6G Celicas Forums

I was trying to change my spark plugs and wires and ran into a bit of a problem. Usually this job should only take 10-15 mins. The first 2 plugs and wires changed out perfect, no problem at all. On the last 2 plugs, when i pulled out the wires, the little rubber boot stayed in the motor on the plug. I called everywhere to find out what i was suppost to do to get this bottom rubber piece of the wire out of my motor. Everywhere i called told me to go get a pair of long needle nose pliers, stick them down the hole where the plug goes and pull out the rubber peice and continue on with the job. Sounds easy enough so i went ahead and attempted to do what i was advised. All the pliers was doing was taking little chunks of the rubber apart at first, but not pulling it all the way out. Then the pliers got stuck in the hole with the plug and the little rubber piece. I tried to wiggle the pliers back and forth, yanking and pulling on them to get them out, and the handles broke off. So not only do i have a bad spark plug, a little rubber peice(bottom of sparkplug wire) stuck in the plug hole, but now there is also a half of a pair of brand new gearwrench needle noose pliers wedged in there. If you stick your finger in the hole you can feel the needle nose pliers, they are only about a finger nail length down. You can wiggle the pliers back and forth with you finger. So i got a pair of needle nose vise grips and tried to latch on to the broken pliers wedge in my motor. All the needle nose visegrips are doing is slipping off the broken pair. I can not get enough of a grip on them to pull them out.
So my questions are: Does anybody have any idea on how to get the broken pair of pliers out of my motor?
What do i use to get the rubber (bottom of spark plug wire) out of my motor?
If anybody has any suggestions please let me know. Any and all ideas are welcome. Thank you in advance for any feedback.

happened to me on my camry but yours sounds worse, its suppose to be just a plier job to pull out that small rubber from the wires. All I can say is get something skinny that can grab it out of there. get the ones with claws that grab or a strong magnet tool. The left over rubber to get out all the little pieces all i can think of is a vacuum.

Wow, those must be some really cheap needle nose pliers for the handles to break off like that. If you can wiggle them back and forth Id say try a good magnet. Of course you can probably use anything shaped at an angle to help remove the pliers as well (a scribe...perhaps, maybe a cross tip offset screwdriver..) Got to get creative if the usual stuff doesnt work.

Thank you for the advise. I went to the part store but they said they did not have any thing that small with claws on it. But the did get me a pick set, so i am going to try those and see what i can come up with. i will keep it posted.

The pliers were suppost to be a really good set. when i went to the part store they said they could not beleive that they broke. They have never seen them brake before. The pliers were gearwrench, Like 21 dollars for the pair. my suggestion would be to save your money. They are not worth it, but they are lifetime warrenty. So if i can get the rest of them out, then i can either get my money back or try my luck with another pair.

if there is any gap at all between the jaws of the pliers cut a coat hanger and bend it so you can put it through and bring it back up and out then use it to pull. also coat hanger with a small hook bent on the end works to pull the rubber piece too.

removing the valve cover could give you space, if it can gets out

How would removing the valve cover help? As the tubes will still be there, and its still the same situation, minus the valve cover. Plus, pulling all that rubber out, from the sounds of it, its fragile. And some bits may wind up hiding from him/her (dont know) and be left in there. I second the clothes hanger idea. Like I said, if conventional methods dont work, get creative!

I tried to remove the valve cover before i posted anything and like it was said, same situation just minus the valve cover. but i will attempt the close hanger thing. i tried to use just the hook on it but it was not strong enough, but i will try to get it up enough to pull on both sides. Also i tought about mabe drilling into the pliers then putting screws in the drilled holes to maybe make handle type things. thought maybe it would help to pull them out a little. any opions on the drilling idea. let me know. and keep giving ideas please i need all i can get. thanks

If you can avoid it, dont drill. How exactly are the pliers situated in the tube? Because they should come out with little to no problem, sounds like they are stuck.

