and got it out. I had one that would just spin but I couldn't get it out, I started and revved the engine a couple times and it blew the tip out. So don't give up and just think the head will have to come off, you might get lucky and get a broken tip out.

 

[420Bullnose]

When I did my glowplugs I had to loosen, then tighten with small turns and for the real stubborn ones I soaked them with Da Juice overnight. Biggest thing is patients.

All of mine were bad and Swollen and had a lot of Carbon build up and they were Motorcrafts.

 

[cre1992]

If you don't drive the truck everyday, or even if you do. Just spray the glow plugs/head with kroil or pb blaster and let it sit over night. Do that for a couple days in a row. Should help to loosen them up. Make sure to use anti seize as others have said.

 

[rhkcommander]

I never had an issue, just barely tighten and loosen repeatedly if one snags. Like quarter or half turns not multiple full turns. And soot will fall off hopefully. Carbon will get blown out, its broken tips that are the worst but I don't recall people breaking the tips themselves when its a good brand like motorcraft beru, my bosch came right out too. A few had soot but not rushing, they came out just fine. I may have used pliers/locks to twist after they unthreaded too but its been ages.

I've seen some gore of tips getting embedded in pistons, but can't recall catastrophic failures. Either the piston merges with them or they clear the valves usually, although I'm sure you could bend a valve if it gets caught between them too. Anyone else know of instances?


Oh and if you do drop crud in the precup you can remove the injector, put a shop vacuum on injector hole and air compressor in the glowplug hole and get it out. Some people will rotate each piston to top per plug they do but thats a lot of extra work. Only you can value your time, so you have to choose between probably safe enough and better safe than sorry. I never had the time to fuss with spraying plugs multiple days or rotating the block per glowplug. But crap happens too. You could always rotate only on a stubborn plug to split the difference

 

[Tomteriffic]

So all 8 glow plugs are bad and the truck will not start unless I use starting fluid. I don't use much just a quick spray. I know using starting fluid is bad but as of right now I can't afford to pull a head cause a g low plug snapped off. So is there any tips and tricks to remove the glow plugs without breaking them off. And just in case they do are they any easy ways of getting them out. I was thinking of using a small electric impact that should break the carbon loose without putting to much twisting force on the plug.

 

[Tomteriffic]

So all 8 glow plugs are bad and the truck will not start unless I use starting fluid. I don't use much just a quick spray. I know using starting fluid is bad but as of right now I can't afford to pull a head cause a g low plug snapped off. So is there any tips and tricks to remove the glow plugs without breaking them off. And just in case they do are they any easy ways of getting them out. I was thinking of using a small electric impact that should break the carbon loose without putting to much twisting force on the plug.