Dropped sparkplug !

356 Porsche-related discussions and questions.
Message
Author
Geoff Fleming
356 Fan
Posts: 1972
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:50 pm
Location: Union, New Jersey

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#31 Post by Geoff Fleming »

Only Tom has lived long enough to tell us!

User avatar
Daryl Bruhl
356 Fan
Posts: 104
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:55 am
Location: Grand Terrace, CA

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#32 Post by Daryl Bruhl »

John , Thanks for the laughs I got while reading about dropped plugs, join the club! I get great satisfaction using German tools when working on my car and that Klein socket is a excellent choice. Too improve the grip of my Klein socket I used a couple pieces of electrical tape. Stick a inch or so down inside the socket and fold it over the edge and stick it to the outside. A couple pieces will take up the slack and make for a tight fit to hold plug. I also use a 10mm 3/8 inch socket and ratchet when using it, much easer than messing with the long 10mm allen wrench. I added a picture of the klein sparkplug wrench below, does not show tape on it.
Enjoy
Daryl from sunny SoCal 63 super 90
Attachments
100_9004.JPG
Daryl Bruhl

User avatar
George Hussey
356 Fan
Posts: 746
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:22 pm
Location: atlanta georgia
Contact:

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#33 Post by George Hussey »

into this late, but a magnet on a stick works great, should be a tool in everyone's box
JohnLiles wrote:Tried to remove left hand rear plug as suspected it not working as it should , 912 engine fitted in pre A engine bay , very little room . Used Klein flexible plug spanner from early 911 toolkit , rubber insert , it dropped plug as I tried to pull it out. Can only get one finger in the hole , can feel plug , it rolls about , how can I get it out ?

If I do get it out , what tool should I use in future ?
George Hussey

User avatar
George Hussey
356 Fan
Posts: 746
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:22 pm
Location: atlanta georgia
Contact:

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#34 Post by George Hussey »

also always use a magnetic spark plug socket!
George Hussey

Larry Brooks
356 Fan
Posts: 794
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:16 pm
Location: Tigard, Oregon

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#35 Post by Larry Brooks »

I did the same thing 45 years ago.
I was dating a very pretty girl who couldn't quit talking about how fast her previous boyfriends RX7 was. My 356B had one of the first(maybe the first) NPR big bore kits that I had purchased from JC Whitney a few months earlier and was pretty fast compared to most 356's of the era. But a friend let me drive his RX7 and I knew they were quick. I wanted every ounce of performance from my 356. Two hours before I was supposed to pick her up I decided to reset the points and clean/regap the plugs. I was hurrying and ended up dropping the number 3 plug down into the tin. Trying to get it out quickly only resulted in it being pushed in further and tighter. I had pulled the engine a few times and knew it wouldn't take long to drop it and reinstall so with an hour and a half before I was supposed to pick her up decided to drop the engine. I had an Ansa 4 outlet exhaust on it so I didn't have to deal with S pipes or anything. The 4 tips also provided a great handle and good reference for alignment coming out and going back in. I put the car on jack stands, pulled the engine, removed the #3 tin, retrieved the plug, reinstalled the plug and put the engine back and had it running in 45 minutes. Gave me just enough time to clean up and pick her up on time. We took a very curvy, narrow road to the restaurant and I hung the 356's tail out on most of the curves. Never heard another peep about the RX7.

User avatar
Harlan Halsey
356 Fan
Posts: 2340
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:05 pm
Location: No Cal SF Peninsula

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#36 Post by Harlan Halsey »

The suggestion by David Lawrence above is a good one. I've had a 4" section of rubber hose in my toolkit for years for the same purpose.

Gary James
356 Fan
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:01 pm
Location: Dallas/Ft Worth area
Contact:

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#37 Post by Gary James »

Well, I have now joined the club. :-( I dropped #3 down into the tin BECAUSE I'M STUPID and didn't use a magnetic or spark plug socket even though I knew that I should have. I've been fishing for hours with a magnetic retriever with no luck. I pulled the carb to get a better angle at it, still no luck. I just went and got my USB endoscope from my hangar and will look around to see if I can at least find where it went.

