Ford escape stuck spark plug
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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WoW you are a Gem of a Mechanic Im certain the owner is very well pleased with everything. Nice Work ❤
The owner was very happy that it didn't turn into a much more expensive repair 👍
@@themechanic6117Im working on my 97 Toyota 4Runner with the 2.7 Liter 4 cylinder. #3 spark plug is stuck have it soaking in PbBlaster & Seafoam. It barely moves in both directions so just letting it soak a few days. The other 3 plugs came out no problem.
Edit I pulled the PB Blaster out of the plug hole & replaced it with Vinegar & Seafoam. So far with working it back & forth it's loosened a full turn but still not threading out easy even after soaking for 7 days.
Letting a pentrating fluid sit for days is a myth, there's no point. It's not magic in a bottle lol. Spray it and get to work 💪
@@themechanic6117 yea I kinda figured after watching you switch to the 1/2" drive UGH Thanks!
Just wanted to thank you. You saved me! I decided to watch one more video before doing it and thankfully I landed on yours. I have a 2013 Escape and just like in your case, the spark plug in the 2nd cylinder was super hard. I followed what you did and got it out. So, again, THANK YOU.
Nice! You avoid a very expensive repair! Glad it worked out for you
Nice technique to remove the spark plug. Steady and slow.
I had a starter bolt doing the same thing and I kept getting a little progress each time only it snaped in the block. Never pushed it to hard or fast but it just went. Some times you win, some times you loose. Glad you won!
That happened to me when I had to replace the starter on our F150 , welder saved my butt with that one. I definitely got lucky here.
Hot Damn!!! I've been impressed with your attention to detail in your mechanical skills. But this took it over the top!!! Well done!!!
Thank you, a bit stressful but another successful repair 💪
Absolutely agree! Very professional.
Two things, get some good penetrant like Kroil or at least PB Blaster and run the engine to operating temperature so the head will expand a bit.
Yes sir! Surprised he wanted to do this while the engine was cold. Can also lightly tap the plug with a hammer at the end of the socket extension on top of the other things suggested. Doing all of that I have never had an issue even on Triton engines or a Silverado 4.8 with 241k on the original plugs. 😬
When I heard the squeaks I knew the plug was on its way out! Good work
It's 3 AM. My car gets checked by the mechanic tomorrow, and this sounds consistent with my issues. You've just helped me stop stressing my friend. Thank you haha
I have learned a few tricks from replacing glow plugs on diesel engines but I assume they apply for stubborn spark plugs too, one warm up the engine first, metal expands a bit and will be better for extracting them and two use penetrant oil on the spark plug threads, for a homemade penetrant oil solution use ATF liquid mixed with acetone, apply penetrant oil and let it work for a while then try to extract it.
As to what caused them to size up, it's galvanic corrosion I think called, it's when two dissimilar metal come in contact for long period of time, if the spark plugs are zinc plated u needn't put anti seize paste on the threads when installing them, zinc plated also called galvanic plated means spark plug should not seize, u can tell threads are silver like colour and shiny, when cheaper spark plugs don't come with zinc plating than u need to put anti seize paste on the threads when installing them.
Also the advice of not putting anti seize paste on the threads for zinc plated spark plugs is meant only for 1st installation, should you pull them out and re-install its advised that u put anti seize because as I understand it that ziinc plating will come off when u keep tinker with it by screwing it on and off.
you were smart and did it the right way slow and steady wins the race good job bud
I feel like I got lucky on this one! Slow is the only way when doing something like this
Great video, thank you. Appreciate your care and honesty. I had a similar issue with my 2001 f-150 (a V-8). It was losing power, misfiring, and throwing codes on Cylinder 5. Replaced the plug and coil on that cylinder, was going to replace all the spark plugs but the first one I tried to remove (#1) was COMPLETELY seized. We worked on it for over an hour, shot carb cleaner in there and let it sit (I had been told by someone not to use PB Blaster, I don't know if that was legit advice or not), wouldn't budge at all. So I left it. Sure enough, two weeks later it's throwing codes on other cylinders now. Trying to figure out how to get it out without breaking or stripping it.
