Boy did i screw up, i forgot to put anti-seeze on my plugs last time and stripped a couple sets of threads taking the old plugs out. Now when i try and put the new spark plugs in they just turn. Anyway i know i gotta geta helicoil kit to fix this but don't know what size and what all i need? Does anyone know which kit i need from helicoil? Its a 1991 Z28 350 tpi w/cheezy aluminum heads. Thanks for any tips!

Dan91Z28

 

Oh yeah almost forgot its a 5/8 spark plug socket that takes out the plugs.

Dan91Z28.

 

Boy that sucks. About the helicoil kit, they make special kits for spark plugs. The kit will probably come with everything you need except for the drill, and the kit will list the size you need. Also, I'm sure you already know this, but I thought I'd mention it just in case: the cylinder head has to come off before you helicoil it, otherwise you'll have metal shards everywhere.

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91 Z28
Come see The Vicious...

 

lol. Even if that weren't the case, I'd like to see someone get a drill in that tight space to begin with! (Unless you're one of those lucky people with a pneumatic 90 drill)

 

So helicoil makes a kit? Thats cool, anybody know the part #? Hey i just gota hokey idea that might work. You know how taps have that hole in the middle? Why not use a rubber freeze plug tied to a string that runs through the tap to block the hole and just try cleaning up the threads with the tap and then pull the plug out with the string? Might work, i guess its worth a shot since i'd have to pull the head anyway. What do you guys think?

Dan91Z28.

 

If your heads are alloy, just cover the tap with grease before you run it through and most of the shavings will stick to it. Whats left will blow out the exhaust port on firing. A small amount of soft alloy will do no damage if your carefull to limit the amount.

 

only 2 sizes of plug threads 14mm and 18mm, i tihnk. at any rate there's a big one and small one, you have the smaller size. a heli coil kit cost around 60 dollars, to get a shop to do it for you would cost 10-15 dollars hole and you'd have to take the head off. this should be a lesson to anyone with aluminum heads to use antiseize and a torque wrench to install plugs. the sad thing is we all usually don't learn till we screw up ourselves. good luck

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the recommendations, actually i lucked out when i looked at it today i found out that i simply hadn't tightened the plug all the way duhh! And since i didn't use antiseeze it was getting hard to turn when i first put it in so at the time i thought the plug was seated. Since i knew it was alum heads i was afraid to tighten it really hard so i just snugged it up. Only to find it vibrated loose later. I went back and antiseezed the hell out of all of them and chalk this up to a lesson learned! Always use antiseeze and pray to *** you never strip a aluminum head lol Thanks again.

Dan91Z28.