[3sgteNA2]

spark plug broke apart in engine! please help

yesterday my car started bucking and backfiring at WOT. so i decided it was time to turn down the boost(its been at 17-19 because of the new exhaust and cold outside) to 15 again. and get some new spark plugs. i have known my spark plugs needed changed for a little while now and thought this was enough of waiting. well i get home let it cool down and then change the plugs. the plugs in the car were horrible bosch platinums, the tips were bent on all but 1 and one was so bad that the center (dont know the technical name for it) spark thingy had fallen out into the engine. so i put the new pugs in(first mistake) and waited till this morning to start the car (only car i have, and i had to work). so i made my self start it and try to go to work(the peace in the engine was making a knocking noise until i started driving, so it seemed OK), hoping the peace in the engine would break apart and leave the engine with out damaging it to bad. well i get out of my neighborhood and 1/4 of the way down the next road when the car starts dieing on me so i pull in a persons driveway and have to restart the car with aplying some gas, around 3k rpm. i drive ti straight back home and force my mother to drive me to work


now heres where i need the help.

1) i would like to know what you all would do, first and foremost

and then tell me if these steps are OKs

1)compression test it
2)pull the head and check the damage
3)clear the pistons and what ever else up
4)put new head gasket on and head(not sure if i need the new head gasket)
5)fire it up

so help me out guys.... thanks in advance
ickes

 

[3sgteNA2]

come on people... 6 views no replies?

ickes

 

[3sgteNA2]

and im still waiting....

ickes

 

[billwot]

Do the compression test. If its OK, you don't need to do any of tht other stuff.

But even if your broken plug tip did do some damage, it is unlikely it would keep it from starting.

bill

 

[3sgteNA2]

thanks bill..... thats what i thought.... but i have no idea what would have caused it? is it possible i have done something to the piston / rod???? not because of the spark plug.. but the high boost? on a ct26 i am running a na fuel pump... i have the hks FCD. if i did soething to the rod/piston would it start?

ickes

 

[velandia]

Probably need help from some of the more experienced board members, maybe this is why you're not getting much response - I am not an "experienced board member". I'd say your steps sound right - if your compression test fails, I'd do a leakdown test - so you can tell where you're loosing compression if any. Are the center electrodes on bosch platinum ferro-magnetic?? if so, maybe you can try to get the electrode out with a telescoping magnet tool?

What type of sparkplug did you put in? I think NGK are recommended - you can do a search to see exact part number.

Do you know whether the electrode broke while you were taking the sparkplug out, or before you took the sparkplug out?

If you have a piece of metal inside the cylinder, I'd be concerned about this piece of metal getting hot, and acting as a "glow plug", thereby causing the misfiring or pre-ignition you're talking about. This is pure speculation, hope someone can chime in with more factual info. If there is pre-ignition, I wouldn't turn on the car until you're sure your cylinders are free of foreign objects. Do a search on pre-ignition as well. I think Bill Strong posted a nice write up on pre-ignition/detonation at some point.

 

[velandia]

BTW, it really helps if you give a descriptive title to your post like "spark plug electrode broke off in cyl - help please".

 

[3sgteNA2]

thanx for the tip on the thread name...... i put the ngk's that are one step colder in there. i have no idea what the bosch were centers were made out of. but ill try the telomag thing before i even try the head removel. my previous post about the piston and rod breaking was stupid... i was thinking about it at work, i would have heard a very large noise and the car would have abolutely no power. so that cant be it. i already know all about detonation and preignition. that is one of my concers about it still being in there, the other being that all the force cause by the ignition can cause it to leave all kind of dents and stuff, witch isnt good. and also the thing it can do to my valves.

but i still dont understand why the engine would die out on me like it did.... im hoping it would be from over boosting the engine on the ct26 with the na pump. bill any more thoughts would be awsome man.... i really respect anything you say, so please chime in anytime if you feel like.

ickes

 

[jdmr215640]

Well either way you go you definetely need to change your fuel pump, The N/a pump is alright for stock boost but running 19 psi on that fuel pump is very dangerous. I am sure you were leaning out horribly. That maybe why your plugs were so messed up. First things first replace that pump.

 

[3sgteNA2]

i know the n/a pump isnt up to par at all.. and i havnt planed on running on 19 psi for this long, jsut lazy at changing it iguess. but, i have checked the cylindrs with the magnet tool above and there was nothing in them. started the car back up after that and the noise is gone at idle, not when i rev it i have what sounds like valve clicking around cylinders 2,3. i pulled the valves cover off and check for any type of wrong doing or damage of any kind, i dont see how that bit of metal could cause valve damage but i checked anyways, nothing. is it possible my timing belt sliped? or times off? would a burnt valve make this kind of noise? broke a vavle sring?

ickes

edit** its also burning oil now.... not a lot but its never done that before.

 

[jdmr215640]

Check the compression and see where you stand it sounds like your engine may be on its way out.