Spark plug tubes - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

I am a new owner and have been lurking on the board for a while now doing research and coming up with project ideas and looking for troubleshooting tips. I have read about spark plug tube removal by many members and tried to do it this past weekend without success. I used the rubber expansion mechanism to try to pull the tubes, I tried the long bolt with a washer on the end, and even fashioned a lever cap out of a pvc cap that applies pulling force straight out of the block to avoid the screwdriver prying move. The frigging tubes will not release! I can get them to turn in the block but they will not pop out! Any other tips or tricks? I guess I am being stubborn and want to change the tubes but it is not a huge deal since I have determined my oil leak is from the rms and not the spark plug tubes. Info on the car - 1997 box, 33,350 miles, I am 3rd owner, previous owner is family member that put 9,000 miles on the car in 15 years. Have all service records from family member and sleep well knowing the original owner drove it 25,000 miles in the first 18 months of its life. Car is Silver with Boxster red interior, now has underdrive pulley and entirely updated audio system. I'll post some better pics when I take some good non-phone shots but this is her first night in the new home in Illinois after the relocation from Texas.. Thx[IMG]! [/IMG] One additional bonus of Porsche ownership - you get to see this in the service bay - yes it is real!

I used this: Amazon.com: Moeller Snap-Tite Boat Bailer Plug (1-Inch, Brass): Sports & Outdoors If properly adjusted, it works fine. After snapping over the cam lever, I used a pair of pliers to pull it (and the spark plug tube) out.

You must have not made tool with the bolt correctly or used them right as I was able to remove tubes that even have been glued in with silicone with them. If the bolt idea don't work there is no way the transom idea will. There is no way you can put that much force with the transom tool. Spark plug tubes are easy to do just pull the coil, don't forget remove the sparkplug , as well to pull the tubes out, washer must be small enough to fit thru the tube so it can catch the edge when it is placed past the end... Washer must be small enough to fit thru the smaller end of the tube. bolt must be longer than the tube, but short enough you can put a prybar or pliers on the end... I just use a simple bolt a couple of washers, and a couple of nuts. Just make sure bolt is long enough and washer is small enough to fit in hole.. Drop the bolt in until you can feel the washer go past the last part of the lip on the tube... Use a screwdriver and pry the tube out by placing tip under the washer as shown, notice the bolt is at a slight angle so the washer will catch the inside edge. This tool allows for more force to be used to remove the tube and less breakage than using the transom plug idea.

I also had issues with the tube and tried many options listed above, what worked for me was a brake spring tool I had in my box:

My tubes were so loose I could pull them out with my finger. Well at least the tubes that didn't come out when i pulled the coil. It's kinda nice not to smell burning oil anymore.

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I actually have that tool (bent slightly different) and tried it as well, unfortunately on my siliconed tubes it actually broke the tube. lucky for me I got all the broken pieces out

Trying to figure how the bolt tool would not work and already sweating to death outside today. Porsche is still in the air so I thought I may try the tool again... Sorry kind of hard when you have to hold the camera too. I think the trick is making sure the washer is beyond the bottom of the tube and putting the bolt at a angle so it will grab the bottom edge of the tube as well. the washer also needs to slightly smaller than 0.95 inch 0.90 shoulf be good.

Also made a very short vid too. will take some time to up load...

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That looks like way tooooo much work. Do yourself a favor and get a set up like this: 1) transom plug - $5 2) just about any old redundant socket you have lying around. Free! Using a dremel notch the socket so that it securely fits the "T" handle on the transom plug.. Insert the transom plug into the spark plug tube and then ratchet the T on top the plug using the notched out socket. It will tighten and then breaks loose, easily pulled from the cam cover. With this set up, it takes approximately 30secs to remove a spark plug tube.

