Spark plug porcelain broke during removal...any tips on removing it?

Hey guys. So I've been having a heck of a time replacing the spark plugs on my Xterra. The cylinder number 5 spark plug is seized up pretty good in there, so I've been dousing it with Kroil, tightening/loosening it, dousing with more Kroil, tightening/loosening, and repeating several times. It has started to move a bit, but still have a ways to go. Well anyway, On one of my attempts to get the plug out, somehow the porcelain of the plugs shattered into pieces. I can see the pieces sitting there in the spark plug hole, some of it submerged in the Kroil.

Luckily...well, as lucky as you can get with a seized and shattered plug, the plug hole is not exposed so I don't think any made its way into the cylinder. The spark plug is still threaded in and still needs extraction. I will confirm with a borescope after the plug is hopefully out. However, does anyone have any tips on getting those pieces of porcelain out from around the spark plug? Can I just try blowing it out with compressed air, or is there a better way to get them out? Especially the large chunks...I can't seem to get my long needle nose pliers in there to grab them. Some of it is also submerged under Kroil, assuming it doesn't all seep in overnight around the threads of the plug.

Also, if I'm using the wrong procedure to get a super seized plug out please let me know. I was trying to go as slow as possible but I somehow still managed to break the porcelain.

The obvious way is to flip the car on its roof and shake it. 

Sorry, I have nothing other than a vacuum and seal the hole as much as possible. 

Just blow it out with compressed air.

It's good practice to blow any debris out of the plug wells on any engine before you start removing spark plugs.

As for getting the plug out. You're already doing about as much as you can do. If it buggers the threads, you'll just have to put a repair insert in.

Slippery said:

The obvious way is to flip the car on its roof and shake it. 

Sorry, I have nothing other than a vacuum and seal the hole as much as possible. 

I sure wish I could just flip the car over and give it a shake!

ShawnG said:

Just blow it out with compressed air.

It's good practice to blow any debris out of the plug wells on any engine before you start removing spark plugs.

As for getting the plug out. You're already doing about as much as you can do. If it buggers the threads, you'll just have to put a repair insert in.

Thanks, I'll give the compressed air a try to get all the broken debris out. I usually use it before removing the plugs like you said, but didn't know what to do with the broken porcelain. I guess no harm really with the plug still in place.

I sure hope the threads aren't buggered. This has been a nightmare already, and I'm not new to spark plugs changes...I guess I've just been lucky up until now. 

ShawnG said:

Just blow it out with compressed air.

It's good practice to blow any debris out of the plug wells on any engine before you start removing spark plugs.

As for getting the plug out. You're already doing about as much as you can do. If it buggers the threads, you'll just have to put a repair insert in.

Bare in mind, that the Kroil is going to atomise into a vilitol cloud, when you point the air nozzle at the puddle of it. I've done it, and will likely do it again, but it ain't pretty!

(ok, I can't spell...)

I'd try a shop vac first. And blue shop paper towel corners to soak up some of the kroil. 
Good job on the back and forth, with penatrant. Best you can do. 
During install on that hole, work a new plug in the same way, if thread is buggered some. Use plenty of anti sieze. It might push enough metal back into usable threads. Worth a try. (Throw sacrificial plug away, and clean hole out well after) 
If that doesn't help a buggered thread, well... we hope it ain't buggered!!!

03Panther said:

ShawnG said:

Just blow it out with compressed air.

It's good practice to blow any debris out of the plug wells on any engine before you start removing spark plugs.

As for getting the plug out. You're already doing about as much as you can do. If it buggers the threads, you'll just have to put a repair insert in.

Bare in mind, that the Kroil is going to atomise into a vilitol cloud, when you point the air nozzle at the puddle of it. I've done it, and will likely do it again, but it ain't pretty!

(ok, I can't spell...)

I'd try a shop vac first. And blue shop paper towel corners to soak up some of the kroil. 
Good job on the back and forth, with penatrant. Best you can do. 
During install on that hole, work a new plug in the same way, if thread is buggered some. Use plenty of anti sieze. It might push enough metal back into usable threads. Worth a try. (Throw sacrificial plug away, and clean hole out well after) 
If that doesn't help a buggered thread, well... we hope it ain't buggered!!!

