Repairing Stripped out Sparkplug Threads
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มี.ค. 2014
- Someone either over-tightened this spark plug or cross threadded it, as when I went to remove it, it sheared off some of the threads on both the spark plug, and inside the cylinder head. This video shows you how to use a thread repair kit to re-tap the cylinder head and insert a threaded sleeve.
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Everybody needs to chill about the chips in the cylinder.
1. The compressed air blows a lot of the chips out
2. If you are really worried, remove the spark plug and crank the engine over. The piston will push the remaining chips out of the spark plug hole.
3. The hardness of the chips is less than that of the cylinder walls, valves, and piston rings, as the cylinder walls are sleeved with a harder material, the rings are made from cast iron, and the valves are made from super hardened steel. The chips won't scratch them up. The valve seat is also a pressed-in harder piece of steel.
4. Engines are tough machines and will not be subdued by a few chips.
I have a question if I buy a Saturn 2006 and the guy said he strip the spark plug would it be okay a good idea to buy it he's selling it for $900 would that be okay is anything wrong with the motor or anything if I drive it from his about 40 miles to my home
A stripped sparkplug hole can be a big deal. It can cause compression loss and cause the engine to misfire. If it is running ok then it might be worth it. What is the KBB value?? Repairing a stripped sparkplug hole as I do in this video is not for the faint of heart, and many shops wont even touch it because doing it wrong means a BIG job in repairing / replacing the cylinder head.
MattsMotorz
you don't use oil, but grease. Grease will retain much more metal shavings and minimize damage to the internals of the engine...
Abolitionists
alum chips are not an issue and normally blow out on start up
Thanks for putting this video together. I had to replace a spark plug (re-thread it, etc.) in my daughter's Mazda Tribute. Watching this process made it much clearer what to do... glad to say I got it done and the car runs great. Thanks again!
+CopperPingu Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Used one of these kits on my snow blower's engine after fubaring the sparkplug threads. Worked great. Now I always use the rubber tube trick when threading plugs into aluminum heads.
I tend to run the plug backwards until i feel it "seat" in the hole, then proceed to run it in with a t-bar tool.
A couple of suggestions: 1) Make sure the piston is not at TDC when you do this otherwise you may run the tap into the piston. 2) Contrary to the directions that come with the product, I would not use RTV sealant. That's really a rubber-based gasket sealant. I would use Loctite Red instead which gives you the added advantage of locking the coil in the head so it won't be removed when you take out the spark plug which is often a problem people report when they use RTV. RTV simply makes no sense to me. 3) Use Anti-Seize on the plug threads. That will also help to make sure the coil isn't removed with the plug but you should always use it anyway when installing spark plugs. In fact, I would never even think of installing spark plugs with coating the threads with Anti-Seize, especially with aluminum heads.
Don't remove spark plugs from an aluminum head when the engine is hot. When it's hot, both the head and the spark plug metal is expanded, making the plug very tight. If you remove the plug when the engine is hot, there's a good chance you will rip the threads right out of the head.
One more thing: You can't blow the metal shavings out of the cylinder with compressed air as I'm sure you found out. The air nozzle blocks the way and you are really just blowing the shavings to the walls of the cylinder. Instead of oil, coat the tap with grease. Most of the shavings will then stick to the grease. Tap slowly, going back and forth and remove the tap frequently and clean the scraps off it. For any scraps still left in the cylinder, the way to get them out is with vacuum. You can get very thin pencil-like vacuum attachments for a Shop-Vac or similar vacuum machine. In fact, they sell little assortment kits of tiny vacuum attachments on Amazon for getting into tiny places.
+Bob Miller I feel as though I should make a few comments to this post. Many of the things you say do not make much sense to me and I get the sense that you may not have even done this before. For point 1, yes you're right, but honestly, it wouldn't be a big deal. You would feel the tap bottom out and stop, and even if you marked up the piston, this will in no way hurt the engines performance. People get so anal about these things, but honestly it wouldn't matter in the slightest. Engines are tough and will not be subdued by scratched pistons.
For your point 2, red loctite is NOT a good idea. Do you know how you remove something that has loctite on it? You heat it up. The heat causes the loctite to soften and let you get the two parts apart. When running the engine, the spark plug gets the very hot. The loctite would certainly fail. That is why you need to use HIGH TEMP RTV. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean you're correct and the manufacturer of the product is wrong (Really man? Think about that for a second. You are suggesting that you know better than the manufacturer of the product. What is it like to know everything??).
Point 3 is a good point. Antiseize would be a good idea.
