Spark plug socket stuck

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gti-joe
Silver Member
Posts: 343
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:11 pm
Drives: 6c Polo Blue GT
Location: Edinburgh

Spark plug socket stuck

Post by gti-joe »

Was servicing my 64 plate Blue GT at the weekend, oil, filters plugs etc. All going well until the last job which was to change the spark plugs. Removed the 1st coil pack and put the spark plug socket on the end of and extension bar down the hole, it went down the hole fine and slipped onto the spark plug. Started turning, initially quite stiff but loosened off ok, then stiffened up again. Tried taking the socket out the hole to see what progress was made but it was jammed tight.

Anyone encountered this problem before and have a solution to the problem. Car is obviously immobile while in this state so taking it to a mechanic is out of the question. what cant be seen in the pictures is the top of the spark plug is in the hole of the socket so unable to get anything like a hook etc in there.
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RUM4MO
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Re: Spark plug socket stuck

Post by RUM4MO »

Ouch, I think that you can buy extensions that have a lock so that it still stay part of the plug socket.

After working it around to retrieve it, I'd be measuring your plug socket and buying a slightly smaller diameter one.

Edit:- it looks like that plug socket has an external hex pattern on it - that is okay for "out in the open" plug removal, but no good for "down a bore" plug removal, which all DI petrol engines have.

Make sure your next plug socket has a smooth outer surface.

Current answer might be to try to refit that plug fully then leave this job until you buy a proper plug socket, Laser Tools sell very good slim long plug sockets that don't need an extension, so none of these problems.
gti-joe
Silver Member
Posts: 343
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:11 pm
Drives: 6c Polo Blue GT
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Spark plug socket stuck

Post by gti-joe »

Thanks for the reply, think your right on the hex part. Never had the problem before, used it on my old 20valve turbo engine which had a long tube like the current engine and 16 valve engines but I think I may have to get a professional to look at this one.
RUM4MO
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Re: Spark plug socket stuck

Post by RUM4MO »

When I first needed to deal with these engines with the plug buried in the head, I had the usual issue with the plug retaining rubber getting left on the plug, or needing a pair of long thin pliers to grab the socket back out after it had left the extension, I considered buying a few proper "locking" extensions, but never did.

Moving forward in time to when my wife got her first Polo 1.4 16V in 2002, I noticed right away that continuing to use a typical plug socket would not be a good idea and as an avid tools buyer, I spotted that Laser Tools sold a long spark plug socket - and I mean very long, maybe 200+mm long - with a knurled end to help you hand "screw" the plugs a bit, excellent tool for that job!

"Long Reach Spark Plug Socket BiHex 3/8“D 16mm 245mm Long Laser Tools 3682"
amer6R
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Drives: Polo 6R 2010 1.6 TDI
Location: budget build

Re: Spark plug socket stuck

Post by amer6R »

put small ammount of oil around it? maybe it helps with friction
veteran
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Drives: TSI 90 Match Edition 1.2
Location: London, UK

Re: Spark plug socket stuck

Post by veteran »

gti-joe,

Concerning a better tool for you (and other Polo DIYers as well) to use in the future for inspecting/changing sparkplugs on these Polos, RUM4MO's recommendation could be no better, I have to say. After a fiddly and abortive experience with a number of ordinary sparkplug sockets and extension bars on my own Match 16v 1.2 Polo a few years ago, I got one of those Laser 3682s and it was 'just the ticket'. As with practically all Laser's automotive tools, it's beautifully made and gets the job done with confidence. All you need besides is a 3/8"-drive torque wrench or a tommy bar with a 3/8" drive. Although LaserTools themselves quote the price of the 3682 on their website as around £34 inc VAT, you can buy it from Amazon (as an example of a suitable e-retailer) for half that price. A tool like that for £17 is an absolute bargain, in my view.

The one experience of anxiety I had about removing and refitting the sparkplugs on my own Polo was the fear of cross-threading. That's to say, you can so easily unwittingly get the refitting of the plug off to the wrong start, only then to discover that the threads of the plug and the hole start to bind after a few turns, suggesting possible cross-threading. Turning any further, with the threads crossed like that, can be fatal for the entire cylinder head. So, when refitting each plug with the 3682 I found that concentrating on holding the tool as upright and as centrally as possible enabled an assured start to screwing in, with less chance of any cross-threading happening. That 'starting off' was best done by just turning the tool with my fingers. Only when it became clear that the plug was not binding did I then attach the torque wrench. I found it sometimes helped to shine a torch light into the cavity when doing the initial screwing in.

The only other thing that concerned me was preventing any sort of muck or debris from getting into the cavity, as to get it out can be very difficult, and you don't want any of it to end up dropping through the hole and into the cylinder.

As for putting a few drops of oil around your stuck plug, I'd say do that only very sparingly - and only because this seems to be a special case of an oversized and inappropriate socket having been used and got stuck against the hole's topmost shamfer and/or threads. Normally, keeping oil and grease away from the head's sparkplug threads is advisable, because lubricants getting on to the threads of either the hole or the sparkplug can affect the torque to which you tighten, causing an over-tightening and so difficulty on the next occasion of plug inspection/replacement.
RUM4MO
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Re: Spark plug socket stuck

Post by RUM4MO »

Any progress on this yet?
RUM4MO
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Re: Spark plug socket stuck

Post by RUM4MO »

RUM4MO wrote: Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:09 pm Any progress on this yet?
How did you resolve this in the end?
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