Hour 8 of doing my spark plugs and I have 7/8 done with 5/8 breaking on me. What does one do when the lisle tool won't get the broken plug out? It just won't grab. My effort to save $1000 by doing it myself is about to turn into a tow bill plus mechanic bill for ONE plug. No to mention Fords loss of a customer.

 

I had 2 which didnt grab. I tightened the extractor tool to the point it pushed the porcelain down further and broke the ground straps. Then they came out.
I ended up getting a wet vac and taped a piece of 3/4 tubing on the end and vacuuming out the hole of any possible debris. Then got the air hose and blew any other crap just to be safe.
You can see in the pic the 2 I had to crank the tool tight in order from it to grab and how the porcelain broke the ground straps.

 

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I've bottomed the extractor tool out and there's still no meat to grab. Most of mine broke in "mode 2" so I had to break them and pull them out with pliers to get "mode 1" so the tool would work. On this particular one the electrode did NOT come out with the top of the plug...

 

Soak it with carb cleaner and ppenetrant allow it to sit for a bit then retry. Try turning the extractor by hand first to see if it will start grabbing. I broke 7 or mine off but when I bottomed out the pusher it did grab all of them I just took my time and made sure I had a solid grab with my ratchet prior to extracting them. Did you blow out the hole with compressed air before trying the extractor?

 

Dang this is scary! I just posted a thread asking about this when I came across this thread.hell I'm scared to death now

 

Don't be. Most of the time when people run into major problems it is usually improper use of the extractor. I am not saying that is the case here but I have both seen and dealt with this myself. Taking your time and using the tool correctly will result in success most of the time.

 

Where can this tool be purchased and for how much?? Is it a tool advance or auto zone will rent out?

 

Red F, you have a 4.6 not a 5.4, you are fine. Some clowns overlooked that MAJOR detail on your engine size.

 

Thank you summers for clearing that up.

 

Check your boots on your COP's, if they are brown you are fine. If they are black, pm me for how I changed mine with no breakage.