Rounded Glow Plug

[mandelbug]

OK so the Love Pug has started being a right pig to start in the mornings. In winter it was taking about 5 pre-heats to get it going, now it's warmed up it was starting OK until Saturday where it was a pig to start. So thought I'd do the glow plugs, got the 3rd one done relatively easy after removing half the intercooler pipe work to get better access at the top, went to do number 4 and it's extremely tight, to the point that it is now round

Any ideas on how to remove said stuck glow plug? Stud extractor kit maybe? One of the rounded off nut removal things from Machine Mart? if so what size?

[jasper5]

I assume this is not a HDi?
Which plug are you refering to as number 4? The one behind the injection pump or the one at the battery side? Number 4 on these engines is the one behind the pump.

Anyway, to save yourself a possible nightmare job, test the glowplug first to check if it is working....take off the wire on the plug, get a test lamp or multimeter, connect the test lamp to the battery positive, then touch the other lamp lead to the screw on the glowplug where the nut fits on, if the lamp lights up the plug is working and doesn't need replacing, obviously if it doesn't light the plug needs replacing.Use the multimeter looking for voltage, no voltage, knackered plug.

If you can get a socket on the rounded plug, use a 12mm hexagon (flat sided socket) to try to undo it.

[mandelbug]

it's the 1.9 TD. I am refering to 4 as the battery side. I did have a 12mm deep socket on there but as I went to undo it because it was so tight it just rounded to almost a perfect circle. Will check the voltages etc as soon as I can get a multi meter, although changing number 3 made it start rather easily earlier. I don't know when the plugs were last done and believe that they do have a life span on them

[jasper5]

Try a 7/16th normal socket hammered onto it, but soak it deeply in WD40 for as long as possible.