I was changing the plugs in my car when the ceramic housing on one of the plugs that I was removing fell apart. After I got the plug out, I used a small tube to vacuum out several of the fragments from the hole in which the plug sits. I thought I got them all, but when I started my engine afterward, there was a really horrible knocking/rattling noise. What have I done, and how can it be corrected?
If it can't be removed through the spark plug hole the head will have to be removed. You could try turning the engine by hand to raise that piston to it's furthest upstroke and try to flush the remaining ceramic out with high pressure air.
Hope that it's that simple...and there's no damage already done.
John D.
I've seen valves get bent by some pretty small objects dropped in cylinders. If it was just ceramic from the plug, it may not do much if any damage. If it was any kind of metal from the plug, there could be piston and valve damage. I'd hand rotate that piston about half way up and use a flexible magnet through the plug hole to check for metal. If you find any - pull the head and check the valves. If you heard a "really horrible knocking/rattling noise" I'd say you had a little more than ceramic in there. Or a very large piece of ceramic.
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