“Call of the Week” – Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - April 12, 2025

This week's featured call came from Chris in New Hampshire, a longtime mechanic (working since age 15, now 59) who shared an inventive and surprising method he used to successfully remove spark plugs from a problematic Ford 3-valve engine — notorious for plugs that break during removal due to carbon buildup.

Main Highlights:

• Merchandise Update: Before the call, Ron promoted the new Car Doctor and ARI Automotive T-shirts available on the show's website, including long sleeves with pockets — just in time for Father’s Day.

• Chris’s Story:
  Chris was dealing with a particularly stubborn set of spark plugs that wouldn’t budge — even with heat and power tools. One plug broke during removal. While trying to extract it, he had a last-ditch idea:
  He poured freezing cold water into the hot spark plug hole, rapidly cooling the metal. To his surprise, the broken shell loosened and came out effortlessly.
  Encouraged, he used the same process on the remaining plugs — heat the engine, remove the coil, then pour cold water into the plug wells — and successfully removed all without breakage. He’d never seen anything like it before or since.

• Ron’s Take:
  Ron praised Chris for thinking outside the box and called his success a result of experience, creativity, and problem-solving under pressure. He agreed that while the trick worked in this case, it might not be a guaranteed method every time. They discussed how many issues in auto repair — like seized spark plugs or exhaust fasteners — fall into the 30–40% of the job that’s unpredictable and requires innovation.

• Themes:

  • Mechanics’ burnout and mental resilience.

  • The importance of experimentation in tricky repair situations.

  • Carbon buildup as the root cause of spark plug failure in 3-valve Fords.

  • That old-school ingenuity still has a place in today’s automotive world.

• Conclusion:
  Chris wanted validation — was his method genius or just dumb luck? Ron reassured him: “It worked. You got paid. It’s a win.” He promised to try it if a similar case came up and mentioned his own YouTube video on removing stubborn exhaust fasteners.

This call was a great blend of humor, experience, and real-world advice — showcasing the mix of skill and improvisation that defines professional wrenching.

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