Fixing Another Shops Butcher Repair. Can I Save the Head?? Chevy Express Van
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- Easy to use handheld - amzn.to/46nMFrz
Budget friendly, professional style scanner - amzn.to/44iDdUM
Basic Code Reader - amzn.to/3GZFDhT
Blue tooth scan tool - amzn.to/3org3vL
Perfect panel trim tool - amzn.to/40hPshS
Push pin removal pliers - amzn.to/3US2FN7
Excellent beginner plus tool kit - amzn.to/3UY6e4z
Excellent Basic Starter Tool Kit - amzn.to/41JVRn2
Must Have Gearwrench set - amzn.to/3AfZNAc
Power Probe Circuit Tester - amzn.to/3mOrQ6N
Basic Test Light - amzn.to/40mKdNN
@WrenchingWithKenny @SNAFU.performance @traditionovertrend2704 @ktmracingsisters1261 @matersworkshop6123 @MotorMouthRadio
@cruzcorp914 #wrenchingwithkenny #keepwrenching #wesselmotorworks
#chevy #chevyexpress
Well, saved the customer money, and fixed what should not have been broken in the first place. But you taught all of us how to use those inserts properly, and also tricks on how to use them as well.
U will be surprised how some places charge for something like this might be over the price of a new head
If that head was not repairable, I would have pulled the other and done a valve job, unless the thing had tons of miles on it. Then it would be finding a set at a wrecker yard. Yikes@@whiskeyfamily6717
That is why you use anti seize on plug threads
I learnt very early on, hand fit everything threaded before using a wrench or gun, especially spark plugs etc. If you have to use a socket to run it in, still do it by hand, saves a lot of time because you don’t go wrong.
And old airplane mechanic told me you can't cross thread anything by hand. If it doesn't turn in by hand fix what's wrong.
That makes good sense.
Leaned that early on too .. early teens. Was told to always use your hands when putting a plug in. that was After i fucked the head on the mower. a good life lesson. cheers.
Great job Kenny, I love these kind of repairs it's the oldschool mechanic magic
BS!
What a mess. Head is off, replace the head and move on with life. That was a nice repair though.
Modern engines the cylinder head ( If not the whole engine ) is alloy, it is softer than say cast iron, cross thread a spark plug and you are in TROUBLE!! Which is why my my garage will be changing mine, to Avoid a HUGE bill!!
Hey there brother Kenny, this was a great video. You did an incredible job for your customer!
I am super impressed especially as an old timer that has used Heli-Coils. There's no room to fix threads in van and I would have thought head was junk. ALL of Kenny's thoughts and procedures I know are correct right down to Red Threadlocker. Excellent save and I learned a bunch from Kenny. Been following this true mechanic and now a faithful subscriber.
I agree@@jefffrayer8238
Your a good man SIR! I'm glad to see you could help them instead of sell them another cyl head.. or send off to a machine shop...
By the time you're done repairing this hacked van, the owner is going to spend more than the van is worth.
As a former tech, I am amazed at some of the "butchers". You almost have to work at it to cross thread a plug. We had a saying back in the day when encountering priorly cross threaded items accomplished by hacks, their motto must be "cross threaded is better than no threaded!"😅😉
The correct term is crossthreded is better than lock tight
Impact wrench hacks best friend. I'm sick of fools on TH-cam using power tools on aluminum and plastic.
Good save right there, glad you shared it very interesting 👍
Needing to make a repair is bad to begin with, but that's just how it goes. Needing to make a repair as a follow-up on a botched repair is a royal pain. 🙄
Glad you showed the red scotch bright. I bought the green. Didn't know there was a red very fine. Thanks Kenny!
There is NO SUCH THING as COMMON SENSE. If Sense was Common, everyone would have it!!!😉
Good point
Nice work Kenny saving that head. A shame it had to go that far, but at least it's fixed.
