I was cruising down interstate today when I heard a pop and CEL came on.
I stopped and found that the number 1 spark plug had blown out and broken the coil.
The porcelain part of the plug separated from the thread part.

I got it home (2003 4.7) and tried using an ez out to take out the remaining half of the spark plug.

2 ratchets, 2 extensions, a 2 foot breaker bar later(all broken) I have a broken #5 easy out in the head.

The dealer wants 3100 to R&R just ONE head. Heck a reman engine is 3200.
I'm sure the head will have to come off but I just don't know if I have the time or the will to do it.

I thought about buying a titanium bit and trying to drill out the easy out, then drilling the head out and installing a heli-coil. And yes all the shavings are going down in the cylinder.

Any suggestions?

 

Pull the head and drill the plug out. Or go junkyard diving for a head.

 

What brand plug failed? Did you try to remove the plug with the engine hot? Can you still get a socket on it?

Soak it, with Kroil or another penetrating oil overnight then try it again in the morning.

I think you're going to have to pull the head anyways - to find out what happened that cause the plug to fail as it did and get the metal out.

 

I got the truck about 6 months ago so I hadn't touched the plugs..yet.
It has Champion plugs in it and the other 7 came out fine. I went ahead and pulled the others to see if I was going to have any trouble with any others.
It would appear that they are the original plugs and with 115K on the engine they look well worn. They didn't look bad (oil fouled etc.) just badly worn out.
The truck has been running great. 20MPG and smooth as silk..until this.
It has had a slight tapping noise that lasts for the first 5 minutes or so after a cold start, but otherwise great.
I have never had this happen, but the hex shaped part..the part that you put the socket on came out along with all the porcelain. Only the threaded area and the electrode remain so no there is no way to get a socket on it.
Now there is a #5 easy out broken off in the hole. Unfortunately I am very limited because as we know the plugs are located about 3 inches down in a hole.

 

This is NOT MY PLUG, but this is exactly what mine looked like.

 

Wow.

Unfortunately, I think you're going to just have to pull the head. You'll never get the shavings out of the cylinder. I wouldn't bother with THAT dealer, too pricey. You can do it yourself but it is a lot of work. There are tools that you can use to lock the timing chains in place, some use tie-wraps.

I'm glad I use anti-sieze.

Good luck.

 

I found a place where I can get the head removed, machined and reinstalled for $1000. Its already been taken over on the rollback.

As I said that really sucks over a 4 dollar spark plug

 

This happened to my dodge shadow (college years).. I was expecting to have to put a heli-coil into it after I drilled out the threads (head still assembled on the engine, BTW). First time doing this, so I was worried about being off from center (or angle). I had done shifts of light heating and penetrating oil. The I began by getting the smallest increment drill bits to being drilling it out. Perhaps it was the heat from drilling or just the weakening of the spark plug thread.. but all of a sudden the rest of the thread shattered away from the drill bit and I had unscathed threads left on my cylinder head! My father had an industrial magnet (I mean powerful!).. I attached a rod to the magnet and let it down into the cylinder to pick up all the shavings and metal pieces. Since this was a manual transmission, I rolled it downhill and "popped the clutch" with the spark plug hole open and the key out.. just in case anything might achive escape velocity from the compression (probably not). Anyway, put in a new plug and that engine ran for years and years (until the car rusted away from it).

Good luck!!

 

$1000 doesn't sound that bad of a price. I'd be curious as to why it failed.

 

Catastrophe! Disaster! Yeah you do have my complete sympathy (not kidding.)

I've been there, on a 4 cylinder Pontiac motor. Went to take the head off and one of the head bolts broke off. (I "magicked" it out with a mig welder, eventually.)

I don't think there's any alternative, and a grand sounds like a lot, but it is a lot of work and there is a head gasket and plenum gasket set figured in there. I know I would have done the work myself, but that's a personal choice.

The lesson for you (and yes I realize you didn't put the plugs in) is to ALWAYS use anti seize cream on spark plugs.

Have a beer, we feel your pain. . .