broken glow plug

[iann41]

I bought a 300tdi some months back. The car is in great nick. Chassis is tidy, just a little rust on rear wheel arches which i have had done. It starts and runs great. The other day tho, i noticed a cable missing from glow plug #2, it just bypasses it and goes to #3&4. On closer inspection it looks like someone has tried to remove the plug but broken the stud off. It now looks impossible to remove with the head on. Can the glowplug be removed and re tapped with the head off or am i looking at a new head. The car does start great even on sub-zero mornings with 3 glowplugs. Ian

[nellyscossy]

if this were mine i'd leave alone if it starts fine then no bother

my 200tdi in my defender hasn't even got the glow plugs wired up and it starts on the flick of the key

[peasey]

If it starts first time without it Iwould leave well alone,however if your anything like me things like that have to be sorted.I dont know if you have any plug showing as all you mention is the stud im assuming you are talking about the bit where the wire clamps to the glow plug.If this is the case then see if you can get a ten mm socket onto the top of the plug as this is how they are removed if there is no nut shaped thing on its top then its a small pair of stilsons or moles on to it,although I think you may struggle with clearence.If its snapped and you have nothing to get hold of all is not lost,get hold of some easy outs drill into the plug CAREFULLY and screw the easy out in DO NOT drill right through the plug as all the swarf will drop into your piston (not good)and start small first and work up.Failing that your screwed and the head will have to come off.Before you try to remove anything i would run the engine up to temp to make things nice and warm and soak it in penatrating oil not wd40,once the head is off you should easly be able to remove it and give the thread a clean up with a tap arangement.

[iann41]

using the Easy Out drills seem to be a good idea. there is no 10mm nut to get a socket on and about 10mm of glow plug pretruding to get mole grips on (but as you say there is no room to use these). looks like the head will have to come off when i've got time and the weather improves. any more ideas? Ian

[hairyasswelder]

I have the same with my Rover 420  :(

It only has 3 to start with so it is struggling at this time of year  :(

Really dont want to remove head but easy outs are useless.  SO watching with interest  :shock:

[Range Rover Blues]

I've experienced this and let me tell you, JUST KEEP IGNORING IT.  It starts doesn't it ;)

If you think how much strength it take to snap the glow plug off, even though it's hollow, you stand little chance of removing it with a stuf extractor.  There is almost nothing to see of it at the other end either so my guess is it's well stuck.  If you start messing with it you could end up needing a new head, as it is just leave well alone.

My sister's had 1 snapped off glow plug and either 1 or 2 more not working, it still started well, 300s mostly do.  For those odd occasions where a bit of preheat is needed (my wife's starts better with glow plugs) make sure the other 3 are working.