Years ago, I had an Escort that had to have the spark plug threads repaired. My local machine shop put an insert in from the valve side stopping right at the taper surface so that the original type plug would still seal. He somehow locked in the insert to where it would resist coming loose while installing the plug, but the taper seat would not let it come out while removing the plug. The repair gave no problems for as long as I knew the car's history. Thanks Kenny, for showing DYIers how to avoid making common mistakes.
After the repair Kenny made, I am almost positive original type plugs will work fine. He fixed it right.
Kenny a proper old school mechanic , but also knows his way around electrics and computer diagnostics
Thank you for your kind words & for watching the channel. Keep wrenching 🔧
Hi Kenny! Good work!
There are threaded sleeves with a lip/flange at the top to stop the insert in the right place. Any views on this type? Many thanks!
Still HIGHLY recommend using time-sert as they have a "thread roller for straightening out slightly damaged threads
Yes. The timeserts are quite good. The steel inserts like in the video are junk.
It amazes me when people botch things up, you know when a spark plug is on the wrong thread still creates work for someone. Another great video Kenny.
I’m about to embark on a journey that I should have taken decades ago, I’m going to train to become a certified master mechanic/ technician. Since watching your videos, I will have a wide open calm mindset to help me deal with difficult situations.
Good luck I hope it goes well for you
God speed on your adventure mate.
Wear a chemical respirator, paint spray mask, VOC filter when dealing with gas, carb cleaner, solvents…I worked in a machine shop that did all the work for the city bus system. Everyone else’s hands shook constantly from the solvents. I’m 6 months away from my 70th birthday, and mine don’t shake. Same with dust, cars get nasty dust all over everything. Better to learn about electric cars, not even close in the amount of poisonous substances used to work on them, or manufacture them either. Use your head, save your lungs and brain for family and friends. The full on respirator with the chemical canister filters, nothing less my friend. To hell with those that laugh at you, all those guys at the shop are dead now….
@@5400bowen > Better to learn about electric cars, not even close in the amount of poisonous substances used to work on them, or manufacture them either.
Only chemicals not present in an electric car but present in a gas car are engine oil and fuel. Still have coolant, gear oils, refrigerants, brake fluid, brake dust, and road grime, and it's all basically the same formulas. Oh and arc flash hazard as a bonus, so get your arc flash PPE too.
@@treelineresearch3387 I worked in a machine shop…gasoline and motor oil are used in massive quantities daily. Those other fluids are maintenance items that use about 1/10,000 as much volume, and are not nearly as bad as gasoline. How much brake fluid, coolant, transmission fluid and AC coolant do you think the world goes through in a year? And how much gas and oil in that same year? Gasoline cars catch on fire all the time, electric cars (a brand new technology competing with century old one) don’t catch fire any more than gas cars, and gasoline fires are just as bad. Rolling Molotov cocktails is what they are. Then there is the exhaust…Elecyric cars use less than half as much gear oil because their transmissions are 1/20 as complicated and large as a ICE car. The entire engine/transmission/ final drive of an electric vehicle is about the size of the entire engine in an ICE. And no noise, or exhaust….
I've had problems with the Helicoil insert with the knurl. Came back out next time I removed the plug. Much prefer Time-serts they have a positive stop and won't thread further into the hole.
I would be concerned that the rough edge where that sleeve was in the spark plug hole would create a hotspot and cause predetonation. Just a thought.
possibly, but I think he is alright, I would have just smoothed it out a bit, not that it really matters
I don't know how often you replace the spare plugs on a 3 valve V8 Ford, but this works for me.
Get all your tools handy and at the ready. Warm up the engine. QUICKLY remove the coils. Spray you best rust penetrant down on top of the plugs. At least 1-2 inches of fluid. Crack the plugs loose 1/8-1/4 of a turn. Let the engine cool down for 1-2 hours. 2 is better.
Work the plugs back and forth with the engine cool. A breaker bar works best. Then slowly remove the spark plugs.
You should get them all out without breaking anything. Just remember to blow out the penetrant with the plugs removed. Don't want to hydro lock the engine, or fill the shop up with smoke.)