On those engines, soak with Kroil overnight, clean up the best you can then get the engine to operating temp and quickly try to remove the plug while it's hot. You can LIGHTLY tap the ratchet extension with a hammer a couple of times as well before proceeding to remove the plug. Those engines are a PITA with plugs. Make absolutely sure to use OEM motorcraft plugs when replacing as well, they look different than most plugs for a reason. Absolutely torque to factory spec at 28ft lbs, no anti seize. Lastly, replace them every 60k to avoid this issue in the future. Oh, side note, those engines will misfire quite often with higher octane, keep it 85/87 and you're golden. Good luck to you! They're excellent trucks if well maintained. I have one in my fleet with nearly 400k miles, original engine and only 1 transmission replaced at 280k. These trucks carry about 1800lbs of equipment and chemical and spend a lot of time idling or accelerating up to 20mpg and stopping within 100ft or so.
Hi anxiety for sure bud. Nicely done , you passed the stress test 😂
I hate stress tests 😁
Great job with that stuck plug 💪
Thanks for watching 👍
I had to do this last night on my Dads 87 B2200. Got 3 out 1 more to go. I get you, my hands are sore and blistered. Lol
Good job, the power balance test didn't lie. 👍
It sure didn't, the final power balance test showed the fix 👍
Never doubted you for a minute buddy..
Until you said the Ford Escape is back at the end of the vid.... then I was like oh shit 😂
Awesome job man
🤣 yeah that was a bit of a curve ball , the owner said it's been running great 👍
Hot (aluminium) head is best for steel plugs. You were very patient 🙂
Is it better to remove a stuck spark plug when an engine is hot or cold?
@@ClearWater7.62 If it's an aluminum head, it's better to run the engine for a while and take it out hot. The aluminum will expand slightly, making it easier. Let it cool before installing the new plug.
@@jayman1601I know aluminum expands, but when it's bolted in place, I believe that expansion would cause the holes to tighten up. Regardless, I'll typically partially warm up a motor after a few heat cycles of penetrating lube to try and remove a sized plug. Once I get it to move at all though, I let it cool down completely before removing the rest of the way. Have been assuming threads are more likely to pull out when hot.
My s10 back some years ago failed to reach operating temperature. I took it to the shop I was using at the time and they wouldn't change thermostat because they were afraid of breaking the housing studs. Since I don't drive it much in winter I would tape up grill. Actually ran cooler in summer as well. I now use another mechanic and he saw my slow heat code and felt he could replace thermostat, which he did. Driving home it was at 90 c , mind you it was over 30c air temp. Last month he also got my exhaust/converter off the manifolds. Ironically previous shop had created a leak when r&ring the oxygen sensor to route a new brake line. Mind you even the converter and another sensor site were leaking when I finally had to deal with the noise.
Sounds like you found the right person for the job
Great job saving that cylinder head!
Thank you
Bro your videos are as good if not better then channels pushing half a million subs!! Whatever you do Keep going!! Your on your way!!!💪🏻🤗
Thank you, I appreciate it
Just stumbled on your video. I had 3 different fords do this all within a few weeks. I did the same thing you did. The weird thing is that the new plug screwed in perfectly fine.
For some reason it's really common on fords, after cleaning up the threads the new plug should go in smooth
Awesome video! I've been facing the same frustrations and worse with my 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which has almost 265K on the clock. Only thing is, I DID break off a spark plug in the cylinder head. But in your case, your perseverance paid off! Thanks for the tip on re-tapping the cylinder head. I should have done that with Cylinder #4... Another tip in a different video recommended tapping on the top of the wrench with a small hammer or even a rock. Maybe I'll try that too. Great job! You have inspired me to press on!
Great job!👨🏻🔧
Thank you for the video!🔧
You're welcome. Thanks for watching
Suggestion with the tap, only 1/4 turns then back up them back to start plus another 1/4 turn to keep the tap from getting fouled and over cutting the threads in the head
this is why you should always use a little anti seize on your spark plug threads.
I have a 14 Elantra gt and I’m having the worst time getting any of the plugs out and I know they need changed. 90k, it’s been 11 yrs and the car is bucking. I’m gonna try this 🙌🏾🙌🏾
Good luck
That was nerve racking! Lol another great job! But my mom definitely could have done it first try 😉
Definitely 🤣 never underestimate the determination of a mom lol
Great job! Thanks for the video.
