Strange Spark Plug in Third Cylinder??? 2004 Aveo

Changing my spark plugs today for the first time on my 2004 Aveo. 1, 2, and 4 were all normal plugs that came out easy. However, i noticed that #3 is different. Please see the photos...

What am i looking at here? I can't see anything to grip on to remove it. And the plug (or whatever it is) is too wide to get a socket around.

The end of the wire for that cylinder is different than the others too.

I've not see anything quite like this so i'm not sure what to do. The car runs like junk with 3 new plugs and this one old thing on #3.

Thanks for your help!

Maybe when the #3 plug was installed part of the tool used to tighten it broke off?

Thanks for the reply, but i'm not sure that's it. The wire for #3 fits on it securely and the car ran OK. The end of the wire looks different than the others, but it fits on it.

It looks almost like the connector from the end of the wire stuck onto the end of the plug when you removed the wire.

Mike, thanks for the idea. I wish that were it. Whatever is in there is wider at the top than a normal spark plug. The guts of the wire is too narrow to fit whatever that is into it. And i can get a pair of pliers around it, but pulling up doesn't do anything. Seems i have to turn it on the threads to get it out, and my pliers aren't very effective at that.

Maybe a mechanic or a machinist with their specialized tools can remove it for you. Once you have it removed, you can more closely inspect it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mike3

It looks almost like the connector from the end of the wire stuck onto the end of the plug when you removed the wire.

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im going with this.

If you can get a pair of needle nose vise grips on it, you should be able to either pull the end off if it is the connector and then remove the plug normally or turn it on the threads if it is something else. You can normally pick one up for around $20.