Ok, longtime lurker, haven't posted much, and this isn't really a performance mod, but I figured this is where a lot of my fellow wrench turners hang out. My 04 TL recently had the dreaded melted coil in the spark plug syndrome. I managed to get the remainder of the coil out last night by applying some heat, but I realized that my earlier attempts damaged the tube. There is now a hole in it - no bueno. I found a listing on ebay for a replacement tube, but it says it is for an Odyssey J35. I'm pretty certain that the J35 heads are nearly identical to the J32, but I want to confirm.

Has anyone ever removed/replaced one of these spark plug tubes? It appears to be an interference fit. My plan is to insert something into the tube (maybe the remainder of the old coil), apply a set of vice grips to it, heat the head up around the tube, and attempt to twist it out. Then to install the new tube, I plan to get the tube really cold in an ice bath and heat the head up around the spark plug hole with a propane torch. I have used this method before to install wrist pins in connecting rods. Does this sound like a viable plan? I'm really hoping this works, because the alternative is probably pulling the head.

Also, since this cylinder was misfiring, I suppose I should plan on the cat being toast, right?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

I don't think it's worth the hassle of replacing. Just seal up the hole with high temp silicone. The good stuff, like Ultra Copper. Put a piece of tape around the outside to keep the silicone from oozing out, then apply the silicone from the inside using a popsicle stick. When it's cured, remove the tape and carry on.

Depends how long you drove with it misfiring. Generally, it takes a good amount of driving with raw fuel burning in the catalyst (and overheating it) to melt down the core. Easy enough to check by removing the J-pipe and looking up into the catalyst.