• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

Glow plug tricks

HighSierra86

Active Member
Messages
765
Reaction score
45
Location
Northwest CT
Anyone have any good tricks for removing swollen glow plugs?? Ive never had a problem with my own trucks, but just picked up another suburban, and ill be damned if almost every one except for two are stuck in there. Just trying not to break them off. Thanks
 
Unthread them all the way.....crank the engine with the PMD disabled to blow them out of the head....
 
The blow them out may work.

If not there is a tool available that has some C looking threaded parts and some shims and these will jack the old plug out.

Remove the Injector and stuff a piece of flannel shirt down into the precup to catch any broken pieces.

*********** Remove cloth after your done though ****************

Otherwise you soak the beasts and work them until they break off and then drive the broken piece back into the cup (with cloth in the bottom).

Not a pretty job but doable.

OTC removal tool link http://www.mytoolstore.com/otc/6005.html

I have not used these but have heard that they work sweet.


MGW
 
Never knew that made a tool for that. Gotta get that one. IN the past I have just sprayed them with wd and used vise grips pulling and working them back and forth. Don't use WAPS...
 
The blow them out may work.

If not there is a tool available that has some C looking threaded parts and some shims and these will jack the old plug out.

Remove the Injector and stuff a piece of flannel shirt down into the precup to catch any broken pieces.

*********** Remove cloth after your done though ****************

Otherwise you soak the beasts and work them until they break off and then drive the broken piece back into the cup (with cloth in the bottom).

Not a pretty job but doable.

OTC removal tool link http://www.mytoolstore.com/otc/6005.html

I have not used these but have heard that they work sweet.


MGW

Looking at the pics trying to figure out how it works ????
 
No experience with them but as write up indicates the nut provides more thread for plug to turn on & thus out ,rather than just spinning in place.

Seem to recall a fix described on the old site using tin or aluminum rolled tightly around the plug & threads cut in while turning the plug to help lever it out .
 
If you read the description it say it adds threads. So I would assume you clamp it around the glow plug and use its own threads to pull (or unscrew it further).
 
from another web site


Removes damaged stuck-in glow plugs from diesel engines without having to remove the cylinder head, saving hours of service time! When a glow plug tip is melted and the plug can't be removed without breaking it off, this tool is the only answer. This is an exclusive!

Tool Includes: 10mm and 12mm split nuts that provide added threads for pulling. One of three furnished spacers is installed under the split nut to give a solid base for extraction without breaking glow plug off. The split nut is held with a wrench, as the glow plug is unscrewed from the head. Services diesels in popular 3/4 and 1-ton pickups. Packaged in a plastic storage case.
 
If you read the description it say it adds threads. So I would assume you clamp it around the glow plug and use its own threads to pull (or unscrew it further).

that would be the only logical way i could see it working. Im sure that would be fine on the drivers side where you have the room, but i wouldnt think you could use it on the pass. side with the heat shield
 
that would be the only logical way i could see it working. Im sure that would be fine on the drivers side where you have the room, but i wouldnt think you could use it on the pass. side with the heat shield

Yeah, I guess on a 6.2 or 6.9 no prob but on 6.5 be pulling the turbo althought hat still beats pulling the head..:D
 
THe two stuck ones on my blazer were a pain. one came out with a quick pull from a pair of vice grips. It was an 11G. the other, i fought for about an hour or so. This one was a god awful swollen 9G. This one i worked back and forth with vice grips as well. I ripped the flag terminal off via the vice grips as well.

Here's the remains of that glowplug.

attachment.php


The crank the engine over tactic did nothing in this case.

I was very lucky the GP didn't break in half completely.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1127.jpg
    IMG_1127.jpg
    42.7 KB · Views: 178
Those 2 under the turbo in the heat shields arent gonna work well with the puller set, I use needle nose vise grip pliers to pull/twist with lots of pb blaster, once I've got it free from the threads.

Pull inner fender is easiest access to pass side glows, while there you can to PM on rest of the things under the turbo, gnds, starter/brace, crossover studs, injector return jumpers, turbo studs, clean-antiseize-replace-retorque all bad/loose parts.
 
Those 2 under the turbo in the heat shields arent gonna work well with the puller set, I use needle nose vise grip pliers to pull/twist with lots of pb blaster, once I've got it free from the threads.

Pull inner fender is easiest access to pass side glows, while there you can to PM on rest of the things under the turbo, gnds, starter/brace, crossover studs, injector return jumpers, turbo studs, clean-antiseize-replace-retorque all bad/loose parts.

Excellent!:iagree:
 
Yeah, I guess on a 6.2 or 6.9 no prob but on 6.5 be pulling the turbo althought hat still beats pulling the head..:D

X2.........so if it start yanking on these things with visegrips i should be ok? i wasnt too sure how brittle they are, and the last thing i wanted to do was pull the "hulk" approach and break one off in the head.

Maybe i will break an old one in the vise to get an idea as to how rough i can be before they break

Like I said before, ive never had this issue with any of our trucks, probably because the glows get changed regularly.
 
You fought a good fight Dave. Glad you came out on top. LOL

LOL. i hope i never have to do that again. i was more afraid of snapping the GP off than a knuckle busting move really. The truck has 7 60Gs in it an one champion glowplug(one of my old 60Gs was damaged and the element was bent so i chose not to use it) and it's starting fine, but i think this winter i'll put the duraterms in it. i've had great luck with them in the pickup.
 
X2.........so if it start yanking on these things with visegrips i should be ok? i wasnt too sure how brittle they are, and the last thing i wanted to do was pull the "hulk" approach and break one off in the head.

Maybe i will break an old one in the vise to get an idea as to how rough i can be before they break

Like I said before, ive never had this issue with any of our trucks, probably because the glows get changed regularly.

I'd try the engine turn over trick first.

i was fighting that stuck one in the picture with all my strength. if you pull straight then you should be ok. if you pull at an angle then the GP and the vice grips act like a lever on the tip and the tip snaps right off. What i did was pull straight and rotate the vice grips from side to side as to twist the glowplug like i was un-threading it. that worked on several of them that were only very slightly swollen(the threads from the block cut grooves in the GP tips).
 
I have done two (2) plugs on the Turbo side of a 6.5

Jack up the rig
Remove RH tire/wheel
Remove rubber inner splash flap
Remove turbo and manifold

GO TO WORK

The two engines that I have had to extract messed up plugs were both on the number 8 hole

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG

I used a custom made by Missy slide hammer that I engineered to go over the plug and clamp on with two set screws.

Took only a couple minutes to tap tap tap the plug out. (use plenty of SKUNK PISS)

Longer time to tear apart and reassemble but did not break the plug or have to remove the head etc.

Also, always use a bit of never seaze on the threads of these little buggers when installing plugs (New or used)


MGW
 
Back
Top