I've never even thought about the tap falling down int the cylinder, but now I will. 😮
It's a scary situation. A locking attachment for the tap would be sweet
@@themechanic6117 drill and tap the socket and hold it in with a grub screw
That's a good idea...
or rotate crank so that piston is at top position, that would prevent the tap from falling in there, also, I heard, never practiced it, that Ford motors are known for stuck spark plugs, the chemistry between Aluminum head and steel threads (even though they are coated with zink to prevent this) creates corrosion due to the dissimilar metal and the difference in electropotential, so the advice was to try and dislodge the plug when the engine is as warm as possible.
Heat the engine until it’s very warm then use a can of compressed air like you buy at Walmart in the computer department to blow dust out of your keyboard. The compressed air is cool and will cool the plug some but not so much the cylinder head. The keyboard cleaner air spray will also blow dust and grime out of the spark plug hole.
Great work (and patience!) getting past that FUBAR. My worry though, is that some of those shavings that the tap made cutting through the damaged threads may fall into the cylinder. I know the grease and repetitive pulling/cleaning/greasing the tap was done to help mitigate that risk. Metal shavings in a cylinder can cause terrible scoring very quickly. As a precaution, Is there a way to maybe flush that cylinder before reinstalling the plug?
I’ve been seeing a different tap for those blind hole retreads that go in then expand and clean the threads on the way out bringing the chips with it.
The amazing disposable car !
Excellent point to take plugs out on time. Carbon deposits on the two bottom rows of threads were inside the cylinder and got caked with carbon, which were drawn into the treads as you backed out the plug. I don't think there was anything you could have done. You also make a good point about the chance of the tap falling into the cylinder. I suppose you could have rotated to tdc, which would also remove any concern about contacting a valve edge. Doing that you'd then be concerned about the tap bottoming out on the top of the head, ha ha.
Someone else asked of the arcing of the plug is what damage the first few threads . If it were carbon deposits then why didn't it effect the other 3 spark plugs since they have the same amount of miles on them. It could be a combination of both of these problems. This is perfect example of why it's best to not go as long as possible on spark plugs. At some point you have to do maintenance even if the car is still driving fine. Yeah that tap falling in was a real fear of mine. I got lucky on this one .
@@themechanic6117 Those are good points. He may have had an intermittent fishbite misfire for years, only prompting pro involvement when it became hard to ignore. Those carbon deposits were concentrated in the intermittently misfiring cylinder because of inefficient burning. I'll throw out a guess that the entire cylinder is black with soot.
My mechanic told me stories about stuck ford spark plugs biting him in the ass several times. He solved the problem by getting the engine nice and hot before taking them out.
I've heard that also but this engine was nice n hot when I started.
@@themechanic6117I'm glad it worked out ok for you. Nicely done!
Had a 2013 Escape @118k miles with this same problem on cylinder #3. Eventually got it out with minimal damage to the threads.
Hope you upped the price. Sheeeesh
I had the number 5 plug foul out in my Tacoma and it was very hard coming out omg 😱 I thought I was unscrewing an engine swap. But I put anti seize on the new plug’s and they were in like butter. Now it’s been over a year and I want to change them again. Keeping my fingers crossed. 🤞.
Drop some penetrant down the spark plug area. Gently tap on top of plug.
Push counter-clockwise AND clockwise (gently). Use a torque wrench to calibrate. Pray.
Great idea very very good job
Thank you 💪
I always try and tighten the spark plug a smidge first then back it off
Do you think the cracked ceramic was letting the spark arc at the threads, trying to weld the plug and the head together?
It's possible, because if it was just build up on the threads from years of running with the same plugs then why didn't the other 3 plugs have problems? I think the crack on the ceramic caused this.
bad gas is one of the biggest suspect for plugs to have problems like that. The injector could be clogged leading bad things happening inside the combustion chamber, I know it didn't show the same symptoms across the other cylinders but that's my experience.
Another mystery solved! Imagine if that tap fell into the combustion chamber...100% nightmare!