$hitty work. honestly, the head is NOT worth saving. can get a better core from a salvage yard and they're everywhere. Since nearly every single one of these aluminum heads warp, Id also surface them and depending on budget, Id check the valves and make sure they're not leaking. all things worth doing since the heads are off anyways. otherwise could end up right back in there in a few months. All that being said, I wouldn't even rip an engine down that far unless it was going to go back RIGHT because every time you do it "cheap", you get exactly what you're already looking at. just my .02 cents
Very good video, thanks Kenny for all the knowledge you give out, blessings for a good week.😎☮️✌️✅
Looks like you're working on a GM minivan. Go through the wheel wells to gain access to the plugs. Especially the ones near the firewall. # 5 and 6. Drivers side,you gotta fumble with steering gear and brake lines. Passenger side,not to bad. You do gotta pull the wheels.
What a great and informative video, thank you for taking the time to record and explain what you're doing!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching🔧
You seriously have to watch some of these shops. I had a transmission that was starting to slip. So I changed it out for another one from the wrecking yard. The core I was offered at the wrecking yard was a joke. So I took my transmission to a rebuild shop. The service writer (Mike) refused to give me a quote. Saying that I need to leave the whole truck with him. As HE has to be the one to remove the transmission, rebuild it, and reinstall it. Only after I pressed him. He explained that the manufacturer may have put "the wrong transmission" in my truck to begin with (a truck that ran perfectly for 26 years). As well. I may have "improperly installed the wrong transmission from the wrecking yard," and he doesn't want to take "responsibility for any mistakes I may have made." The same (2nd) transmission that I was going to also have this fool rebuild. When all was said and done. I ended up rebuilding both transmissions myself. Watch yourselves out there, guys. There are a lot of slippery shops!
Not knowing about this process... Question: When buying a used vehicle how would I know this process was done? Question 2: If it was done ... but the guy put back the OEM plug how would I know it was the wrong plug?
If repaired correctly, like Kenny just did, you should be able to go back with OEM. Unless you pull the plugs, you would never know, and done right, you still may not know. How many people pull plugs before they buy a car? No one I know.
@@jthonn Thanks for the reply. The concern is ... if you buy a vehicle like that, and later when you change the plugs 😳
That is scary@@chuckvoss9344
Dude, this is great! I have always let the machinist handle this type of situation but I love seeing how it is done.
I paid 100$ for an install kit that has 1 of each length, the installer, and the peener. It works generally flawlessly. Being a Ford owner with a gen1 5.4 2 valve i have used my kit on my truck as well as customers 4.6 trucks. Having to do that on a Chevy is a rare occurrence.
"First, do no harm!" I have a short handle Snap-On ratchet I have had in my tool box for years. It is great for installing spark plugs and not over torquing them. I am amazed at the 80 foot pounds people put on a spark plug.
Yeah, they superman tighten them, so when you go to pull one out, it's a nightmare.
@@jthonn same with 10mm valve cover bolts. No wonder the valve covers leak. Of course the modern cars with plastic crap everywhere make over torqued bolts a real issue.
I've also got a ling spark plug boot, from some long ago tune up, that I use to start plugs in the threads. ( a piece of heater hose will also work.)
Gap them, the a little anti-seize on the upper threads (so it doesn't get in the cylinder and ruin an O2 sensor), then start them with something that helps keep them straight and won't let you cross thread them.
Great video Kenny. Thanks for sharing. I always learn something new from your videos. Cheers.
Saved the customer a bunch of money but I would have condemned that head as I see too much risk of being burned with murphy’s law coming into play and then the shop’s stuck with the comeback. Only way I’d touch a fix like that is customer signing off on the understanding of no warranty. Hopefully whoever toofed that job is footing the bill to fix it right.
With regard to the previous repair attempt, in the words of comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, you can’t fix stupid! Very good repair, although I would have loved to see some type of cushion between the deck of the cylinder, head and your workbench as you were painting the top of the insert
I can’t get enough of your videos. Love the content. Thanks
Appreciate it! Thanks for watching
I have a 98 f150 with the 4.6. What tool would you suggest to remove a broken seized plug?
