Spark plug socket advice

munki has brought this to us :

They all do that, when they are worn.

A short bit (12") of thick walled rubber tube which is a tight push fit on the end of the plug can help and better than pliers. Also make sure the plug is completely unscrewed before trying to pull it out.

I found a magnetic one by drapper ... is this any good or can this damage the spark plug ....? (might sound daft but I had a few magnetic tales of damage in the past, so always double check :) )

Champion did make a magnetic insert in a spark plug socket.

i use both, rubber & magnetic ones, depends on what vehicle im removing the plugs from.

Best ones are the Suzuki ones I have, they use a sprung loaded ball to grip the plug hex. Never seen any other make though.

In message , munki writes

Use Araldite or similar to glue the rubber insert to the socket. Worked for mine.

I have always used a short piece of garden hose - putting one end over the plug, and then using the the hose to place the plug into it's hole and hand-tightening helps to avoid stripping the thread, and it's just as good to remove the plug after loosening with the plug socket. (You may need to make a short slit in the hose so the plug can fit in.)

Bah god knows why I didn't do that. I' sure I chucked it back in the toolbox, goes to hunt!

I think the reason it came lose in the first place is genius here though a drop of oil on the rubber would help it somehow! idiot I know. As before it was locking on to the plug head and after I screwed it out I tried pulling it up and it just kept coming off.

I've used heavy duty silicon vacuum hose on the plug cap terminal before to do the same thing. Something like 3-4mm bore and a couple of mm wall thickness. Stiff enough not to stretch too far, but bendy enough to get awkward angle plugs in without crossing.