The Spark Plug hole can be repaired. The professional way is to remove the cylinder head, and use a repair such as a Helicoil.
The spark plug hole is tapped out to a larger thread size, with a special Helicoil tap. Loctite or some other form of thread locker is applied, and the Helicoil is inserted.
Helicoil's are made of Stainless Steel, and are much better than the original material used in the cylinder head. (Be it cast iron or aluminum)
Drag racers use Helicoil's in their engines.
Tapping out the spark plug hole for a Helicoil, or using a special thread chaser, is NOT a good idea, while the cylinder head is still installed on the engine.
The tap creates chips of metal which fall down into the cylinder.
Using a vacuum to try to alleviate the chips, falls short of a good repair job.
You should talk to a mechanic......
i do know that when you damage threads you can ussually repair them by drilling out the damaged threads and inserting a "Heli-Coil"
"Keenserts" or "Microdot"
they involve drilling out stripped threads, tapping the hole and installing a prewound insert "
making welding plugging or oversize fasterners unnecessary"
You can rethread the hole and replace the spark plug. there is a speacial tap you can buy that is a magnet to prevent shavings from getting inside the engine. This will buy you some time to start saving some cash. It depends on how bad it is. I have seen them last a few weeks to years before they blow the plug out of it.
good luck
748 views
Usually answered in minutes!
×