You're saying that the wall of your socket was binding with the surface of the head? I can see that happening. Not good. Never came across that.
To be honest I bet 90% of the mechanic does not know this info or any part of what you just explain. I personally would have gotten a use head which should be a dime a dozen and use this head a core for. the replacement. Even getting a head from a you wrench it and have it resurface would be a better long term fix.
How do you strip out a spark plug on the easiest vehicle in the entire world to do a A tune up on. Only way a pro would ever make that mistake as using a right angle ratchet to run them in snug. without starting the thred first. I have a 30 year old blue point quarter inch air ratchet that is worn out makes 6 foot-pounds of torque 15 if The compressor hasn't been drained. Gets a shot of water boost but spins fast I use to run plugs in sometimes. Once I break them loose by hand and then Twerk!😂 them by hand. The fact that you are fixing another shop's Mistake speaks volumes about that shop. Because Just like in your previous videos put a hole in radiator. You just fix it and eat it Make a mistake you own it. always honest my customers and if I ever damage a part in the process of repair I usually order it have it paid for an install on the car the only time that I will call them and tell them it's going to take longer because I made a boo boo is cause I didn't have the parts. Otherwise I just fix it And tell them by the way you have a new radiator because I Broke it. First thing to know in business is you will never have a problem If you are honest I just admit your mistakes that way they go away if you cover them up they will haunt you
Good save. Now get yourself a proper tap handle, and for god's sake use cutting oil when you are tapping or even chasing old threads. Could have very easily used a screw extractor to pull that insert out from the opposite side. Super easy and about 10 fewer steps.
….next time you weld on something where the threads are important and exposed(your tool)….. either cover them something or if your using mig, just cover the threads in a little “tip dip” so you don’t get the slag stuck all over everything.
I have been fixing cars etc for 37 years and have repaired plenty of plug threads with heli coils I have never had a issue ...just be careful the tang don't drop down cylinder when you break it off
Do you use solvent like Berrymans B12 with the scotch brite pad to clean the gasket surfaces?
They make those inserts with a tapered seat on the top so you cannot physically put them into the spark plug hole too far. And spark plug inserts are not one size fits all sometimes you have to actually grind the bottom portion off so they don't protrude into the cylinder beyond the edge of the spark plug. But you would have to have some professional expertise and experience to actually complete these repairs properly. What a bunch of jerks. Poor customer probably got a quote and these guys were the cheapest ones to fix the Tune up issues or scheduled service they needed to do on their vehicle and they went with the cheap guy. Get what you pay for and then you pay more. If you already have the head off I Would just send It too the machine shop Weld it up retred my opinion.
Boy I sure dislike it when amateurs work on their own stuff. What a pain. U even had to remove the head. Was it worth it? Time, labor and material costs
Time-Sert makes a very nice kit to repair these permanently. I have used the kit extensively on Triton engines that blow the plug out.
dont waste your time repairing an LS cylinder head, just grab a replacement they only have 30 million of them out there
Don't blame: the customer, previous repairs or the shade trees that did them, blame FORD
70k Kenny! Good channel! Always quality content!
Am thinking the problem with a Helicoil not sealing is that there is a coil above the coil below when the tab is broken off. The spark plug shown uses a tapered seat to seal. Can’t make contact all the way around. A bit concerned about same with the steel collar thread repair shown. But less concerned. The setting tool may form the top to create a sufficient flared seat.
Had that happen to my Snap On spark plug socket causing me to leave plugs loose in an LS Tahoe so I ground my socket down so that sheet doesn't happen again.
It sounds like the previous mechanic didn't peen out the knurled end enough once he was at the correct depth. Then when he turned the new plug into place, the whole insert spun itself deeper into the cylinder. With a plug design that is smaller than the big threaded hole for the insert, there was no increase in torque telling the mechanic he was done. This was by far your best video for me, I had no idea there are special plugs for this exact situation. If I ever find a plug like this in a car, it will be a clue that tells a longer story. And you gave me something more to worry about, if a valve is open when doing this. It means an extra step of finding TDC compression, and then moving 1/3 turn more to get almost to BDC on the compression stroke.
