# Stuck Plug **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 5, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486 "2007-10-05T00:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![erikbcf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@erikbcf](https://community.cartalk.com/u/erikbcf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486/1 "2007-10-05T00:33:36Z")
I was replacing old spark plugs today in my 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 and one of them will not come out. I replaced 7 of the 8. Do you have any suggestions on getting it loose and getting it out? Thanks. Erik ---
**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 12:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486/2 "2007-10-05T00:59:33Z")
Won’t come out meaning… meaning you’re not able to turn it out? Or it’s rounded off? Or what? If you just can’t turn it out of the hole, I’d pull the plug wire off and douse it with some PB Blaster, right down where it goes in to the head. Spray it a few times, every few hours, and let it sit for 12 hours or so. Then go back and try it. I don’t know… I hate to recommend a breaker bar on a spark plug, but in this case, leverage may well be your friend. ---
**Author:** ![wagonman76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ee7513/32.png) [@wagonman76](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wagonman76)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486/3 "2007-10-05T01:33:16Z")
I agree on the leverage, but just to get it to initially move. Once you can get it to move, spray it some more and run it back and forth for what little itll move. Keep working it and it should come out. You might have to stop for awhile sometimes because the friction will heat it up and make it expand and try to seize it up some more. When I bought one of my cars, it had the original plugs still in at 100k and it was a bear getting them out. Once you get it out, itd be a good idea to put some anti-seize on the threads of the new one. I do that whenever I change spark plugs. ---
**Author:** ![cappy208](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cappy208/32/31_2.png) [@cappy208](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cappy208)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486/4 "2007-10-05T01:39:22Z")
i would add… since you got the first 7… use the PB blaster, run the engine, heat the block up, and try it again. patience, patience ---
**Author:** ![tbirdtbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tbirdtbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tbirdtbird)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486/5 "2007-10-05T04:08:30Z")
Hmmmm…if this is into an Al head you could have a problem…Al will gall on steel and you can get the plug out but part of the AL threads will come with it. If that happens you can put in a heli-coil but you’ll have to remove the head for this. Try running engine to op. temp. Squirt on liberal amts of PB Blaster. Then use an old restorer’s trick: try to **tighten** the plug first. Believe it or not this very often works to free frozen threads. If it will budge just a little then you can back it out fine. The lesson here for all is to **always** use antiseize compound on these threads. Permatex makes a good one. Restorers are fanatica and we put antiseize on everything…since the next person that might want to get it out could be us. Another possibility is to run the engine to op temp, heat up the plug really hot with a propane torch (don’t set anything on fire), then walk away until the next day. Then proceed with the above tighten-first method. This is the only way we can get big rear hubs off tractor axles. and smaller problems like plugs… ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 11:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486/6 "2007-10-05T11:15:59Z")
I am not really suggesting it, but I had a like problem on a car once. I left the problem plug in until it was time to change the plugs again and this time it came right out. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 12:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stuck-plug/5486/7 "2007-10-05T12:10:16Z")
On a similar note, I had an 84 Mazda 626 with a “frozen” spark plug that would not come out. I decided to leave it in there and only change the other three plugs. When I got rid of the car with 200,000+ miles, the ‘frozen’ plug had about 80K miles on it (it was the old copper type). I never noticed any loss in performance or gas mileage.