YES, you can absolutely blow out all the shavings with compressed air. The nozzle does NOT get in the way, (again, have you done this before?) especially on heads with the big spark plug tubes. I really am not a big fan of the grease idea. And if you're going to get a small vacuum, why even do the grease? Why not just vacuum out the chips?
Anyway, I wanted to make this comment to deter people from believing your comment as you are speaking so very confidently in your ignorance.
Thanks for making an informative video that’s not 30 minutes long.
Couple of things. Use red locktite instead of rtv. A t handle is easier than a ratchet as both hands can be used and minimizes side load. Every half turn back up a quarter turn to break large chips. This is due to the aggressive cutting portion of tool. It would be easier to remove valve cover than to work with it in place.
If you cover the tap with axle grease, it will catch all your chips. i had to clean it off twice and reapply the grease but it kept all the shavings from falling in the motor.
Not a bad idea!!
A few pieces still fell in but I put grease on the locking side of a zip tie and picked them up like that. Besides, a few small pieces of aluminum won't hurt your engine. They will blow right out.
Remember that thing called a pipe cleaner? Rarely see them anywhere but they are available easily. I bet you could take one(or two) at least 12" long or longer ,coat it with axle grease, and give it a little spiral twist and push it in to grab it all.
@@hyperwebbing those are very hard to find, unless you go to a Cigar store, but I found some at a Dollar store, they are used for kids arts and crafts stuff and hobbies .
@@Texaca so you know that they aren't just rarely available like I remember when I was a kid via you go to a store and you can see pipe cleaners there for sale and you don't see me right but I do run across them certain places but yeah it's not your typical department store or your typical home consumables supplier but you know hey we got the internet now so I got to do is just go on eBay or someplace like that and just order some
Great Video! Thanks for explaining in detail what and why each process needs to be done! Subscribed 🙂
Just had to do this for my car. Just wanted to say thank you for the video its exactly what we needed!
I got my tap tool and the silicone stuff from O'Riellys for all those wondering.
-Nick
Thank you for making a video that did make me feel better about my problem and job ahead! Hope is priceless 🙏
Same. I've been dreading and dreaming all night about my auto problems and this video helped give me some hope. I can do this!
Thank you for showing the simplicity of this project. Everyone else......yall need to take note's.
For those worried about shavings: 1) put axle grease on the thread tool to catch most of the shavings; 2) get a vacuum cleaner and some sort of adapter (or tape it) so you can stick a hose/tube down into cylinder head and vacuum out as much shavings as possible, then use compressed air to blow out anything left over.
Yes use grease- compared to oil, the thickness of grease will catch more of the shavings.....
Just turn engine on with spark plug out it'll do the dirty work itself
best video that show the actual process.thanks a a lot
Can also add never seize to plug threads before screwing insert in. Helps plug release when you’ve gotten the sleeve to depth. I’ve seen some use red locktite instead of silicone based product for sleeve itself then wait 24 hours.
Did this a couple of times on my 99 Eclipse, cylinder #2. The sparkplug just blew off while I was downshifting from 3rd to 2nd gear. My mechanic was busy fixing a few other cars and he just told me what to do since it would be a few days (if not more than a week) before he can fix mine (he's on call, appointment) as he was rebuilding an engine at that time. I also had to grind the butt end to fit my socket. I then used double sided tape on a thin rod to take out all the shavings that fell inside.
Thanks for the video. I was confident I could execute the job from what auto mechanic friends have told me, but its always better to watch a job be done first.
There are always little tricks to making a job like this easier.
I agree
+Gregory Raymer Jr I did not grind the tap down, I ended up getting a longer one. I was doing a Triton V8 with Aluminum heads. I used grease instead of oil and that trapped a LOT of the chips. The rest were easily removed with an extension I rigged on a shop vac and a long wire with a small bit of greasy rag pinched in it. My insert worked perfectly, but I had to get a shorter spark plug. Must have inserted it a bit too low.
Okay
Thank you for the step by step. RIP magnet.
Getting ready to do this on my honda as well. Sounds like the repair is still rocking for you. So hopefully it does for me too =D
Thanks for the video I did every thing you did and it's working fine now
hector rodriguez how do you know when It’s flushes?
Holy red rtv sealant batman
That's what I'm saying I would have used lock tight myself
Thanks! Very informative. I think I'm going to give it a try.
I feel so screwed 9300 ft up on a mountain going to attempt this tomorrow... it's COLD!! wish me luck home slice. Appreciate the vid.
Hope this worked and your not froze to death on that mountain.
@@Robinhood179 I got it fixed! right before another big snow storm with no time to spare!
