Spark Plug Snapped!
Discussion
My car started misfiring yesterday morning, called the AA out who said there was a misfire in cylinder 1, had a look at overall and recommended I swap over my spark plugs, as they were a little tatty. (didn't look like they were changed at the service, at £25 each I'm not surprised) I said that it was fine and I would look at getting some later that day or tomorrow (today).
The car ran faultless all the way to, and from work yesterday, took me there today without fault and when I was using the car out and about during work, it began to misfire again. I called the AA out again (thinking it was s
tty spark plugs) expecting to pay to have them swapped over. Guy arrives and checks everything over and finds that cylinder 1 is misfiring again. He gets the spark plugs and comes to fit them, takes all of the ignition coils off and goes to swap number 4 first... except, the spark plug is very loose and when he takes it out the electrode is missing. That's when it hits him and me that cylinder 4 is number 1, and 4 is the one that he and the other AA guy checked and saw was fine. (laid out like a Renault, but it's a Fiat)
He then clears the fault code, swaps all of them over which stops it running like a dog, but there's now a massive clanging noise as it ticks over. To save damage I had it towed to the garage to repair (beyond my admittedly limited knowledge)
The question I'm asking is any PH'ers have this happen? if so what was the solution and what cost was involved?
SFJ
The car ran faultless all the way to, and from work yesterday, took me there today without fault and when I was using the car out and about during work, it began to misfire again. I called the AA out again (thinking it was s
tty spark plugs) expecting to pay to have them swapped over. Guy arrives and checks everything over and finds that cylinder 1 is misfiring again. He gets the spark plugs and comes to fit them, takes all of the ignition coils off and goes to swap number 4 first... except, the spark plug is very loose and when he takes it out the electrode is missing. That's when it hits him and me that cylinder 4 is number 1, and 4 is the one that he and the other AA guy checked and saw was fine. (laid out like a Renault, but it's a Fiat)He then clears the fault code, swaps all of them over which stops it running like a dog, but there's now a massive clanging noise as it ticks over. To save damage I had it towed to the garage to repair (beyond my admittedly limited knowledge)
The question I'm asking is any PH'ers have this happen? if so what was the solution and what cost was involved?
SFJ
Mr SFJ said:
massive clanging noise
Did a bit of the plug fall into the cylinder when it was removed and/or was it missing already? Brave of them deciding to start the engine when faced with that imo as where do you think the missing bit has gone!Edit: Its f
ked.Edited by KTF on Tuesday 10th June 16:54
KTF said:
Did a bit of the plug fall into the cylinder when it was removed and/or was it missing already? Brave of them deciding to start the engine when faced with that imo as where do you think the missing bit has gone!
When he removed the plug it was already gone. Initially he though it had burnt away, but on closer inspection you can make out that it snapped. I don't know, He said, before he started it that it could've gone straight out of the exhaust pipe. We didn't know until we turned it over and began to hear the banging noise and upon doing so switched it straight off.
Art0ir said:
Mr SFJ said:
He said, before he started it that it could've gone straight out of the exhaust pipe.
That's the best thing I've ever read on Pistonheads.Is he saying that he thought it went through the engine and out of the exhaust pipe?
Buff Mchugelarge said:
Looks like you have a claim for a pricey repair 
Can't believe the AA man would even contemplate starting the car?!
what car is it btw?
ETA: looked in your profile. I imagine the innards of a T-jet aren't going to be cheap
Nothing special about a T Jet engine is there? Maybe you're thinking of the Multi Air.Can't believe the AA man would even contemplate starting the car?!
what car is it btw?
ETA: looked in your profile. I imagine the innards of a T-jet aren't going to be cheap
Edited by Buff Mchugelarge on Tuesday 10th June 18:31
Sump said:
I think I am being a bit thick here as I don't really get it.
Is he saying that he thought it went through the engine and out of the exhaust pipe?
If there was detonation the electrode could certainly melt and the particles would be expelled out the exhaust valves, but OP says it was a clean break.Is he saying that he thought it went through the engine and out of the exhaust pipe?
Compression and leak down test time.
He said that if it had been small enough it could've gone through the valves etc and out of the exhaust. But it sounds like it hasn't.
He ran a compression test which came back okay, and turned it over without and SP or ignition coils unit and it ran without any unexpected noises. He also turned it over with no ignition could in as well which also made no alarming noises.
I'm just taking from what I was told. Minot the most ethnically minded in the world, but I would like to learn.
He ran a compression test which came back okay, and turned it over without and SP or ignition coils unit and it ran without any unexpected noises. He also turned it over with no ignition could in as well which also made no alarming noises.
I'm just taking from what I was told. Minot the most ethnically minded in the world, but I would like to learn.
If there's debris in the cylinder you should probably be able to see it down the spark plug hole if you slowly turn the engine over by hand whilst shining a torch in.
If the piece was less than about 2mm across (possible if it was jsut a sliver of metal from one of the electrodes, it might make it out of the exhaust valve, but you'd be pretty lucky for it not to damage something on the way through.
If the piece was less than about 2mm across (possible if it was jsut a sliver of metal from one of the electrodes, it might make it out of the exhaust valve, but you'd be pretty lucky for it not to damage something on the way through.
If it's running fine now and the compression is OK, it's presumably not still in there so I don't really see what else you can do except for wait and see. I guess you could try shoving a magnet on a stick down the spark plug hole with the piston just below TDC and see if you can fish anything out.
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