Not a mechanic. 😅
Those plugs he used to install were different that the new plugs he put in. Once he fixed that mess, he could put the factory like plugs back in.
@@jthonn That's a good point, I wondered about that. So, we're relying on the locktite and the extra effort to peen the insert so that the new slim plug doesn't spin the insert when it is torqued down.... That might even happen at the next plug change.
I hate to say it, but that thing I don't think will last to the next plug change.@@spelunkerd
Others chiming in for a different repair kit, Time serts?
Too bD you had to pull a head to do a tune up, but "Hey, he saved $40" on that previous tune up...
Once again always hand thread a spark plug at first to make sure it's threading right. You can tell if it's cross threaded. If it is stop and take it out and try again. Turn it counter clockwise until is drops down to the threads and you should be able to tighten it correctly and not cross thread.
My grandpa had motor mounts done on his Astro. The "mechanic" welded them to the frame instead of taking the time to install the 3 bolts.
How does someone cross thread an LS cylinder head. That’s wild maybe a ford 😂😂
Would you try to clean up the carboned up exhaust valve before reassembly?
How in the hell does a person cross-thread a spark plug????? That is almost unheard of!
I'm finding that shops hire whoever they can. This doesn't mean that the hired is qualified
I strongly recommend using a thread chaser as opposed to a tap. You want to try to reform the threads, not recut them. Cutting new threads the same size, where does the excess metal come from? To recut threads makes a much weaker threaded hole.
I’d be more interested in knowing where the little pieces that broke off went…. rhetorical question.
I thought you’re not supposed to use red locktight on Aluminum, it corrodes.
guess no one checks spark plug index any more i used to do all of mine but stopped years ago when quit racing
In residential house construction we call this job the high cost of cheap construction. The customer tried to hire a cheap mechanic will end up paying four times the cost in the long run. Ouch 😮
what a joke, so much BS, no one should be taking this serious. hack mechanic who Internets things he had no clue about then does bad things.
Hmmm, did the customer DIY that mess or was it really another shop?
Need to out it because there's no way i wanna go to that shop at all and creates this mess for a future maintenance or repair 😢
Another great job and saved your customer! Thanks Kenny
Too bad you're not ambidextrous, a good mechanic usually is at your age.
anybody else yelling at the screen "Lube it!!" ??? LOL
Interesting to see the insert being peined with a hammer the head sitting metal on metal on the work bench. The head made quite the sound when being dragged across the bench. A towel between each next time perhaps?.
A little bit of anti seize goes a long way....but it won't be of any help if you cross thread it.
Those usually come with a install tool. What reason would you not use that id there is one?
Time sert have inserts for taperseat plugs excellent repair system
Kenny; 4:49, If I'm not mistaken, that's an intake valve.
Great job patience and enguinuity
An ID lock nut! Idea gratefully stolen😊
If you don’t use lock tight, what, put it in dry?
At start of the you mentioned Common sense.Common sense is a flower that does not grow in everyone's garden.
A fine job ,especially the shop made tools.
I thought Ford was the only one that used taperd spark plugs.
you should take a dremel and clean that up so you wont get a crack there.
People need to stop saying "common sense" its not a thing anymore...
