seized plugs

[Ian in Mississauga]

A friend who inherited his late dad's model A cannot get the old repro 3X plugs to come out. I've never encountered this myself, so I'm asking barners for advice.

[billwill]

sock the plugs with a pent.oil good kuck

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Ian in Mississauga

A friend who inherited his late dad's model A cannot get the old repro 3X plugs to come out. I've never encountered this myself, so I'm asking barners for advice.

Hey Ian,
Aluminum or iron head. I'm guessing iron, if so, I'd get a good 6 point socket and use an pneumatic impact wrench to shock/start plug movement. I wouldn't be so concerned with galling with iron. When you feel the plug move...at all, add some knockerloose juice and maybe blow juice into thread area, add more and rock plug back / forth. Once you feel some movement, they should come out. If you do not have an impact wrench..borrow one or buy one from harbor freight ! Hey, it only has to do a good job for a short while,eh ! 18 inch breaker bar is good also, but doesn't have the 'shocking' power of impact wrench.
BTW..put neverseize on plug threads and this should never happen again.
Plugs USUALLY get into this condition, when water has been leaked into cylinders and run that way for awhile.

[tbirdtbird]

build a dam around each plug with modeling clay (NOT Play Dough). Let your fav penetrating solution sit in the well you just made for a week.

If you decide to use an impact wrench, set it on low just to get it to vibrate and not try to actually turn anything.

I hate to break loose delicate stuff with impact for fear of damaging threads.

Using your regular length ratchet handle, then try to actually tighten the plug very slightly, like 1/32 of a turn. You should feel it give slightly. You just broke the rust free. Now reverse the ratchet and back the plug out. You may have to do a tight-loosen several times along the way. If you hear a squeaking sound, then you need more penetrant.

Those of us who ate rust from Gerber baby food jars in the northeast had to learn the 'tighten first' trick else we would have broke off every bolt we ever laid eyes on

[jmeckel]

Another last resort, assuming a cast head, use a rosebud on a oxy actelene torch and heat the plug at the threads to all most red, then let it cool apply your favorite anti rust juice and try carefully removing as the other post state. I like to use a air impact set low to basically just bang away as the vibrations loosen rust, take your time, do not be in a hurry.

[Synchro909]

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Don't be afraid to put some pressure on the wrench to move the plugs. I once removed a stubborn plug by putting a ring on it, tying a rope to the other end, then passing the other end around the radiator and tying it to the garage wall. I then started the engine and backed off. Sounded like I shot somebody but it came loose.
Removing the head with the plugs still in it is an option. I am guessing that the head is a standard compression original and you'll probably put a higher compression one on. If you want to stay bog standard, original heads are cheap and plentiful - look how many have been replaced with high compression ones.
If the head is rusted on, loosen (not remove) the nuts and start er up.
This might sound a little brutal but as a last resort, what do you have to lose?

[tbirdtbird]

sounds like how they do it in all the high end resto shops I ever heard of.

If that doesn't work, you can always aim a shotgun at it and pull the trigger and hope. Then proceed to plastic explosive failing that.

Years from now some newbie is gonna find this post in this thread and try this and destroy his car instead of following established procedures for frozen fasteners....

Pardon me while I go take a heavy sedative to help me get over this post

[JOES31]

I'm with tbird on this one. Putting a ring on and tying a rope to the wall??? I've had to improvise many times, make tools and and get really creative at times but wow ahh I ahh well am speechless.

tbird forget the sedative.....here's drinking to bowl legged women!!!!

Jeez

[Synchro909]

I said it was brutal BUT IT WORKED! Sometimes you just gotta think outside the box.
There was also the time I couldn't undo a wheel nut on the side of the road so I jacked the car, put the spanner on it and a block of wood under the other end. With my wife in the car with her foot jammed on the brake, I lowered the car. Guess what. Yup, I shot someone else. It came off. Outside the box again.
Sounds like maybe I should have started a new thread!

[triumphleroy]

Will A Taurus Judge with 410 shell work or do you use a 00 buck from a 12 Gauge in an Mossberg Persauder?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Dog here,
"Someone mentioned, "knocker loose juice"---Ol' Bill used warm prune juice, when he got "seized" frum eatin' a WHOLE medium PIZZA! Wunder if thet will free up a stuck spark plug?? Claude used COKE to unseize sum head studs! He made some little dams around them, filled them up & drank the rest of the COKE, with his PRETZELS!
Buster T.