@@FreedomGrower haha awesome! I need to do this repair eventually but im fortunate enough to have other vehicles and a warm home lol
This saved my 2007 civic...u r the man!!!!
Sweet!
What would you recommend, my front motor mount, the one thats right in front of the front radiator, the bolt holes is stripped... what method or what would you recommend to do to fix that? Their is no space at all to fit any tool in their and I dont want to bring the engine down to fix that.... Just any suggestions or tip would be great.
Cover the tap in grease to catch the shavings, it worked great for me when I did it.
good idea thanks
Some extra tips: RTV silicone will not stick to oil, so be sure to clean the threads with brake parts cleaner or equivalent. Make certain that the piston is down far enough so as not to damage it. Fill the cylinder with shaving cream. The shaving cream will catch and suspend the shavings. Then vacuum the cylinder afterward, with a shop vacuum.
nice video brother, don't listen to that guy about the grease, he's actually the one who is wrong, you did the repair correct and the air hose does work just make sure that pressure is really good, my only problem with this repair is that they tend to only be good for 2 maybe 3 months before it blows out again, to actually do it right you have to use a time-sert kit that runs about $250-$300, it actually allows you to tap a brand new holeand then put the insert in which is then held in with a pin, lasts forever
Thanks a lot man! This car is still running after about 7 or so months so maybe I got lucky with this one!
Actually , using a thick grease, i.e. wheel bearing grease is the BEST way to 'retain' the shrapnel to the cutting tool. Oil is better than nothing, but it just isn't sticky enough.
If I use a shop vac with a straw like attachment to suck out chips will that work better?
I also like to know how safe and durable is to do this since I did it to my van on three spark plags
Did you tap on that to make sure the insert bit down with spark plug in also or did u remove plug and then hit it?
Using anti-seize compound, makes the spark plugs screw in smoothly. If it isn't smooth, you will know immediately that you are beginning to cross thread. Also, always use a torque wrench to spec. when tightening the spark plugs. It sounds like being over cautious until you strip the aluminum head and then you know the effort was worth it. If you do that always, you won't need this video.
That's not entirely true. There are other reasons beyond stripping the threads that would warrant needing to re-tap. But for the most part, yeah.
The problem is most that don’t know how to tighten a spark plug without a torque wrench don’t know how to use a torque wrench ether.
When I put the col on the spark plug it still doesn't want to screw down into the cylinder :/
Thanks man! Really helped me out!
Dave James I'm glad! Thanks for watching!
I used the OEM kit where the insert has a flange instead of teeth. The flange stops the insert at the “right” depth. However, when measuring from the well opening down to the spark plug terminal, it sticks out about 1/32” further than the neighboring plugs that didn’t need re threaded. After the job when I turn on the engine I hear a soft tapping and now the festering thought of the electrodes not deep enough into the cylinder is making me second guess my work.
Is there a tap or tool that don't have to be modified (ground on)??
I'm about to try this on a 98 ford escort zx2 that has a plug that keeps flying out. Thank u for the video!
Good luck!
Great explanation. Thanks!
Nice thanks for making this video im about to do the same on a 02 f250 superduty :)
Scary business... frankly that kind of thing is one of my worst nightmares.
On another note my future brother in law has a 4 cylinder Ranger thats radiator cracked, he kept putting water in it which made the head gasket rust through, water poured into his oil, the piston skirts scored the crap out of the cylinders. I changed the head gasket hoping that'd be enough to keep it going, but after I changed it I did a compression test, the scored cylinders only had 45 PSI. I also noted a light crack in the cylinder head around one of the spark plug holes. I'm used to working on my own cars, so it wasn't as frustrating to test for compression to find she's dead. He's not quite as thrilled though lol.
I don't know how long you plan on making TH-cam videos, but I really enjoy them personally. However long you plan on making videos I'll keep watching!
Thanks a lot man! I appreciate that! That really sucks about your brother in laws vehicle. I definitely wouldn't be thrilled either lol.
how do you know what milimeter kit to buy ?
I used red grease on the tap to catch most of the shavings. I then put an ounce of oil in the cylinder to gather any stragglers, and used an oil extractor to remove the oil from the cylinder.
Thanks for the video... you're a lifesaver 😘😘😘
Thanks for watching! Glad it helped to you.
for the thread tool, do u thread it all the way through?
ok so i have the thread kit and i have a 98 Honda civic ex coupe.but the part that you attach to socket to rethread the spark plug hole doesn't fit the 5/8 socket.