Oh good tip on the shop towels to soak up the remaining Kroil...will do that. I unfortunately don't have a shop vac, but will need to invest in one in the future. There have been many times where one would have come in handy. Just need to find one that isn't going to break the bank.

Also thanks for the tip on getting the replacement plug in. I may try and thread in one of the old plugs again just to make sure everything is okay with the threading, since the new plugs are a bit expensive at $25 a piece.

You can buy thread restorers from Lisle that will move the metal back in to place. Might save your butt.

It might look like a tap but it isn't. Taps remove metal, these don't.

If you use one, pack the flutes with grease to catch any bits of metal that may come off.

In reply to ShawnG :

Nailed it!!!

moving metal, not cutting with a tap, is the key. Good catch on the grease. Very important, and I forgot.  'Cause even not cutting, there will be loose tiny bits 

Yeah I vote for the vacuum, as compressed air may drive smaller pieces down the side of the piston. I'd tape on a piece of vacuum hose, or even a long drinking straw to the end of the vacuum hose and go at it. It may take a while, but it's still far faster than removing the head, which, technically, is the right way to do it - and no I wouldn't either.

Clarification - the spark plug has remained in its hole the entire time, correct?

if it's never been out then nothing got in.  
 

Buy a used shop vac for $10 and make a little extension out of some tubing that you can poke down around the plug.   Then blow it all clean with air, making sure there aren't any other plugs removed or other holes open. 
 

then keep removing the plug.  Using a thread chaser at that point can't hurt. 
 

Thanks for all the tips guys! That thread chaser is a great idea; if I need one I will definitely order it up.

Walmart has one of their hart shop vacs on sale for $29, going to go try and find one, then try the shop vac idea.

jfryjfry, correct, the spark plug was never out of the hole; its remained there and is still there.

How many pieces of porcelain are in there? Given the failure mode, if there aren't many pieces and they're of good size, I then agree that an air hose is probably an easier solution.

kb58 said:

How many pieces of porcelain are in there? Given the failure mode, if there aren't many pieces and they're of good size, I then agree that an air hose is probably an easier solution.

The ones I can see are large chunks. There may be smaller ones underneath, but from what I can see they're pretty much chunks.

It sucks that preventative maintenance has made your truck un-drivable. Been there..

Remove oil with towels, wrap some duct tape around a pencil "sticky side out" and see if you can attract the pieces to the sticky side. Or vacuum.  

Shop vac / wet vac necked down with some smaller hose. Spray NON FLAMMABLE solvent in and wet Vac it out.  Or use dawn and water or non diluted simple green, purple power, or oil eater to help clean it out with the vacuum. 

Thanks guys, tried the shop vac with a funnel duct taped to the nozzle with a vinyl hose on the end of the funnel...no luck yet. Didn't try submerging it with non-flammable liquid yet. I tried the duct tape on a pencil idea earlier but will need to remove more Kroil for it to be effective...this sucks!

You have compressed air at your disposal. If you stick the nozzle down there and blast it you will send all of the loose chunks into orbit. Be sure and squint your eyes for safety. Kroil burns when you get it into the old peepers.

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

You have compressed air at your disposal. If you stick the nozzle down there and blast it you will send all of the loose chunks into orbit. Be sure and squint your eyes for safety. Kroil burns when you get it into the old peepers.

This is what ultimately worked best in the end. I used compressed air to spray out what I could, then sprayed some brake cleaner down there to clean up the oily gunk, air, got more out, more brake cleaner, air, then just kept hitting it with air until everything was out. Thanks for all the suggestions guys! The plug is now soaking with Kroil again. Back to this nightmare of a spark plug swap. I swear anytime I do anything on this Nissan its always worse than it should be...

Japanspec said: I swear anytime I do anything on this Nissan its always worse than it should be...

Well, it is French...

Success! Threads on the plug look fine, just gunked up. Hopefully the threads on the head are fine.

Oh... I completely misunderstood the situation... I thought you had porcelain in the combustion chamber. Sigh, yeah, compressed air, no problem.

Borat says Great success!

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

You have compressed air at your disposal. If you stick the nozzle down there and blast it you will send all of the loose chunks into orbit. Be sure and squint your eyes for safety. Kroil burns when you get it into the old peepers.

Not sure that squint is osha approved. 

And kroil is flammable. e specially so when atomized. 

But to be honest, even as a safety guy, it's what I'd do!

Glad it worked out easier than a bad thread!!!