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Really? I guess my math is a little different than yours…. Hmmm… strange I think mine is in most people’s bolt drawer, no need to cut up a good socket, or spend the day to hunt down a transom plug… Vs… Insert tool then use pry bar and it pops out… Uh which takes longer??? LOL Vs. maybe not even twenty seconds, no trip to the store needed, and what happens when you have a spark plug tube that is stuck? I guess you would be SOL and have to go into the bolt drawer and make this tool for nothing I guess…. Vs. But mine is not endorsed by Pedro… Okay you win… Here is the video for those interested. my lil' invention... spark plug tube removal tool I made for Porsche - YouTube

I'd have to agree with you Healthservices. I made your tool out of stuff from my junk drawer. But like I said above, my tubes were so bad half of them came out with the coils. So if anyone need a tube remover pm me

I actually did not happen to have a bolt, nut and washers of those approximate dimensions just lying around, perhaps most do... but then I don't have a lift at the moment either, so I'm working on my back with limited space. I'm sure that you've done this more times than me so perhaps a more experienced person prefers the pry-bar method. All of my tubes were original; the 2 that were leaking were the easiest to remove. The other 4 felt "stuck". When I used the transom plug method, the tube's seal was broken free via rotation, there was never a need to pull or pry in any way. I also like the fact that one is not concentrating all of force on one part of the tube, but they certainly seem robust enough to handle it. I had no idea this was a Pedro endorsed method (not sure why that would cause snark). I saw transom plug here, and then modded a socket because it was the fastest way to actuate it. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to make the video! Looks pretty easy to do. Did not mean to provoke all of the ... I'll be less harsh next time.

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I am just trying to save people some time, money, and headaches thru my past mistakes. The bolt and washer method is available for purchase at a hardware store for less than a dollar if you do not have the spare nuts and bolts at home. There is no need to source a dremel either. Yes, I too originally bought a transom plug to remove the tube. I also cut a socket to help expand the tool. As a matter of fact I actually had to make several trips to buy more as I had a tube that would not budge and the tool kept failing. The transom tool was tightened to the point the threads in the bolt that expanded the plug stripped. I even bought out and destroyed all the transom plugs the local store had. I then made my own version of a transom plug using a threaded bolt, washers, and the rubber from a transom plug. This still did not remove my glued in tubes. If you do a search there are people with issues with the transom tool. I’m sure 80% of the time the transom tool will work. So far the bolt and nut method has worked 100% of the time and less work for me. I’m sure if you really have a tool fetish you could buy something like this for $125… Illusions Tool To me the problem with a mechanical tool like that is, it can actually force the tube to expand making it even harder to remove from the hole.

I just used a piece of 3/4" black steel pipe (natural gas pipe). Thread it it the end of the tube and then use vice-grips to pull them out. Not very glamorous but it worked.

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I used similar to this but it had a right angle and a female end too. Thread in a little and pull the tube out. When reinserting, use the other end to provide an even pushing force. I have a picture in one of my other threads. Even though you thread it in, it doesn't do much to the spark plug tube.

For all the searches I did when rebuilding mine I never ran across the both method. Really cool idea!!! I ended up using the transom method which did work, but the bolt method is an elegant way.

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I've never seen this as a requirement for removing the spark plug tubes... is this the commonly accepted practice? (I didn't remove the plugs before changing out the tubes when I did this recently, and didn't have any issues, so I'm curious.)

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If you are going to use the bolt method, the spark plug may be in the way... besides spark plugs are partially made of porcelain and the last thing you want to do is cause another issue. Better safe, than sorry. Transom tool grabs from the top of the plastic tube, the bolt method grabs from the bottom edge of the tube.

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Oh, right, of course - thanks.

A bit of a revised thread Getting ready to order new plug tubes. Question to those who did this, do you do all 6 as a matter of course when only 1 or 2 actually leak? I have 2 with minimal leaking, both driver's side, but I am of the mind set that I should just bite the bullet and do all 6 Also I'm ordering from Pelican: Porsche originals, which need rubber seals separately Or non-Porsche which include rubber seals Opinions welcome