Broken spark plug

Anybody have any ideas on removing a long reach 45XL spark plug broken off flush with the head on a WD45?  Engine is stuck, but only for a short time and was inside all the time.   Hope to get it freed up without removing the head.

did it break off trying to tighten or loosen it, if when tightening it, you may have a chance, but if it broke when you were trying to get it out, that might be the reason the motor is stuck, rust in the cylinder, and it would be wise to take the head off.

AC WD45 wrote: Drill it out, soak it in your favorite penetrating oil and back it out with an easy out

What about some of the debris getting into the cylinder?

Long reach plug along with drilling out porcelain? If all of the porcelain is out, you might be able to take a die grinder to it and cut most of the way through the shell then collapse it and dig it out.

I'm going to say this at risk of ridicule, but anytime an engine is stuck, there is a reason, at the very least it is a bit of rust or other corrosion in the rings.  No engine will last very long if that debris isn't cleaned out prior to running the motor very long.  I think it is best practice no matter how "stuck" a motor is, the only right fix it to at least pull the head and inspect, better yet is to remove the pistons, hone the walls, and clean the rings, and ring groves. 

If the porcelain is out then it should be no problem to use an easy out.

Ahhhh, Just pull the head, then you can drill till your hearts content. Aint no way in Gods green earth you can ever be sure you have all of the cylinder wall distroying fines out.

AC WD45 wrote: Drill it out, soak it in your favorite penetrating oil and back it out with an easy out

A long reach plug would have exposed threads on the inside. If it broke trying to back the crusty threads out, there is no way an easy out will do anything but waste time and get broken.
Uncle Theo, is there any way of welding a nut to it? I watched an old blacksmith reach through a 3/8 nut and start welding where the nut met the broken bolt. I think he had a lot of practice. I would have a hard time reaching through a 3/4 nut without arching on the sides.

Personally, I agree with Dick. Pull the head and see what ya got underneath. A head gasket isn't that expensive. While the head is off, you can check the condition of the all the valves, inspect the cylinder walls, see which cylinder is the stuck one, or problem child, and evaluate the whole situation better. Then, extract your spark plug by warming up the area around it with a rosebud, and gently crank it out. Now you've got a good idea what you're up against, or what you have, all the way around! Unstick the engine, run a spark plug tap in all the holes, a dash of anti-seize, on the new plugs, put it back together, fire it up! I've learned over the years, when you try to cut corners, it only comes back and bites ya in the ....

Edited by AC WD45 - 17 Jun 2011 at 10:29pm

I had a wc that was " just a little stuck " I could turn it a little each way by hand, took the head off and could hardly believe the mess! Im in the take er off camp.