Spark Plug Blew Out!, projectile plug... what happened? Options

[Chrobis]

Well I was just cruising down the freeway the other day and all of a sudden I hear this noise, it sounds as if I just ran over something really big (but I saw nothing in the road) or like my engine was breaking to pieces and falling out of the car. So I freak of course but I stayed calm enough to pull to the side of the freeway and check my car out. I pop the hood and one of the spark plug wires is just laying over the intake manifold... First I think hey the plug came loose, no big deal, so I pop it back in but it dosnt connect. I start the car back up and it just gets popped back out. I determine the plug is gone and end up driving for awhile to where I was going without one cylinder firing, sounded like I was driving a really big lawnmower. So I pull it the shopping center where I was meeting my sister and then see the pretty sizable dent in my hood, going out if your looking at the top of the hood, paint was chipped and everything. I end up driving my rickity lawnmower down the street to a Kragen's. Well they dont have the same kind of plugs I have 3 left of so I end up getting 4 new ones as to not mix it up. Well I use their loner tools which suck and end up keep getting stuck in the damn engine cause the ball bearing releases before the rubber thing in the spark plug socket. So I go and buy a damn socket extension that will work for $10, way over priced for a stupid socket extension. Well then it turns out it wasn't just the loner extensions that suck, it was also the spark plug socket as well. So I walk back in to buy a damn spark plug socket, and no one is at the register so I just left with it, yes yes stealing is wrong... but so is charging $13 for a cheap ass tool! So I get the spark plugs back in and the cylinder that blew seems like the plug was having to much resistance when it got almost all the way screwed in, so I kinda left it possibly loose but I didnt want to strip the threads if they are already stripped. So I give back all the loner tools, and return the socket extension ;-) and keep the spark plug socket... yeh yeh its wrong I know. So I drive away and it seems to be running, but the check engine light is on (normal I thought, has to be reset) so I tell myself to get around to reseting it but a day or so go's by and it turns off itself.

So What I think could have happened was
1. it was loose and blew out when it sparked and had nothing to grab on to hence being ejected from the engine.
2. Timing is off and the piston was on the way up when it blew ejected the plug.
3. God Hates me and wishes ill but non lasting bad things upon me.

What else could have happened? Should I try to tighten the plug more? and How bad is it if the threading is stripped?

[Kwanza]

I'd say 1 and 3...=P

If say the the timing was off...you'd be miss-firing in all four cylinders...all over the rpm range and not just one. Typically when a plug gets knocked out is when it wasn't tightened down enough. It could be the threads, which is a pain in the ass to re-tap BTW... or it could just be it wasn't tightened enough. Check your threads, and if it's not that... it probably was simply too loose. If it is the threads, consider getting it re-tapped. My advice though... Do Not Overtighten. That's typically what causes cross-threading. Hand tighten the plug... then 1/4 turn... that's all that is needed.

[5sfeTurbo]

well god hates me too lol. Well Sorry bout the ride bro. Good luck with it.

[Chrobis]

what if the timing was off just alittle, well its just what a friend sugested but we basically thought the same as kwanza, that all 4 cylinders would have problems. And it didnt knock out, It BLEW out...

[GeEkBoY]

I have the unfortunate pleasure of sharing this experience. It was on my old Z24 and it was the same story, put the plug back in and lasted a couple of km and blew again. Only way it can be fixed is to take off the head and install a spark plug helicoil. I was quoted about 400-500 bucks for the work. I didn't have time to do it myself and the car was not worth 400 bucks so I sold it to a mechanic who did the work himself.

[RedSunCelica]

same thing happened to me in my pontiac sunfire. the spark plug flew thru the hood. i just put it back in and disconnected battery for a little started it up and was ok to go. your spark plug was probably just not tightened correctly.

[macavely]

yea that can happen if you don't tighten the sprak plug with a torque rench to the right lbs. .. if its to lose it can come out and if it to tight it can come out...

[1bwilson]

[Chrobis]

happens again and the dent will most certainly be a hole.

[1bwilson]

But a third will be fun as hell to watch.

-Bryan-

[edo17982]

[sphinx]

[Chrobis]

I'm in the process of getting the 205 hood and bumper, should I wait to install those?