How did you grind your tap my socket does not fit in the hole and I’m stressing out
Hey what size the heli coil? Is 14m X 1.25? Thanks
So i started this project a couple weeks ago seemed simple enough so didnt watch the video im still seeping out a little air could this be because i didnt tap it in after i tighten it in or is it because im just not going in far enough if you think its because im not going in far enough i tighten as far as i can get it without feeling like im gonna over do it im a pretty big guy so i dont want to over tighten it to the point of stripping that maybe im completely out of the ball park this is a new project to me
Excellent video I wish I would have seen this before I payed an arm for the fix.
What your next option when the spark plug is blown after you have rethreaded it and it restrip what was just fixed
Wow this is a great video! Question... so there is no need to remove manifold intake, or gasket and valve covers to rethread?? Does the manifold intake have to be removed if this were done on cylinder 4 (the front left) ‘07 Acura MDX? This doesn’t seem as dramatic as some mechanics are acting.
exelent video thanks to this video I was able to fox my van
Awesome!
thanks for the great video. im heading to pep boys 8am!
+john doe Thanks for watching!
MattsMotorz Matt I have the same car same motor.the only way of using the 5/8 socket is shaving down the thread tool?
My 2001 CR-V Spark plugs were very tight on the way out. Looks like a Honda issue! Came out 1/4 turn at a time with lube. I will try and tap the threads before new plugs go in.
Hey Matt
When you are screwing in the new threads with the teeth, are the teeth part screwed down into the hole an then expanded, or do they just go down flush on top of hole itself? Seems to me if they are on top of the hole what do they bite into when you use the punch to expand them?
Tracy Suttles The threaded insert goes all the way into the hole until the top of the insert (with the knurled surface) is flush with the top of the hole. Meaning, none of the threaded insert is sticking out at all. Then the hammer tool expands the knurled part to bite into the head.
Hope that clears things up!
How will the high temp RTV silicon hold up on the newly threaded surfaces with the oil you put on the taping too?😊
What size tap did u use for the thread filler? My spark plug is m14, the thread filler is m16 I’m pretty sure but wanna double check
Great job buddy, subscribed!
+James'sWorld Thanks! I appreciate it!
I got the chips out with the compressed air. And even if I didn't, its not a big deal. Won't cause any damage.
Idk what you mean.
how do i know if my threads on the head are cross threaded ? would i hear hissing blowing air coming out from that spark plug when my engine is running? any wear on the threads of the spark plug? my threads look fine on my plugs but i hear some hissing. thanks
+carlosb1 If your threads are fine, then they werent cross threaded. The hissing could be a large number of things, some of which are normal.
Your magnet is a beast!
+SGT Haze Got it at a swap meet!
nice product!
What's the part number of the kit you used?
So do you have to use a smaller spark plug than before
Very informative and all in 6 min
Hi matt. Is there any video on removing broken heater plug 8n diesel engine
did it hold up ?
Can this be done using the helicoil threads that have a tang? Basically screwing them down and breaking the tang? Those type don't involve using a punch to seat the helicoil. Pretty much just the red silicone and screwing the insert. Anybody tried it?
How did you get the hole bigger? I can't get a drill bit that's long enough to reach
Can you use JB weld instead of the rtv silicone? I was thinking something more permanent would be better.
That's a good question. I am not sure to be honest. I would think so, yes. Assuming JB weld can withstand those temperatures (which I think it can)
In fact, the instructions call for high temp thread sealant so Permatex or JB Weld high temp is fine. RTV silicone is great as a gasget maker and might do the trick but I prefer following the instructions closely.
Does that repair kit will fit for a 2008 Honda Civic ex
Will this work on my 2001 town car? This will be my second time replacing the ignition coil because of the plug. The plug was stripped and pushed in at the bottom.
Yep
Just bought a 96 civic looks like the previous owner tried to do this but the sleeve came out with the spark plug so the spark plug looks bigger than other spark plugs, do you think if I just bought the kit and put a new sleeve over it that it would work?
Might work, it is hard to say. You would have to hope that the thread size and pitch is the same between what the previous owner did, and what you bought. I would run a tap through it first. (The size would be what ever the bigger sparkplug is)
How much is it for that kit?
tried it everything worked great also had to grind the tap but the rtv was my only problem the plug kept getting stuck on the insert so i couldnt take the plug out with out the insert even after 24 hours i ended up you jb weld still rated to 600F so i hope it should be fine
I think that should be okay. But I don't know for sure. JB weld is a lot stronger stuff than the RTV, especially the industrial strength kind.
What did you use to grind it down I'm having the same problem with my rsx
Just a bench grinder. Can also use a angle grinder. For both cases, be careful to keep the hex intact so you can put a ratchet on it.