Can the left side tin around the plug area be removed without removing the engine? I've never pulled the engine before and although Larry Brooks says that he can do it in an hour and a half, I doubt that I can do it in a week...

Any other suggestions other than what has already been posted?
Thanks in advance.
'64 SC Coupe #217121

Spike Jones
356 Fan
Posts: 306
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:19 pm
Location: Texas South Plains

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#38 Post by Spike Jones »

I would probably try a few more times to fish it out with the magnetic retriever, especially if I had an endoscope or borescope to guide me. Otherwise, just leave it until you do want/need to drop the engine. Removing the tin while the engine is in the car is a PITA. Don't ask me how I know!
Spike Jones
'58 Cab

User avatar
Emil Wojcik
356 Fan
Posts: 1521
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:20 pm
Location: Metuchen, NJ

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#39 Post by Emil Wojcik »

I've dropped them before. Was always able to get them out with one of these:

https://www.newark.com/duratool/d00272/ ... elDuratool
Emil Wojcik
'64 356C Euro coupe
'78 MGB
'86 Jaguar XJ6 Series 3
'94 MB E420

User avatar
Scott McAdams
356 Fan
Posts: 197
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2014 9:59 am
Location: Friday Harbor, WA

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#40 Post by Scott McAdams »

Emil. I did the same thing the first time I changed plugs. I finally got the missing plug out - but my forearms were black and blue the next day. This is the rig I use now - never had a problem since. The pieces are all Hazet tools. 863P 1/4 inch drive; 868 1/4 inch extension; 858 1/4 to 3/8 inch adapter ; 880 13/16 inch magnetic plug socket. This rig was recommended by a fellow registry member and it works great. Not cheap.
00B771CC-B9FF-43E6-ABB8-AF564C7B9881.jpeg
00B771CC-B9FF-43E6-ABB8-AF564C7B9881.jpeg (108.25 KiB) Viewed 783 times
356B S90 Roadster, '60 (gone)
Targa, '84
C4S, '08
Macan GTS, '23

Mike Horton
356 Fan
Posts: 1260
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:13 pm
Location: Texas Panhandle South Plains

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#41 Post by Mike Horton »

1 more time... :idea:

John, my NC EE and 912 owner friend, says one of the new super magnets, placed in one finger of a nitrile glove, will usually quickly retrieve a dropped plug easily. My last one, took a miserable 2 hours of fishing.

To prevent dropping it in the first place, a Gearwrench PN 80547, 3/8" drive, swivel magnetic 13/16" plug wrench, with a built in extension, works wonders, and offers complete control of the plug. For the #1, & s3, I add my shortest 3/8" extension, and in conjunction with my old well worn swivel head (optional) ratchet, can easily complete this task, and I've not dropped a plug since. Oh, I don't leave home without this set up in the travel kit. I learned of the Gearwrench socket, from a Houston area 912 owner, long ago, and found mine on Amazon.
Mike

Geoff Fleming
356 Fan
Posts: 1972
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:50 pm
Location: Union, New Jersey

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#42 Post by Geoff Fleming »

My advice...if you can't fish it out without major surgery, leave it in place. It is just resting atop the cylinder head and cannot cause any damage.
I have often found old sparkplugs underneath the sheet metal on quite a few engines I've worked on. Some must have been there for decades!

Gary James
356 Fan
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:01 pm
Location: Dallas/Ft Worth area
Contact:

Re: Dropped sparkplug !

#43 Post by Gary James »

Well, I finally got A sparkplug out of there, I hope that it was THE sparkplug, I've never had to overhaul the engine since I've owned the car so there may be something else in there from a previous owner. I was finally successful by using a STRONGER magnetic pickup. The first one didn't have the strength to hold on to the plug after I made contact. I was able to extract it through the #4 hole after I removed the #4 plug. Thanks for the guidance.
'64 SC Coupe #217121

Post Reply