Shot Out Spark Plug Today

[WheelerXp]

Soo i drove about 4 miles from my house, was low on gas, and shot my Second spark plug out of the engine. I thought i had a cast iron engine, Couldent put the spark plug back in, the inside looks ok, but dosen't let me tighten. So it seems stripped.
The mechanic i took it to said using a repair coil would be a bad idea because of the metal shavings getting onto the cylinder head, and one of them mentioned putting an over sized spark and it might do the trick, (with out replacing the entire head.)

99 Cavaqueer, 2.2 liter 151k, lots of dents. Whats your opinion? Keep in mind dirt poor.
Thanks alot .

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by WheelerXp

99 Cavaqueer, .

A Helicoil repair kit is the way to go. The repair is actually pretty easy, get a kit and follow the instructions, and use a new spark plug when the repair is done.
A decent auto parts store should be able to get the kit for you.

And yes, some metal shavings will get into the cylinder. However, this can be minimized by making sure the engine is near top dead center, (not on the compression stroke, because you want a valve open) before you start work. When complete, stick a vacuum hose (Shop-Vac, you mom's, g/f's etc) down the spark plug hole, as best you can, when the job is done, to suck out as much debris as possible.

If you had a Ferrari, then perhaps its worthwhile to take off the head to make sure you get all the debris. But, given the well-worn nature of this car, its not worth the effort, imo.

[J-Ri]

Grease up the tap before you begin, remove/clean/regrease frequently. That should make a lot of the metal stick to the tap.