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Spark Plugs

3335 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  rusty baker
My father-in-law gave us an 85 Ford van 302 that he bought new. 100,000 miles and he never changed the plugs. Any suggestions for getting them out without breaking them off?
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Tighten them just enough so they move, then remove them. Sounds strange but it works. :yes:
Ditto, but you might try penetrating oil first.
WD 40 or something different?
WD 40 or something different?
WD means Water Displacement but I guess it's OK
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penetrating_oil
Give it >10 min. to soak in, apply it again, then try to free the plugs.
It might be easier when the engine is hot, but be careful with aluminum engine blocks.
yup i agree, try this
I agree you need to get rid of that red x
Those will be iron heads, so you shouldn't have any problems with breaking them. I'd be concerned with the plug wire heads, though, so don't do it without another mode of transportation to get to an auto parts store.
I'm changing the wires, cap and rotor, too. Parts store is 1/2 block from here. And I also have 3 other vehicles.
I'm changing the wires, cap and rotor, too. Parts store is 1/2 block from here. And I also have 3 other vehicles.
You could first measure the resistance of the wires. The spec's could be 25k, max, like for my Civic, or some other value. Wire resistance values for American cars are all over the map. I had a Dodge where they had a per foot spec and a max value spec (50k).

With my miss problem I returned my rotor and cap because it turned out new plugs solved it. My wires checked good.
Toss the WD40. SeaFoam Deep Creep is best, Blaster PB runs a pretty close second. At least that's been my experience.
Tighten slightly first, then loosen is good advice:thumbup:
I agree with the warm the engine up. Cast iron moves with cold and heat. The heads will expand when warm/hot helping to release the grip on the plug threads. yes on tighten than loosen. I like PB also. wd40 to me anyway is more myth than real use
Brake fluid works extremely well. Just don't get it on any painted surface.
I agree you need to get rid of that red x
It's not just the red "X" that needs to be gotten rid of. This poster makes Forrest Gump look like a Mensa candidate.
Ron
Finally got a chance to work on it. They weren't even tight. They just screwed right out.
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