It's a nightmare I don't want to think about lol. It would be clever to come up with a locking system for a tap . In case you did run it in too far you don't trop it in. It'll give you a chance to catch the treads again and reverse it out.
@@themechanic6117 You can prevent the tap to com into the cylinder by screwing one or two nut to it ,in order for it to be firm, maybe using locking liquid...... or cut one nut into two
Well at least i know what i am in for! Always the harf way i guess, wouldnt have any other way!
Thank you Sir
Thanks for watching
How much would this cost? I had a spark plug thread break in the cylinder of a 2017 Hyundai Tuscan $20 for the new spark plug 180 for the labor it came out to 208
“Your mommmm” jajajaja
Keep engine hot next time, good job done.
A friend of mine broke two sockets trying to remove a broken spark plug from a Ford F150 and left it with penetrating oil for days.
Yeah penetrating fluid barely does anything lol. This seems to be a common issue with Ford. I'm scared to change the plugs on our 05 F150 lol
Record phone calls with customer -
You know what, my 2013 Fusion has the same issue but in cyl 3 but the plug is stuck . Once i get some time i need to carefully remove it as well . I wonder if this is a Ford assembly issue ?
This is definitely a weird issue, to avoid this problem change the plugs sooner than they need to be changed in the future
I'm having that problem today all but one of mine come out today.
Not that this has anything to do with this video, but whatever happened to the brake job/repair count you were keeping? I don't think we ever found out a count on those jobs.
Ahh I forgot about that, I still have the whiteboard. I'll check it over 👍
We all guessed
Use a piece of duct tape wound on tight to keep the tap from coming off.
And they say modern spark plugs don't need anti seize on the threads.
That's from a lack of maintenance....
Definitely
Here's a question. Can you turn a spark plug into a thread chaser? To prevent it from falling into the cylinder?
Yes, I have 2 different spark plugs that I've turned into chasers
I might have missed it but what’s the grease you used to pull out the shavings? Something I can buy at autozone/Home Depot?
Just regular wheel bearing grease
If you need to,use vaseline its petroleum based
I’m have the same issue right now
That sucks! Take it slow .
They were only able to remove 3/4 the last one they said was extremely tight. However they said for me to bring it back and that they’ll try again.
Need help I have the same problem now Me and my kids is missing school and as soon as I decide to go back to school this happens can someone help me ????????????????????
You doubled the value of that car.
Just joking.
You quadrupled it.
🤣👍 it's fixed, that's what's important
Did u gap your plugs?
No. If you buy the correct plugs they should be gapped properly
What kind of grease was that?
Copper anti-seize , the same stuff that comes with new oxygen sensors so they don't get stuck
@@themechanic6117 I mean the grease you applied to that tool so when cleaning the threads, the junk catches on the grease instead of going down into the engine. :)
Oh you can pretty much use any grease. I think I was using wheel bearing grease
I put penetrating oil and let it sit for one hour and nothing I put another batch hopefully by tomorrow it will work ima leave it over night
Good luck 👍
@@themechanic6117 as we speak nothing still not moving at all you think ima have to take it to a mechanic so they can replace it?
@axellopez5206 if you're not prepared to deal with the potential damage and other repairs then it might be best to let a mechanic deal with it
@@themechanic6117 that’s what I was thinking I’m here at a shop they told me they going to look at it and give me a quote on how much they will charge me
@@axellopez5206how much did they charge ??
Didn't you mean the spark plug wire when you said ignition coil because the ignition coil is inside the distributor and there is only one.
This car doesn't have spark plug wires or a distributor, it has ignition coils
@@themechanic6117 I bought a distributor and when I took it out of the box and checked, there isn't any marking or P/N on the distributor itself. Is this normal NOT to have marking or P/N on the item itself? How does the store knows what it is if they ever misplace it?
Leave it alone
Sometimes that is the best thing to do
Call customer - need new engine ! Have a nice day -
Problem is these broke or lazy consumers wait until the wheels fall off and engine is falling apart before doing any routine maintenance..
No spark plugs on electric cars hahahaha
It's a conspiracy theory lol
Just batteries you can not dispose of
Poor design - period .