Anti-Seize Spark Plug Lube - Is it Important?

    Automotive tune-ups can cost you thousands or just a couple twenty dollar bills on parts and labor but every penny saved counts in this economy. Some jobs the average person who is mechanically inclined can perform with little research. Along with this new found ability to attempt a tune up on an automobile comes the unfortunate quality to be suckered into buying useless items you don't really need by the sales clerk at the local auto parts store. Some items you may actually need where as others are just gimmicks that are not important in functionality or performance. Refer to a previous post here( Light Bulb Grease ) to read about how you do not need to buy headlight bulb grease. So how do you determine what is important and what is a gimmick? The answer is research and experience.
    Spark plug anti-seize lube is critically important and is in a rather unimportant spot at the auto parts stores. Spark plugs are usually the easiest tune up job the average and first time mechanic tackle. Spark plug anti-seize lube is usually located close to the registers next to the headlight bulb grease and candy bars, both of which you don't need. So the anti-seize seems unimportant where it is located. The clerk always offering it to you like a persistent salesman who works on commission also doesn't help the argument to spend the two extra dollars. Take my advice and spend the money and remember to use it.
    Spark plug anti-seize lube is sold solely to prevent the metal seizing during dis-assembly. I usually change my spark plugs out every six months because I love the fresh power from new performance plugs. Most average people change their spark plugs every two to five years. So I ask my self how seized could the spark plugs get in six months? I can see how they may lock up after a couple of years but I would never let my car go that long without changing them. Average torque pressure for spark plugs is only twelve pounds of pressure. So ask yourself the question, "Are you strong enough to break twelve pounds of pressure?".  That's what I asked myself when I bought to parts for my last tune-up and skipped over the spark plug anti-seize lube to save myself two dollars.
    Now I will explain how it all went wrong. After six months had passed, I went and bought the performance spark plugs to give my car a tuneup. A little background information on the scenario is that it is winter and I have made several short trips in the car every day. That means the spark plugs were continuously heated and cooled multiple times a day. That means the spark plugs will naturally become tighter within the engine. This I knew would happen. This always happens. The day I decided to change my spark plugs was first thing in the morning on a cold winter's day. I did not start the engine to warm up the plugs to make them easier for removal. Make note of my mistake.
    So I started to work on the car and got my torque wrench out to break the tension and remove the old spark plugs. The first plug came out easy, just the same as it always does. The second one came out a little with a little more difficulty. It actually made me a little nervous how hard it was to remove it. I'm not weak by any means but the threads could have broken. Then I put the wrench on the third plug, began to turn, and the unthinkable happened. The spark plug broke off with the threads still inside the engine. My heart sank. My world stopped. I was in trouble.
    I instantly knew my only options. First option was to use a screw extractor. I didn't have one. The second option was to take the entire head off and take it to a shop where the broken plug would be removed and re-threaded. The third option was to try and JB Weld the spark plug together and try again. Yes, the third option is a stupid idea. And yes I tried it. No it did not work. I made several calls to shops who all told me I was out of luck and needed a new engine or to bring them the head and they could maybe see if they could fix it. My world was spinning. I needed my car for work. How did this happen? I was cheap and decided to save the two dollars on spark plug anti-seize lube. I never expected the spark plug to become seized within such a short period of time.
    That day was a very dark and troubling time for me and my car. My good friend Michelle knew a mechanic who offered to attempt to remove it for me. He showed up drinking a beer and ever so nonchalantly removed the seized thread like it was no issue at all. I immediately grabbed a new plug and threw it in anxious to hear my car's engine roar with life again.
   Though my situation turned out with a happy ending where I didn't need to replace my engine or spend hundreds of dollars removing the head to be re-finished, most people have a sadder ending. All of this could have been avoided if I would have bought the spark plug anti-seize lube. It took me eight days of searching for someone to fix my car. That was eight days off of work I couldn't afford all because I cheaped out on a two dollar package of spark plug anti-seize lube.
    Take it from me, always use spark plug anti-seize lube. I keep two extra packets in my tool box just in case I run out of money or I am working on a friend's car and they forgot to purchase some. Learn from my mistake. Everyone makes mistakes but it's the understanding that makes us better prepared. I didn't think my one of my spark plugs would seize in six months, but it did. I didn't think spark plug anti-seize lube really matters, but it does. I didn't think a guy holding a beer could fix my car with one hand but it happened, and I'm happy with it.
    Here is a picture of one old plug and the broken spark plug covered with JB Weld. Remember the JB Weld did not work. It was an epic failure so please do not attempt this method when it comes to removing a broken spark plug.