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Spark Plug Tubes 1997 Corolla

by kellyangell, January 29, 2016 in Pre-1997 Toyota Corolla and Geo Prizm



Hello,

Well I've done it now. Does a 1997 1.6 corolla have removable spark plug tubes?

I was doing a compression test on my son's car and the compression tester adaptor got stuck in the spark plug hole.

I didn't notice it until it was to late and now it's stuck down in there pretty good. I think the only way I can get it out is to remove the value cover and if possible remove the tube, that seems to be the only way to get a good enough grip on the adaptor. I worried that the tube will be damaged it it's not suppose to come off. Do they screw on and off or a I gently pull it out? Many thanks

I don't remember on the 7th gen - if the 4A-FE tubes were bolted on or pressed on - but I know that when I got a reman head, the tubes were already on it.

Should be able to see enough detail, once the valve cover is off, if those are boltded down or pressed in. The real trick is how much stuff you'll have to take off (assuming they are bolted in) to get at the bolt heads. if pressed in, how to get it back in while preserving a good seal, so that oil won't wick into the plug well.

Depending on what sort of tester you used, might be able to work something out. My compression tester looked like an oversized truck tire pressure gauge - had a flexible section of rubber tubing connected to a short threaded brass nipple, that you screwed the appropriate adapter to fit the plug hole. Unfortunately, on occasion, that adapter will get stuck, the brass nipple threads get sheared off, and you are left scratching your head trying to figure out how to get it out.

When that happened, I ended up using some epoxy to "glue" my compression flex tube to the brass plug adapter. I just coated the bottom of the plug well with some oil (prevents any glue from dripping down and fusing the adapter to the head - if that happens, you are definitely up a creek), dribbled some glue on the threads of the rubber tube, tightened it back onto the adpater fitting - waited until it cured and then was able to back the whole works out of the plug well. That compression gauge will now be premanently tied to that sized adapter - but that is a small cost compared to potentially buggering up the head trying to dig out the adapter.



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