JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
Update: She had a nearby mechanic (not the usual one) take a look at the
car. He pulled the plugs and in fact, one WAS broken. That's as far as
it went. He said "No way to determine damage without major teardown -
$1500 or so." Our usual mechanic says "More like $2500 - not worth it
for a car with book value of $3000-ish". The latter guy is probably
being cautious and preparing her for worst case scenario.

A incorrect spark plug that is too long will manifest itself upon the very
first revolution of the engine.

Since you have a confirmed damaged plug, my guess is that you dropped a
valve. If that is the case, the valve is what damaged the plug, not the
other way around.

--
Tony Sivori
Due to spam, I'm filtering all Google Groups posters.