1990 Pontiac Sunbird 2.0L difficulty removing the old plugs

Tiny
2CP-ARCHIVES
  • MEMBER
  • 1990 PONTIAC SUNBIRD
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 132,000 MILES
1990 Pontiac Sunbird 2.0L mileage: 132,000. I changed the spark plugs at 55,000 miles and had difficulty removing the old plugs. I think carbon built up on the internal threads that exposed to the cylinder made removal difficult. On one plug the threads in the aluminum head were somewhat damaged but I was able to install the new plug. The car is running rough and I expect the plugs are the problem but I am afraid of making things worse so I am looking for advice before attempting to change the plugs. Should I change the plugs? Are there some tricks to prevent thread damage?
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 AT 11:33 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
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  • MEMBER
  • 4,540 POSTS
Always remove the spark plugs from an aluminum head when the engine is stone cold. Try backing the spark plug with the damaged threads out a quarter a turn and then spray a light penetrating oil on the threads. There are repair kits available for damaged spark plug threads.
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Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 AT 11:35 PM

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