Good video. I alway degrease and I always make sure all valves are closed on that cyl.
I was nervous about how when I was tapping it, it was moving too much side to side. So I cut a piece of pvc pipe to go around the extension I was using to keep it more centered when turning. Worked great btw I recommend if anyone is nervous about that.
I just finished red lock tight’n it now we wait.
thank you so much for this video I have to do this on my 1999 bmw 740ia
+YAMAHA - BRATISLAVA you must be talking about the 740il
wow that's to long lol but pretttttyyyy cool the monitors in the headrest ☺
Getting ready to do this on my 1998 328i wish me well! 😂😂
How did it go.
Can I use the same technique for 2002 Volvo S60 AWD stripped spark plug cylinder head?
Yup, you should be able to.
How did you make sure the sleeve was at the right depth?
What was that punch tool called I tried to find it but I can’t
thanks for the video !!!
How do you know it’s flushed?
Is this a permanent or solid repair. Will the spark plug come out with
When plug is stuck back it up half turn and continue (this worked for me 2 days ago on Corolla!). If the plug still getting stuck spray Gumout cab cleaner, kerosene or charcoal lighter fluid into the well. This will clean up the threads from carbon accumulation.
Whats the kit you use for the threads ??
Matt do we jam the whole tap in there or only the first part
+tremat91 Run the tap down until you get to the bottom. On some engines you will hit part of the valve, which you will be able to feel (and when this happens, stop immediately), others the tap will just go all the way through. You will know you are all the way through when the resistance goes way down on the wrench.
I brought a car with this problem its got a wrecked coil pack funny thing is the coil was replaced where the broblem was where do I get these thread repare kits from.
I can't remember where I got it. Maybe Pepboys??
Hello I have question I have bad spark plug thread hole diameter is 15.8 mm what insert size you thing I need to make it fit with inside measure 14mm*1.25mm I confused about insert outer diameter
The way the insert works is it will accept a 14 x 1.25 spark plug, and its outer diameter will dig into the head, making the hole in the head bigger to accept the insert as you screw it in. Some other kits, such as helicoil, require you to first drill the hole bigger and THEN put in the insert.
What does it mean you screw it in until it’s flush?
I think I may have overtightened or stripped a spark plug thread. What kind of engine symptoms would I get if I did that?
+papitosabe Leaking air from your cylinder and also it will cause your car to buck and lurch when cold. It will also make your car idle rougher and lower as leaking compression and possible gas fume smell also.
compressed air does not take the metal filings out.. Start the engine up without the spark plug and the piston will throw all the metal filings out the hole.. Just don't run it for long.. Just make sure the engine runs for 2 seconds.
how many times do you have to rotate the wrench to rethread the hole?
Jsp youre both smoking crack.
Quick suggestion its better and easier if u drill out the old damage threads and make it flush before using the tap. You get better results. I just did it on my bike and on my boat. With great success
Oh and as far as chips. Just leave the plug out and let the cylinder pump it out. Or used compressed air
use a "glob" of vaseline on the tap. that will catch the majority of the chips. you can also use a piece of cotton rope (small diameter), coat it with grease and push it down in the cylinder. after the tapping. you can pull the rope out. it will put even more chips with it. but it is hard to do with recessed plugs like this but it is possible.
How did you get the tapping tool out after spreading out the black thing for the spark plug
A magnet
had one of these fails after two years. Repaired again with a big sert.
I was having an issue about the 19mm not fitting in my cylinder too. I was wondering if it was safe to grind down to fit a 17mm and since you did it, it must be. Thanks for the vid!
Yup it's safe! Just make sure you grind each face evenly (and more important straight!) so it still has a definite "hex" shape.
Just finished my 1zzfe head. I used a belt sander and was able to get a perfect hex. Props to your video. Again, really saved the day. I was stuck without a car for 2 weeks.
Cool! Thanks for the update!
Where do I buy the tool to grab the punch tool because now my punch tool is inside of the hole I can take it out
It is just a magnet tool. Basically a magnet at the end of a rod. They sell them at any autoparts store.
Do I Hit Spark Plug With Tool??
So from now on, Can this motor swap sparkplugs w/o continued issues? Or is this just like a bandaid fix to sell to an unsuspecting used car buyer?
steel threaded inserts are used in performance applications all the time because they offer better holding power and decrease wear compared to aluminum alone, just be sure the spark plug is held at the exact same place in the engine. manufacters dont do it because its usually too expensive. now he can change sparkplugs in that hole without worry of stripping. the one downside is that inserts can insulate spark plugs causing them to run a little hotter, but this is really only a problem for high performance applications