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I was changing the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor on my 01 Ram today. 5.9L engine. Cylinder #8 (passenger side, nearest to firewall) ruined my weekend. The old plug came out needing slightly more effort to turn after being loosened than it should have. There was no dirt or grit in it’s threads, but the threads were covered in oil. I shined a light on the hole and didn’t see any on the insides of the heat shield. The new plug threaded in just fine about halfway, then started to feel like it was snugging up. Immediately after that, it let go (felt like when you break a bolt) and the plug spins freely for the most part. If you spin it enough, it goes through periods where it is again difficult to turn. I AM able to remove it, if I loosen it for long enough eventually it’ll come out. I’m really at a loss here. The heads on this Magnum engine are cast iron, so how were they damaged? Is a back-tap my best solution here, or will that work at all?
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Check and make sure the threads in the head are damaged. If they are rough you can use a spark plug thread chaser to clean them up.You can try a back tap, but you have to tap straight and that’s hard to do on an angle…if they are beyond repair…. This is what I use for Fords and a couple of Chevy’s that the plugs were left in too long. Make sure you use a vacuum to clean the cylinder out when you get done.
http://www.timesert.com/html/sparkplug.htmlI’ll try the thread chaser tomorrow. I didn’t think these tools, either the chaser, back tap, or timesert would work on cast iron though.
I also have another problem. The plug for cylinder #4 seems to be inaccessible. No matter what, the socket will not go far down enough to engage the spark plug. There is this cylindrical metal head shield around each plug which I think is tapering down to be too small for my socket. But it’s ONLY on that cylinder.
I don’t know Dodge trucks that well, but I think those spark plug covers only slip into the head. They can be removed with the spark plug in the head. Take a pair of pliers and pull the cover out.
I’ve put those inserts in cast iron Chevy heads.
Turns out the threads were fine all along. What happened is the same as what is happening on cylinders #4 and #7. The heat shield has tapered down to where a socket won’t go the whole way in. What I felt was the plug tightening and then the socket slipping off. I was eventually able to fully tighten it using a regular 5/8 deep well socket. The plug socket was just too thick and too short. On 4 and 7 I can’t even engage the old plug to loosen it. I’ve had no luck pulling those heat shields out, either. I soaked one in PB blaster and then pulled on it with vise grips. All I did was hurt myself, really. It’s back together and running now, but it still has two old Autolites in it. I’m going to see if someone has a thin-walled socket I can try.
And then I ran into another problem which was already there. My distributor is damaged. There is only one bolt hole, the other has somehow been sheared off. No wonder the truck barely runs after a particularly heavy rain storm.
If you are talking about the bolts that hold the distributor body in place on the engine, that would have no effect on whether it runs after rain.
Make sure your distributor cap is secure, clean, free from cracks.
Mix up a bottle with water and some dish soap. Wait until it is dark, start up the truck, open the hood, and systematically spray down the entire ignition system, starting at the coil, and working your way to the cap, then along the wires to each plug. When it stalls, or you see and / or hear arcing, you will have found the cause of it not running well when it has rained.
I’m talking about the bolts that hold the distributor cap on to the base. My theory was that since the cap isn’t held down securely, it isn’t sealed, and water is getting in. I often park it facing up a hill, where water could easily run down the hood and directly into the distributor which is, in my opinion, foolishly placed at the back of the engine. We just had a bad storm, I’ll see how it runs tomorrow. I will spray the cap directly, but as of now the cap and all of the wires are new. Hopefully you’re right and the old wires would’ve been the cause.
In the Distributor just spray some WD-40 inside it and on the rotor tip and it will displace the water on the contacts. That is what WD means. As for the sockets if you do not want to buy one, Autozone lends tools for a deposit.
It really sucks that something as simple as spark plug replacement would require a special tool. It sounds like that’s what you’re going to need in the end if you want to change that plug. As for the distributor cap, perhaps you can remove the distributor and drill out the broken fastener if that is indeed what you’re dealing with. Perhaps this might also be helpful.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
Unfortunately it’s not a broken fastener. It’s impossible to photograph but the actual piece of the distributor body with the bolt hole in it is broken off. The cap seems to be sealing well enough, though. I discovered what I believe to be the real reason for my rough idle/acting like it wants to stall when cold. I have a SEVERE exhaust leak. You can’t hear it unless you are next to a reflecting surface, but if you stand next to the truck while it’s idling you can even feel the hot air blowing on your legs. The front O2 sensor is in a logical place for this leak and I think that’s related. I realized that it doesn’t just act up after it’s rained, it runs poorly any time it’s left sit for more than 12 hours.
I see. Sounds like to fix that issue you’ll need to replace the distributor. I suppose you could spray it with water as you suggested to find out if it’s causing a problem.
As for the exhaust leak.
Inaccurate O2 sensor readings caused by exhaust leaks can cause issues with performance.
Keep us posted.
I’ll check out the fuel trims when I have a chance, but before I dive too deeply into other problems I need to get those last two old spark plugs out. I’m going to attempt to pull the shields out with the engine hot. Failing that I will go buy the thin walled socket that I need. I’m just afraid that even that won’t be good enough. I should note that when warm the truck no longer acts like it wants to stall, but it does shake at idle and sometimes while moving, but not always. I still expect the exhaust leak is to blame for that but I can’t jump to conclusions when I have six brand new NGKs trying to work with two worn out Autolites.
I found this thread. In the last post the Op had figured it out and didn’t have to remove the shield.
http://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-ram-van/327589-cant-remove-spark-plugs.htmlI never thought of trying one of those. I may even have one here already. I’ll report back when I have a chance to try that.
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