Need help from car guys!!!

[Juneaudave]

My 17 year old daughter got her first car a couple months ago, a 91 Honda Civic. She brought home a bunch of tune-up parts and asked me to show her how to do it. Fine and dandy, we changed the cap and roter, air filter, wires etc...but when I tried to change the plugs...they were so tight I was afraid I would bust them or strip the head getting them out. I'm guessing the plugs have galled in the aluminum head...Any easy solutions here to get those plugs out?

[PaulC]

Heat, applied gently, around the plugs. Be careful not to dislodge the inserts. Alternatively, use a penetrating fluid. This will require not using the vehicle over a few days. We used to get this problem with our rallycross cars in the old days.
Cheers
Paul

[Sonetpro]

PB Blaster, It will penetrate even rusty bolts. It worked on bolts on my Jeep I thought would never come out.

[asianflava]

I've had many Hondas, but I've never had that problem. Even if the head gets stripped out, a helicoil is always an option. Squirt some penetrating oil down there and wait a day or so and try it.

I always put anti-seize on the plugs and torque them down to the factory spec. I don't have my manual handy, but a quick search on the net says something like 13lb-ft.

[Miriam C.]

Just a girlly opine but the last time mine got stuck I tapped gently several times to loosen the crud. Didn't change them on time.

Aunti M

[Juneaudave]

Those stupid plugs...if it were my car and not my daughter's, I'd just put the old breaker bar on it and let er' rip. Unfortunately, Alice looks up to her Dad as a mechanical miricle worker. Little does she know "Good ole Dad" lost his car skills shortly after they got rid of carbs, added pollution control, and American Iron lost it's luster.

I guess if I bungle this up, that will be the last time she brings home a bag of parts for me to put in...BTW...Alice works as a parts runner for Parts Plus. I'm a guessing if I screw it up bad enough, she can sweet talk some young mechanic into fixing it (and get a discount on her parts)!!!

[BrwBier]

I would say try a mixture of all the answers you have already received. First a little heat, do this by running the engine for a little while. Then use penetrating oil and wait. Remember it is flammable. Then more penetrating oil and tap on the socket. You want to get the engine a little warm so the penetrating oil will soak down the plug as the engine cools. If it comes to that a helicoil will work, but it is not for the inexperienced. While it can be put in with the head on, most times you will have to pull the head. So the best thing is to avoid it if possible. If the plug comes out and the threads are a little messed up you can use a thread cleaner, it goes in the hole and then expands and cleans the threads on the way out, taking the debris with it.
Good luck
Brwbier

[Micro469]

My accent had the same problem. The mechanic didn't want to change the plugs because he couldn't loosen them. Being my car, and a piece of S**t I didn't care , grabbed the tool and wrenched away. They came out fine, just needed a lesson on who was the boss!! ( Thank God I didn't wreck the Threads!!)

[asianflava]

If it comes to that a helicoil will work, but it is not for the inexperienced. While it can be put in with the head on, most times you will have to pull the head. So the best thing is to avoid it if possible.

I've heard of people filling the cylinder with shaving cream when tapping out the helicoil. When it is tapped, you turn the crank and the piston will squeeze out the shaving cream along with the shavings, make shure the piston is on it's way up though.

[Leon]

If you use Nair, you might get away without the tap