spark plug change gone bad

[future88]

Hi Everyone. I really hope you can help. I have a 1998 camry (4cyl.) went to change the spark plugs and wires. Was only able to change 3 of the 4. The 4th was stuck due to too much dirt (it is also the one that wasn't firing anymore). Trouble continued when the ceramic of the spark plug broke while the spark plug was still screwed in. Used an air compressor to blow out pieces and dirt. Things started to look up as I was able to finally change the spark plug. Reconnected the wires and battery and then started car. It started but then I noticed a 'pinging' noise coming from the engine. Questions for you... if something did fall into the engine - how do I get it out? And, question two, can anybody tell me the correct firing order of the wires?

It was suppose to be a simple job but has only been one problem after another. Please help!

[Mister_Perkins]

carbon build up will cause detonation. detonation WILL do some nasty damage to the engine if not taken care of. its literally like a bomb going off in the chamber as the piston is coming up and can not only erode away the piston but burn valves, crack pistons and heads, cause headgasket failure, or even burn a hole in the piston!


you need to do 2 things, address the ping and address the stuck rings.

1st run a compression test across all 4 cylinders and record the results.
for the rings try some 'snake oil'. get some seafoam and put 1/2 the bottle in the engine oil and idle it for 30 minutes then change the filter and oil.
run the compression test again and see if it improved any. if not then do the other half of the seafoam in the oil, let it idle for about 15 min, then drive it around gently, try to go up some inclines and load the engine without revving it hard. then change oil and filter, check compression. hopefully by this point it will have improved some.

now for the carbon....either you can get it out the easy way or you need to pull the head off and clean it manually. do the seafoam in the topend a couple times and see if it helps. if it doesnt you'll probably need to pull the head and clean the carbon out by hand. honestly, thats the best way to do it since you can't physically inspect for damage. inside the motor without tearing it apart

[Hajoca]

Pinging could be debris in the cylinder.

Shop vac may solve it, or feed water into the intake (pick a vacuum line) to blow it out.

[mrturrari]

If you think something fell into the cylinder do not run the engine at all. There is only 1mm between the head and the piston at TDC. The only way to be sure you get everything out is to use a scope (flexible camera) or to pull the head. Try to put all the pieces you found together and see what is missing, maybe that will tell you how big a piece is in there.

Since the engine was already run the pinging may be caused by the damage that was done. Maybe part of the spark plug is embedded into the head or piston and it still hitting or bouncing around. A solid object in a cylinder can do a lot of damage very quickly to both the top and bottom end.

Sorry probably not what you wanted to hear. The best thing to do is to look to see how bad it is, as I said with a scope or pull the head. If you see major pitting then you will want to check the valves and rod bearings for damage.

[thaharlequin]

I second pulling the plug and using a shop-vac to go fishing just in case. Use a vacuum attachment w/ a really thin end, then shove a rubber hose in there are stuff the rest of the opening w/ tape/clay/whatever. Make sure (if you already haven't) to use anti-seize and thread in the plugs and some rubber hose to thread them in so they don't get stuck again.