That Little #%*$& Glow Plug Nut!
 

OK. I'm embarrased to even be asking this, but I hope someone can give me a tip here.

I need to change a glow plug. When loosening that little nut that holds the wire onto the plug, the wire rotates along with the nut. It's seized *solid*, and I mean solid. It's like it's welded on there. I can't get a screwdriver between the nut and the wire. I tried penetrating oil.

After trying to get it off without breaking the wire, I gave up and decided to ask how you guys are doing this.

So how to get that damned nut off without twisting the wire off?

- Patrick

I would cut it a few inches at least from that nut, then use a connector that has shrink-tube, or just a connector and buy some shrink tube and heat it on over that. It's a red connector I think, but blue would work too.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry, just thought of the obvious! You need to get the nut out of the way in order to get the socket on. Got a good pair of wire snips?

This is what I would do to get the job done! Some might elect to another way so I'll just back off here and see what others might do differently........................ :hat:

PatrickW
I had to chuckle while reading your post . . . if I felt embarrased every time I had to ask for help on these rare glitches my face would be constantly red. I like the offered solution if you have sufficient wire . . .

Keep us posted with your progress and which way you solve the problem. My glow plugs will be coming up soon though I believe the configuration is slightly different.
Steve

I went back out there to try again, thinking that it just *can't* be that hard.

Sprayed it down with DeOxIt, tried holding the wire with needle-nose vise-grips while turning the nut, and then tried loosening the nut as much as I dared and then trying to force one of the wife's good kitchen knife blades between it.

No dice... :(

- Patrick

If you're planning to change that GP, I'd suggest just cutting the nut off from the plug with a sawzall. Then you can get your socket on it and get rid of it once and for all.

If you are putting a new GP in, then why care about whether you brake the threaded GP tip off or not? If you can get the wire off, even with the nut still attached, you can put a vise grip on the thread and wrench the nut off thus saving the wire.

TIP
To ensure that nothing falls into the GP hole, use a shop vacuum to suck up any loose sand etc, that maybe sitting around the GP before you remove it.

Got it. I clamped down as hard as I could with the needle nosed vise-grips, and pulled/pushed on the wrench as hard as I could. Something was going to give, and it wasn't going to be me.

It broke loose. Car is fixed now and running good again. :)

Lessons learned (or worth repeating):

1) Ask for advice/help.

2) Give penetrating oil (or maybe it was the DeOxIt?) a chance to work. I don't think I was patient enough.

3) You may have to use more force than you think. Be prepared to address what else this force can break. I was ready to replace the wire if I had to.

4) A 240D's engine is plenty big enough, especially when you are looking for a little bitty nut that fell down.

5) Just because the wife isn't home doesn't mean you can use her good kitchen knife to work on the car.

6) Don't let the wife see you working on the car "in your good clothes".

Thanks.

- Patrick

Glad to hear you got it.
Your lessons are good ones, some I've been guilty of doing, such as "borrowing" my wife's kitchen utensils to work on things or working in my good clothes on occasion. :o

I do 95% of the cooking in my house, but I still get in trouble with the wife when I "borrow" kitchen tools for use in the garage. I would never, however, use any of my kitchen knives (Henckels) in the garage since they cost much more than most of my tools.

"DON'T GET OIL ON YOUR GOOD CLOTHES"
"Why didn't you get changed before working on the car?"

;) I hear it all of the time, but I have a couple of excuses too.

- Becuz I didn't start working on the car, it grabbed me and made me work on it.

- It wouldn't let me go and get changed.

- It had me by the socket set, and wouldn't let go.

- I heard this noise.....

- I couldn't even get away to get a beer!
(This is a good one, becuz she knows how much I like tinkering on the car with a beer in hand.)

I "borrowed" my wife's Henckels pairing knife one time to pry on something in the house because I was too lazy to go to the garage to get a screwdriver.
I broke off a small piece of the tip of that knife. :eek: I then quickly ran to the garage and machined the knife back to a point. Wife never found out. :D
A lesson learned the hard way.

Wow, you are lucky she never found out. That is probably a 50 dollar knife. I once yelled at my wife for using one of mine as a letter opener.