5.4 Broken plugs
Reply #4 –
Soaking is far too time consuming...I've NEVER had to consider pulling a head...many tool kits out there for these broken plugs don't work worth a ...the only one worth the money is the Matco # BPR65....I do 3-4 of these a month, sometimes more. Take out all the coil bolts, get the engine up to full operating temp and start pulling plugs on one side, slow and steady...an awful creaking sound as they come out is a good thing...work quickly but don't hurry when it comes to breaking the plugs loose. Replace plugs on one side, re-install coils and get the motor back up to temp then do the other side....I've tried it all...and the "soak-it" method is about worthless too.
Getting those heads good and hot is the key to success...worst case scenario only 1 or 2 MAY break with hot heads...cold motor I averaged 4-5 broken plugs. We charge 1hr per hole(on top of regular book time) to remove the broken plugs and we let them know ahead of time what may happen and potential costs. I've broken 7 out of 8 on one I did with a cold motor...the worst I've ever had on a hot motor is 2....once you get proficient with the Matco tool, removing the broken plug really only takes about 10mins. On the last one I did, the center stud of the puller(gnarly left hand thread worn out) wasn't gripping worth a and it kept pulling material out of the ground electrode sleeve that sticks in the head, I ended up using JB Qwik weld and threaded it back in, left it sit for an hour and it came out...the next day, my Matco guy warrantied it out for me, no problem.
Good luck,
Don