How to Remove Stubborn or Stuck Spark Plug Boots From Your Mercedes
Oftentimes, pieces of the spark plugs can get stuck in spark plug boots, but MBWorld has several ways to get them out.
While many of us like to do our own maintenance and repairs on our vehicles, there are times when we question our sanity in that regard. Typically, this happens when we’re struggling to remove something, oftentimes a part that’s been in place for years, enduring all sorts of weather conditions and choosing to make our lives difficult as a result. Recently, this is precisely what happened to MBWorld member ccryan67 – when trying to replace the spark plugs on his Mercedes, this simple job became a whole heck of a lot more complicated when the spark plug boots refused to come off easily.
When removing one of the spark plug boots, a plastic piece of the plug broke off inside of it, leaving behind quite the predicament, as needle nose pliers weren’t even small enough to remove it. Thus, this Mercedes owner headed to the forums seeking advice, and he certainly found it there from a handful of helpful folks that have faced similar problems – including chassis. Here’s what he recommended.
- Secure an x-acto knife with a narrow, pointed “hobby” blade.
- Start slicing the old rubber away
- If you have an air compressor, while the plug remains in the hole, blow out the rubber crumbs every so often.
- Once you’ve removed enough rubber, you should be able to extract the remains of the boot.
- Alternatively, push a socket against the rubber and remove the spark plug.
- You can also use any type of dental pick-like tool to “pick” away at the rubber.
- A flathead screwdriver could also be used to pinch between the spark plug and the boot, lever against the plug, and pry it out.
George993 also has some experience with removing stubborn spark plug boots, and recommends using thin, long pliers, though most are a bit slippery, making this job more difficult. As such, he notes that surgical pliers or “hemostats” with ribbed grabbing surfaces work the best. Jed12 has run into this problem himself, and had luck removing the plug from the spark plug boots by using a regular 16mm deep socket, too.
As for preventing this from happening the next time one needs to change spark plugs, Herkypilot suggests placing dab of electric grease on the new coil when it’s installed. More information on this particular problem can be found in the full thread – located here – along with some handy tips and tricks worth checking out!
Photos: MBWorld Forums
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