Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out

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Sun 12 Sep 2010 16:07
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - willmansfield

I'm in a proper pickle!

My KA's spark plugs are seriously rusted in, so whilst trying to remove one of the plugs it broke off just bellow the head. I read a number of forum post which said that using an easy-out and some penetrating oil should get the broken section out.

Well I tried this and the easy-out broken off in the whole. Looking at it, it seams as though there was an imperfection which lead it to break off.

So now I have both the spark plug and the easy-out stuck in the whole.

Could anyone out there help?

Thank you!

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Mon 13 Sep 2010 06:53
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - TedCrilly

Easy-outs?? The hamfisted mechanics saviour? Ha! Some swear by them (usually those with limited experience of their actual use) and some swear at them, I am one of the latter Ask yourself a question...if the plug is so tight in the head it shears off with a socket and bar then how is an Easy-out about 1/4" in diameter going to shift it? Easy-outs have their uses but their applications are limited. A fact that is also often overlooked is that they must always be used with a tap-wrench. Turning them on one side with a shifter or pipe-grips will stress them and is also a recipe for disaster.

You are out of options. All you (or a mobile mechanic) can do is remove the head, take a trip to a local Engine recon` outfit ask them to machine the plugs and remenant out and fit helicoils if required. Then go back the next day with cash/cheque/credit-card,..........and bend over and assume the position.

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Mon 13 Sep 2010 16:54
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - boggles

Ted is spot-on here. An aero engineer and myself were talking the other day, he said have you EVER had any success with easy outs.? I can only remember one time when I did! He was about the same success rate! So a combined experience span of 90 years, and two good results between us for these dreadfully named tools! When my lad had two plugs snap on his Ka, we drilled the remains out, using progressively larger bits. The thin shell remaining was proof against heat and any easing fluid we could use. Still ended up as a head off and machine shop job. Might as well have gone straight for it. Use copperslip grease on the plugs in future and tighten just sufficiently.

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Mon 13 Sep 2010 17:15
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - Vitesse6

Replacement head from a scrapyard?

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Mon 13 Sep 2010 20:22
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - injection doc

I would never use an easy-out because when they shear ( not if ) they create a whole new problem. All you needed to do was to drive a splined socket down inside the plug & wound out! like many techs most of us have done them in the hundredes and never had to remove a head on a KA yet! I would suggest finding a firm that can spark erroded it out then you can use the same head. I have used spark errosion to remove sheared studs in engine blocks with success.

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Tue 14 Sep 2010 09:02
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - TedCrilly

Spark errosion with the head in place?

I wouldnt take this approach, for 2 reasons. I would insist on removing the head on account of the fact the combustion chamber is likely to fill with dialectric fluid, usualy water, and metalic debris as the electrode breaks through the plug during the errosion process. Secondly spark errosion will only take the `core` of the plug out. You will still be left with the problem of removing what is now a `ring` that will still be siezed inside the female thread in the head.

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Thu 16 Sep 2010 20:49
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - willmansfield

Thank you for the replies.

Towing it up to my mates dads garage in a tick, so he can machine the plug out. We'll have to see about the other 3. Will make sure I use copperslip grease when they go back in, garage replaced them last time - would have thought they used some, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Basically, if anyone is reading this in the future, NEVER USE EASY-OUTs - EVER!

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Thu 16 Sep 2010 22:23
Ford KA 2001 - Broken spark plug and defective easy-out - galileo

Basically, if anyone is reading this in the future, NEVER USE EASY-OUTs - EVER!

I've had a set of these for nearly 50 years but never actually used them myself , but on the basis of friends' experience of trying I long ago labelled them "Theoretical" screw extractors.

As other members have posted, if something is really stuck, success may depend on welding things to the offending item or similar drastic methods.

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