Magnet. See if you can find a magnet on a flexible stick that has a head small enough to get in there.

Unless it isn't magnetic. Otherwise, I wouldn't trust myself getting it all out, so heads would be coming off. But I have a 6.0 so that's a common occurrence and part of regular maintenance

 

No matter what you do, I wouldn’t start the engine now, or after smashing the tip into the cylinder. Who knows what damage may occur to the piston, cylinder walls, or valves

I would call around to local diesel shops, maybe even machine shops and see if they have dealt with this before. If you don’t have any luck there, I’d smash it into the cylinder and attempt to retrieve the pieces through the injector hole. Follow with a borescope to make sure you got all the pieces. If those things fail, I would pull the heads


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@Hellraiser456

A company makes a high end broken glow plug removal tool that I would get before taking the heads off. Im not 100% this is the one for powerstrokes but give wise auto tool a call

Broken Glow Plug Removal Tool – How To Extract w/o Removing Head

Broken glow plug removal kit.

www.wiseautotools.com

also a helpful tip from another powerstroke owner

Another broken Glow Plug technique

Another broken glow plug removal story So here is how the story goes. I recently purchased a 1996 F-350 with a 7.3 PSD. Not knowing any of the history of what had or hadn’t been done to the truck, and with winter coming, I decided to check the glow plugs. The relay checked out fine but the #8...

www.powerstrokenation.com

LEt this be a lesson to never use autolite plugs for all future readers.

 

What alternator is on the Excursion? Is it stock, or a high amp aftermarket? I'm curious. Depending on the answer, I may or may not have anything to say aboot this.....

I like the second method in the links Justin posted. The guy basicaly used battery current to weld an old glow plug to the broken off tip still down in the hole. Then worried it out. Hell of a thought. I like it.

 

If its just the tip still stuck, i have started the engine to blow them out 3 times before (on a 6.0l), so far my all 3 times worked as planned, but do so at your own risk haha. And all three were from trucks i bought with those garbage autolite glow plugs, and i always replace with motocraft only.

 

Hey guys

Love the replies.

I have been in chats with a couple of mechanics and one seems to think it wont be that bad. They did warn me the heads may need to be removed if they cant get it (which is big $$$). Ill talk to them more and see what methods they may try to get it out.

This weekend ill try starting it up without the valve cover to see if it will blow out. Ill use a piece of wood to stop it if it comes. I have to crank the engine over anyways (no starting though, ill pull the pcm fuse) to blow any oil out of the first 2 cylinders.

Ill report back.

He has been sitting for a week with lots or carb cleaner and pb so maybe it loosened off.

 

Well bad news

No luck with starting it (just turning it over, no pcm fuse). I am going to prepare to take the head off as i suspect the autolite tip is really mangled and im done worrying about it. Also something is going on with the cylinder 8 plug, so eff it.

Im not sure the tip is magnetic enough to fish out of the injector hole. Barely sticking with a good magnet.

I dont want to risk any damage as i will need this truck as a dd/ tt hauler.


I have enlisted some help and tracked down an engine hoist. Just gotta round up all the parts and fluids ( head gasket, turbo pedestal orings, up pipes, injector oring, elc coolant, ). It doesnt seem to bad, the wosrt part i think will be the passenger side (may try that side getting the plugs out prior to removal, but i am expecting one to snap).

Should i expect problems with anything? Im worried about the exhaust manaifolds. They seem to be in good shape but do bolts tend to snap? Anything esle to watch out for on a 20 year old truck?

Anything else i should do well the engine is half apart?

I will be tuning it, but mainly to help the transmission out (so 60-80hp tunes for now). Have a somewhat goal of 400rwhp ( i want to keep it realiable). I will be doing injectors, but not this time around. I guess this all assumes that there are no surprises under the head.

 

Well

Took the head off.

Cyl 6 glow plug pic below. Bet it would have eventually blown out. Its dirty cause it landed on the floor.

Cyl 8 had a black piece of perfectly shaped plastic in the glow plug well. That was preventing the socket from getting on it and it was submerged under the oil so i couldnt see it. Probably a fragment of the autolite.

Its back together and purring like a kitten and starting without help. Found a fuel leak on the passenger head vitron fitting and deleted ebpv as it was leaking. Also did the cps for the heck of it (it didnt have the newest cps on it).

Thanks for the help

 

Glad you got it fixed

I suspect that being submerged in oil is what causes the tips to fail -- the seal at the top of the glow plug is not good enough to keep oil out of the inside of the plug, and pressure from heating blows the tip

Some of the machines I work with use that glow plug brand and is never a problem -- but then the top of the plug is in a dry location
Note - I have seen steam come from the top of the plugs after pressure washing -- so thinking if water gets inside, oil will also

 

Great information! I sure hope I NEVER have to buy the kit, but it's nice to know it's available. (Especially if I am having "one of those days").