A4 back on the road

[John Larson]

I dunno what plugs your A4 runs, but I've seen this in a couple of 16v
Jettas running the DTC plugs.  Electrode just fell out.  One had relatively
low hours on the plugs, the other had a TON.  I tried mightily to fish the
piece out of both, ended up pulling the head in both cases.  One had a few
dents in the piston and the head, the other had to go out and be fixed.
I've seen T4 motors with lotsa pieces of piston in all 4 holes, having
traveled up those looooonnnnng runners, through the plenum, and back down
the path.  I've even seen a valve head in the wrong cylinder.  Kinda depends
on how fast the engine was twisting when the offending component decided to
come apart.  I don't know why the plugs break, but they do, and I know of no
way to prevent it from happening other than to use another design.  I little
teeny tiny eeensie beensie piece of safety wire ain't gonna get it!  John