blksn8k
Well-Known Member
I was starting to have driveability issues and knew at 87k miles it was probably time to change the spark plugs. During my last few road trips to PA I was experiencing poor throttle response and fuel mileage as well as misfires at highway speeds. I have had all the tools to do the job plus a set of one-piece Champion 7989 replacement plugs for over a year but was dreading the inevitable. So, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and this was the weekend I would finally do it.
I started yesterday evening by running half a can of Sea Foam spray through the engine. I also pulled all of the coils and plug boots and loosened each plug about 1/8 turn. I then sprayed PB Baster and Kroil into each spark plug socket and called it a day.
This morning I started at the front on the passenger side. It seemed to be going okay. I would loosen the plug a few turns, go the other way, loosen a few more turns, etc. When I pulled the first plug out it was broken. UGH! This is going to be a long day.
I already had the Lisle broken plug removal tool and had watched and re-watched several youtube videos on how to use it. That actually worked a lot easier than I imagined.
The rest of the plugs on that side all came out in one piece. This is getting easier, or so I thought.
I moved to the driver side next. The front plug on that side came okay too. But the middle two broke and the back plug came out in one piece. The first broken plug on that side was pretty easy to get out again with the Lisle tool. However, the second broken plug didn't go so well. The porcelain didn't break off as cleanly as the other two and it took three tries before I could get the Lisle tool to grab onto the metal sheath and pull it out. What I discovered was that in trying to get the pusher tool deep enough it had forced the porcelain down so far that it broke the electrode on the tip and when I finally was able to pull the bottom part out, part of the tip had fallen into the cylinder. I tried using a small extendable magnet by snaking it down the spark plug hole but I never could find the broken piece. Before I put any of the new plugs in I cranked the engine over several rotations hoping that the small chunk of metal would be forced out the spark plug hole along with most of the penetrating oil.
I don't know if that worked but after I installed all the new plugs and new plug boots and changed the oil it fired right up. The only problem now was as soon as it started it began burning off all the penetrating oil that was left in the cylinders and the garage immediately started to fill with putrid white smoke. I'm surprised that none of the neighbors called 911 because I had smoke billowing out of both ends of the garage. LOL!
After I pulled the Trac outside and let the smoke clear it was road test time. As soon as I pulled onto the street I could tell it was running rough. I only made it about a quarter mile before the check engine light started flashing. The first thing I thought was "Those damn Champions"!
I pulled onto the expressway and ran it up to about 80 mph from a dead stop. The light would go out for a few seconds at a time and by the time I got off the highway and onto a side street it stayed off for the remainder of the trip. By the time I pulled into the driveway it was running smooth again with no strange noises or any other nonsense. I assume it was just the excess penetrating oil giving the plugs and/or the oxygen sensors fits.
All's well that ends well.
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I started yesterday evening by running half a can of Sea Foam spray through the engine. I also pulled all of the coils and plug boots and loosened each plug about 1/8 turn. I then sprayed PB Baster and Kroil into each spark plug socket and called it a day.
This morning I started at the front on the passenger side. It seemed to be going okay. I would loosen the plug a few turns, go the other way, loosen a few more turns, etc. When I pulled the first plug out it was broken. UGH! This is going to be a long day.
I already had the Lisle broken plug removal tool and had watched and re-watched several youtube videos on how to use it. That actually worked a lot easier than I imagined.
The rest of the plugs on that side all came out in one piece. This is getting easier, or so I thought.
I moved to the driver side next. The front plug on that side came okay too. But the middle two broke and the back plug came out in one piece. The first broken plug on that side was pretty easy to get out again with the Lisle tool. However, the second broken plug didn't go so well. The porcelain didn't break off as cleanly as the other two and it took three tries before I could get the Lisle tool to grab onto the metal sheath and pull it out. What I discovered was that in trying to get the pusher tool deep enough it had forced the porcelain down so far that it broke the electrode on the tip and when I finally was able to pull the bottom part out, part of the tip had fallen into the cylinder. I tried using a small extendable magnet by snaking it down the spark plug hole but I never could find the broken piece. Before I put any of the new plugs in I cranked the engine over several rotations hoping that the small chunk of metal would be forced out the spark plug hole along with most of the penetrating oil.
I don't know if that worked but after I installed all the new plugs and new plug boots and changed the oil it fired right up. The only problem now was as soon as it started it began burning off all the penetrating oil that was left in the cylinders and the garage immediately started to fill with putrid white smoke. I'm surprised that none of the neighbors called 911 because I had smoke billowing out of both ends of the garage. LOL!
After I pulled the Trac outside and let the smoke clear it was road test time. As soon as I pulled onto the street I could tell it was running rough. I only made it about a quarter mile before the check engine light started flashing. The first thing I thought was "Those damn Champions"!
I pulled onto the expressway and ran it up to about 80 mph from a dead stop. The light would go out for a few seconds at a time and by the time I got off the highway and onto a side street it stayed off for the remainder of the trip. By the time I pulled into the driveway it was running smooth again with no strange noises or any other nonsense. I assume it was just the excess penetrating oil giving the plugs and/or the oxygen sensors fits.
All's well that ends well.
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