Can you leave a stuck glow plug in the head

[SuperCab]

1996 7.3... All but the last plug came out no problem. Last one the sleeve threaded out and left the element in the head. It is very stuck - none of the normal things have worked. Almost all of the other plugs were bad, so I know it will start ok on 7 out of 8. Question is can I thread the sleeve back in and leave the stuck glow plug or do I run the risk of it falling in/blowing out. There is no way in hell I want to pull the head on this bastard

 

[Sparky83]

ive heard of people doing that with spark plugs.. dont see why you cant with the glow plug too so long as its torqued back in to spec

 

[dustybumpers]

I left mine in there on my 92 IDI. You do have to put a glow plug on the harness, and hook a ground to it to make the system work tho.
I just metal tie wired the glow plug to the fuel line. Be careful not to touch it when you "wait to start" might leave a mark.....LOL

 

[kiwi f150]

We have this problem on hilux 2.4 and 2.8 diesels pretty often - first time i came across it i asked the local diesel specialist what he did and this is what he told me. "leave the glowplug element exposed , get a small drift and hammer then get someone to start the engine and run it at about 3k revs .... while thats going on just gently tap the element with the drift and as it loosens it'll blow out ". I did that and sure enough it worked although it damn near deafened me as it blew out (i wore safety glasses) - i probably do this only once every six months or so as there is a risk that it goes wrong , i'd rather pull the head and do it properly but sometimes my customer doesn't have the cash and is willing to take the risk - never had one go bad yet but there is always the first time.