This post has been edited by Spider77: Nov 11, 2009 - 11:58 AM

If you have some CO2 try to freeze the pliers as they will shrink (with a small flexible hose)
It is very useful with bolts so maybe with that too

This post has been edited by domyz: Nov 11, 2009 - 12:10 PM

By looking down in the tube, standing in the front of the car, the plier would normally open side to side (fender to fender). not front to back bumper to bumper. But it looks like the pliers are jamed over the spark plug. i dont know how i did it but it is stuck in there pretty good.


where would i get co2, and if i was to spray the co2 in the tube, is the wose going to be able to just get the pliers and not the tube as well. Because that would freeze and shrink the tube as well wouldn't it. I dont know just wondering

you get it at a good plumbing store, the tube will absorb more heat from the block than the pliers if you do it fast, so the pliers will shrink more. *Don't abuse of it, do it fast*

This post has been edited by domyz: Nov 11, 2009 - 4:54 PM

try to find that claw thing or a really strong magnet for autos. The claw is really skinny, the claws open and close from the far skinny end of the tool. You push and pull at the end and it will grab and you can pull it. Get creative not drastic.

This post has been edited by trdproven: Nov 11, 2009 - 4:57 PM

So, any luck with this? So, this might sound backwards, but how about getting another pair of needle nose pliers, and using those to get other the broken set? Maybe a pair of aligator vice grips? Im not 100% sold on the CO2 idea. In theory it sounds like it'll work, I just have no experience with the application so I cant say.

You could also try heating the tube instead of cooling the pliers. Even just a little bit of heat may be able to give you the edge to pull the pliers out with the vice-grips, another set of pliers, or a coathanger, etc.

Or maybe just remove the tube. Pull the valve cover, then break the spark plug tube loose from the cylinder head. Easiest way to do this is to thread two of the nuts from the valve cover onto the top of the tube to the nuts lock each other in place. Apply either a deep socket or a large wrench and remove the tube. You'll have to reseal the tube when you put it back, but that simply requires some high-temp threadlock.

With the tube out I suspect removing the pliers might be much easier.

For future reference, next time the tip of a wire gets stuck all you need is a thin flathead screwdriver and a coat hanger. Use the flathead screwdriver against the side of the tube to get in between the tube and the rubber tip. This opens a space to slip in a wire, bent at the end. The bent section should only be a centimetre long. This allows you to lift the tip off the spark plug from below rather than tearing chunk of rubber from the edge.

^ Not necessary, Ive been in this situation before, just get something long to grab it or a magnet. Like I said get drastic and things will only get worse.

So heres the deal, i have tried to use needle nose vise grips, coat hangers, screwdrivers, pliers, the pick set, thick wire, a small punch with a hammer, and a couple different magnets. I think that is it. I did not have time to look for the co2, and at the moment i do not have anything to try to heat the spark plug tube. so i am still in the process of trying various different things on how to get the pliers out. The pliers are definatly WEDGED in there somehow though, bc if the were just broke off in the tube they would have came out by now with the stuff i have tried. I have to wait for my uncle to get back from over the road(driving tractor and trailer) in order to have access to the stuff to heat the metal. So if there are anymore ideas out there please let me know.

This post has been edited by babi_boi: Nov 12, 2009 - 10:27 AM

Right now i am attempting to do this, i have the 2 nuts on the tube. The first nut that i screwed on, i put upside down. The 2nd nut i put on, i put it right side up. When i try to brake the tube loose, both nuts spin. I am trying to loosen the bottom nut. so i have a couple questions.
1. Am i suppost to be trying to loosen the bottom nut?
2. Do i have to try to tighten the top nut at the same time i try to loosen the bottom nut?
3. Do i have the nuts on in the right order? Or am i suppost to have them on a different way?

Sorry if this is just plain ol' common sense. My mind is going 500 different ways trying to figure out how i did this, and how to fix it.
Again thank you everyone for the advise, Please keep it coming.