Vette disaster please help me

[rhandle]

Hi guys

A friend who is a mechanic was changing the fuel pump on my 96 Grand Sport. He wanted to surprise me by throwing in a new set of plugs .YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.He got to #8 and said that the" threads came out with the plug".He wants to re tap the heads but because of the location he cant get a straight shot
to be able to re thread it.First of all should i let this guy do the job.He meant well and i feel bad for him,but i didnt ask him to do it.Do u suggest anyone else like a specialist? Are there any tricks to working on # 8 area that he can do to get to the area. The car is at his shop and he plans on working on it tommorow.PLEASE GUYS any suggestion asap will be welcome

 

[BlackNBlue95]

Hi guys

A friend who is a mechanic was changing the fuel pump on my 96 Grand Sport. He wanted to surprise me by throwing in a new set of plugs .YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.He got to #8 and said that the" threads came out with the plug".He wants to re tap the heads but because of the location he cant get a straight shot
to be able to re thread it.First of all should i let this guy do the job.He meant well and i feel bad for him,but i didnt ask him to do it.Do u suggest anyone else like a specialist? Are there any tricks to working on # 8 area that he can do to get to the area. The car is at his shop and he plans on working on it tommorow.PLEASE GUYS any suggestion asap will be welcome

I guess it depends on how much of the threads came out ect.. re tapping it may clean up what threads are there, but if there isn't enough left of the threads, you'll probably be looking at a repair like a heli coil, ect.. definitely a tight place to make a repair like this.. if the threads came out, either the plugs were not replaced in a long time (time wise) or someone damages the threads last time the plugs were installed..

So what was his next plan of attack? Trying to repair the head in car, or pulling the head? And is he going to charge you for the repair? Since he was doing work without authorization regardless... How can we really judge wether he should do this repair or not? We do not really know his skills ect...
-=Rick

 

[Toms007]

I'm thinking that the only real way to fix it, is to pull the head and have a helicoil installed. I'd guess the same thing about the damaged threads....probably the person who changed them last time did not use anti-seize on the threads. Bad deal whatever. #8 is a PITA to get to, so I don't really see getting this fixed without pulling the head.

 

[Hib Halverson]

If the threads came out with the plug, you can't "retap" the hole as there's little or no material left to retap. And, using a tap is not the best way to go, anyway. He can try running a thread chaser–which is different than a tap–through the hole, but it's likely the "repair" will not be reliable.

That it's #8 creates a serious problem.

You may hear all kinds of bandaid fixes but few will be reliable for a spark plug thread in that location. Even Helicoil is questionable because they have a habit of backing out in situations like spark plugs where there is periodic removal and replacement.

The only durable repair is a product called Time-Sert. The cylinder head will have to be removed to install a Time-Sert. Once it's off and sitting on the bench, Time-Sert can be installed by hand.

 

[LLC5]

Hi guys

A friend who is a mechanic was changing the fuel pump on my 96 Grand Sport. He wanted to surprise me by throwing in a new set of plugs .YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.He got to #8 and said that the" threads came out with the plug".He wants to re tap the heads but because of the location he cant get a straight shot
to be able to re thread it.First of all should i let this guy do the job.He meant well and i feel bad for him,but i didnt ask him to do it.Do u suggest anyone else like a specialist? Are there any tricks to working on # 8 area that he can do to get to the area. The car is at his shop and he plans on working on it tommorow.PLEASE GUYS any suggestion asap will be welcome

I know that this is not exactly what you want to hear, but it is probably a good thing that this problem was found now at a service facility since spark plug threads that are stripped in the head can lead to a spark plug being forced out, and that would not be a good thing if it happened on the road. The only way to repair it properly is to pull the head, evaluate the damage, and then repair as necessary. Good luck with it.

 

[navy2kcoupe]

My first thought as I read this thread was "if the threads came out with the
plug, there was probably a heli-coil already in there. Especially if the plug
came out without TOO much effort. I'm of the opinion that if it were my
car, I would opt to replace the head (or heads) and not be worrying about
problems in the future. It would also give you a chance to see the insides
of the top end and repair anything that needs it while the heads are off.
Just my 2 piasters worth.........
Andy Anderson

 

[vetteboy86]

Hi guys

A friend who is a mechanic was changing the fuel pump on my 96 Grand Sport. He wanted to surprise me by throwing in a new set of plugs .YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.He got to #8 and said that the" threads came out with the plug".He wants to re tap the heads but because of the location he cant get a straight shot
to be able to re thread it.First of all should i let this guy do the job.He meant well and i feel bad for him,but i didnt ask him to do it.Do u suggest anyone else like a specialist? Are there any tricks to working on # 8 area that he can do to get to the area. The car is at his shop and he plans on working on it tommorow.PLEASE GUYS any suggestion asap will be welcome

First off, I'm sorry to hear about your unfortuante circumstance. I know all too well, how something simple can create a mess. I feel that you have good responses. Please let us know how you will be moving forward.

 

[boomdriver]

I learned the same lesson yrs ago....
never work on aluminum heads when they are the least bit warm....never use a tool to start a spark plug and never ever keep trying to tighten if ANY resistance is felt or encountered. They strip like a drunken cheerleader on saturday nite......

A tip for what its worth, I always apply never-seize or a similar product to the threads. Everytime, liberally. Also I will go to each plug and crack them and retighten every few months even if there is no intention of replacing or removing. This seems to prevent them from carbon seizing in the hole and forcing something to break if you wait 1-2 or 3 yrs to change plugs.

In this case, I'd remove the head to do the repair right. It was likely NOT this guys fault...someone installed the last set crossed or even with a helicoil and it was known back then that the next removal was gonna be ugly.....:ugh Hotel California syndrome...once they go in, they can never leave.

If a spark plug won;t screw into aluminum with your fingers...somethings wrong...don;t force it.

I hope that this works out. Its a bad deal for sure. Don;t be too hard on the guy that was trying to do a good thing...this incident was set up some time ago,. long before he ever saw this car.
Good Luck