From experience, if a HELICOIL backs out, it is due to improper installation. The ends must be a minimum of one full thread deep for full contact so the end will dig into the thread when turning. Loctite is never used on a HELICOIL. I have seen quite a few that were installed with the bottom tang not broken off which is supposed to lock the thread when installing the bolt or spark plug. Also, on blind holes, if the insert is too long, it will begin to become a smaller thread at the bottom because the tap has a taper and when a long bolt is installed, it can cause the insert to back out when removing that bolt and it will lock into that taper portion giving incorrect torque. My old boss used to say to me that only 2 threads of an insert are needed to fully torque a bolt. That would be for me a do or die situation as I would want the proper length per bolt for security. I have always used HELICOIL. They were designed for aluminum threads I believe during WWII but I may be off about the exact time. I have never heard of an airframe failing due to one being installed. In my old guard unit, we had a massive genuine HELICOIL installation kit and it included go/no go gauges. You don't see that anymore. This may probably the reason they were allowed. Funny, I have never seen the actual instruction book that came with that kit but it covered just about any thread used in America. Only Uncle Sam could have afforded it.
Standard Helicoils aren’t pressure tight. Locktite is a thread sealant (but water glass (sodium silicate) or RTV would be better for high temperatures).
Please add a link to part 2 of your videos
Thanks
As always Kenny very professional job there the shade tree mechanic that did the previous work should have all his tools confiscated and never given back to him or her ! Great job Kenny ! Stay Safe! 👍👍
Well, I wouldn't use the term shade tree, I would simply say idiot.
@@jthonn Well I was being nice but yea that sums the person up very well
Yeah that was kind of ugly, sorry@@victorjeffers1993
As a retired carpenter ...every guy is a virtue signaling liar that can pick apart the last guy's shady work and cover it up with even shadier work.
Send one on a call-back and it gets crazy. Can't say the last guy was an idiot because it is him.
I agree, if I understand you correctly. When things are totally wrong and every job is botched, like this one, turn in your wrenches. Can't even install plugs without stripping them out, or splicing wires like a third grader. No offence to the third grader, because when I was a third grader, I guaranty I would have done better than that.@@mikeries8549
Thank you for sharing and I know you nee to justify the effort, but Oh the drama to justify pulling the head because the socket got jammed in the hole. A little scope inspection would have shown all the issues. Maybe difficult to pull that one insert out, but pulling the head without scoping? Turned a 2-3 hour job of backing out and replacing the insert into a full 1 day or maybe 2 day job with new head gasket and possibly new head bolts. Do you have a scope with side and rear camera? May be a good investment.
There was a spark plug stuck in the hole...
To be fair, the at home guy that did this didn't know he did anything wrong
Helicoil gängor är bäst! såna där olika gänghylsor lossnar oftast
Too bad the plug producers no longer use a seal washer. The old copper washers were great.
Nice video, I can see why you get 10,000 views a day.
oh my! if someone can't install a helicoil, then don't!
How do you sell this job to an unsuspecting customer?
Could have been you to mess it up, it was ok when it drove in, right??
Nope, and communication goes a long way.
this is why whiskey was made.....LOL....
Awesome work, thank you for showing the fixes. I use red scotch bright with some wd-40 for cleaning up aluminum heads.
what inserts are those? do you have a link where to get them?
It's money in the pockets brother.
Everybody has to learn.
!
@WrenchingWithKenny Just a helpful note for your viewers. Best practice is to use time-sert Kit 4412E-187 or similar from other manufactures specifically for tapered seats (gasket plug is a different insert part number) good mention about thread locker high temp Permatex, Loctite or Time-Sert p/n 6020 Locker & Sealer specifically high temp for spark plugs inserts as you show. Most techs will use regular thread locker, and this will burn out. This time-sert kit does not have the extra thick wall insert the Chinese kits do and will leave a thick aluminum cover over the insert inside the combustion chamber. On LS heads A lot of techs do not understand you should not go double oversize (Chinese inserts) on a LS cylinder head. The aluminum around the insert gets to thin and will not dissipate heat from the fast enough correctly. When this happens, the aluminum will literally melt away at the insert because the insert retains to much heat. Great video. I usually do not have may positive things to say about repair videos, but you nailed this one.
I saw where a guy tried that trick without putting the piston down. You guessed it. He drilled right into the piston.
First he screwed up the head. Then he took out a piston. Some people should be behind a desk, not out in a shop.
@Karrpilot Agreed! Thanks for watching. Keep wrenching! Kenny