Broken spark plug, how bad is it?

[Rayman488]

Hey everyone, just signed up. Used to have a 97 speedster and sold it, just got the 06 sportster 215 SCIC in May. Been running good but was going to do a tune-up and put new plugs in. Explaining to my son how to put anti-seize on the threads, be careful to not cross thread, steel plug aluminum block, all that stuff while I was changing them. #1 & #2 came out and went back perfect, #3 would not budge. I was scared to apply too much force but I gave it a little and it started coming out. Got it out and thought that is the strangest plug I've ever seen, to realize the last half of the threads didn't come along with the first half. Probably going to take it to the dealer this week to get them to fix it, but anyone have experience with this or know how bad this might end up being? On top of that, when I put the socket in to remove it and took it back out it looked like about 1/8" was covered in oil. The other two (#1 & #2) were dry. I think someone did something to it when putting it in and it's got a big problem. Just don't know how big and expensive it might be or what to expect. Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

 

[devonte007]

This has happened to me before, and it is usually caused by spark plugs being overtightened which can crack and separate the threaded hollow part of the plug.

What you could try (and what the dealer probably will do first) is to get an appropriately sized easy out screw extractor bit and carefully use it to extract the threaded part of the spark plug still in the head. Want to be careful to minimize any little bits of metal or other debris that can fall into the cylinder during the process. If successful be sure to crank the engine over several times with the plugs out and engine in drown mode (hold throttle wide open while hitting starter button) to blow out the cylinders as much as possible. There is tons of info and many videos on the internet about removing broken spark plugs....you are not the only one this has ever happened to.

If this does not work and that thing is really stuck in the head, or worse stripped then is is likely the only other option is to completely remove the head from the engine and proceed to fix the problem that way. This would be a worse case scenario and could be costly if the dealer does this for you.

I think you will be successful with using the extractor bit. As for the oil it could be something simple like a valve cover gasket that is going bad and leaking oil into the spark plug tube, or simply left over fogging oil from the previous year that did not get down into the cylinder. I would not worry too much about the oil especially if it is very minimal.

 

[Rayman488]

Took it to the dealer this morning. Scared of what the final cost will be, but it's getting serviced and they are going to take the head off to get it out and make sure no shavings or pieces fall inside, replace the gasket and change the oil. Hopefully it won't hurt my feelings too bad. They are going to check the hours also and give everything the once over since it is new to me. Thanks for the advice devonte007, if I was a little more brave I might try it, but I'm scared I will do much more damage to the engine. I'll stick with computers, lol.

 

[devonte007]

Leaving some things to trained professionals is never a bad idea, especially if you feel in over your head. In any event I hope everything works out.

Since you mentioned that you are new to the 4-tecs and you have a supercharged boat, I feel I should ask if you are aware of the seadoo supercharger issues? Do you know if and when it was last rebuilt? If not it needs to be checked out and possibly rebuilt.

In general they need to be rebuilt at 200hrs or every 2 years (whichever comes first). If you do not you risk totally ruining the engine. If you have the old style ceramic washers in there then they need to be replaced at once before that engine is ever started again...

Since it is in the shop already and the engine is coming half apart, probably not a bad idea to also have them pull and inspect the x-charger if you do not have any past reliable service information about it. There is tons of information on this site about the x-charger issues, and I would recommend you to do some research if you are not familiar with the topic.

It's a great boat and sure to bring years of fun!

 

[Rayman488]

I've been reading the horror stories about the ceramic washers and asked the tech at the dealer about them yesterday. He is going to scan the hours on the boat to see what we are dealing with. The lady I bought it from claimed they were very low hours and she barely used it. But we all know how that goes. The tech said just on a visual inspection he could almost swear it has never been serviced. If the hours are still low enough I will probably wait to get it rebuilt over the winter when it's sitting up and give me some time to recoup from the hit I'm about to take from this repair bill. Thank you for the advice though!

 

[devonte007]

Supercharger rebuild is definitely a winter project and probably something you can do without involving the dealer. In case you didn't already know this site hosts a supercharger rebuild service through PWC Muscle out of florida (I think): http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?70191-Sea-Doo-Supercharger-Rebuild-Service

Basically you take it off, send it in and they send it back to you rebuilt. Many videos online about how to remove it which is something most people can tackle themselves. Can save quite a bit of $$ vs. dealer cost.

I am by no means a supercharger expert, and if you do have more specific question about superchargers just start a new thread and some of the more knowledgeable folks on the forum should be able to help you out.

 

[Rayman488]

Well they scanned the boat and it has 203 hours on it with all original supercharger parts. Needless to say that isn't the low hours I was told at the sale, but it's my fault for not having it inspected first. Too much of a trusting individual I suppose. I didn't want to spend the money on top of the problem with the spark plug but I feel like I really have no choice. If I don't I might get it back put it in the water and the supercharger let loose. Not real thrilled, but I have to face it that they have to be rebuilt from time to time and better while it's in the shop.

 

[pwgsx]

Would be cheaper if you pulled the supercharger out yourself ( very easy ) and send it off to be rebuild.

 

[Rayman488]

I agree 100%, only that spark plug change was supposed to be easy too! Seems like the easiest things always turn into something more. I will do it in the future, but this first time I'm going to let it be someone else's problem.