i have a 90 si with a d15b vtec swap...well i was driving home from work and as i speed up to pass a semi the car starts to bog and sputter. it dies on me as i coast into a parking lot. well it seems the plug somehow came out of cylinder 2 and the plug wire has split on the end and melted to the plug. looks like that it had been leaking hot exhaust long enough to melt the crap outta that wire but i noticed nothing wrong till it died.

i tried threading in another plug but its pretty ruff goin in...is there a way to rechase the threads with it being so far down in the head?

 

hmm that sounds like a bummer. Ive re threaded crank threads on my bike so i dont see how it could be any different, well being that its gotta clear the piston and hold compression.

 

Pull the head. Take it to the machine shop and have them reweld and re-thread it.
That is the best fix by far.

 

if you're brave enough you can do it on your own, pull it, drill it out and helicoil it.... otherwise machine shop is your best bet

 

no need to pull the head

http://www.timesert.com/html/sparkplug.html

 

yea im def not pulling the head. this is my daily and thats too much downtime. i could drive my b16 swapped dx but it has no plates, (damn emissions testing) i have another complete d15b i could swipe the head from if i need to but thats not gonna happen.

 

ive helicoiled threads before..pretty easy as long as its drilled out straight. had starter bolts break off in a silverado i had. drillin them suckers sucked but i did it. i may just thread another plug in there and be done with it. as long as its snug

 

that may be the last plug you'll thread in there, saying it doesnt seize and break on you. fix it right the first time.

 

thats proly true.. but ive been drivin this ef for like 3 years now..and its falling apart. bout time for another car anyways.

 

if you want to re thread the head for your spark plug to fit right
go you auto zone or advance ( I think those are american auto parts)
and tell them
they sell a tool to make new threads for heads and you make it yourself just with a rachet
the part is like 12 dollars
you dont need to take off the head
unless theres something else wrong with it

 

Man you all have it twisted up worse then a pig tail.

This is an aluminum head.
The spark plug is part of the combustion chamber. The threading has to hold at least 100psi.
I dont care what you use. times sert, helicoil etc it will not hold. And as far as
re-tapping it to the spark plug thread pitch that is out because it is stripped out.
You must either pull the head and get it welded drilled and tapped or if your crazy tap it out to a bigger size

BUT!! either way you go just remeber that if you decide to work this out while assembled to the block you will get aluminum shavings and possibly helicoil or timesert tang's broken off.... INSIDE YOUR CYLINDER!

 

omg, not inside the cylinder! thank goodness we have magnets then i guess..

and you are incorrect, timeserts can and will hold up just fine. here, enjoy this informative video. feel free to look up other videos as well because you'll find many people attesting to how well this system works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntiy8L97Nco

 

magnets don't work on aluminum!! but a helicoil, timesert, whatever will work...i've used them before. if the old plug doesn't have bits of aluminum stuck to the threads, you might be lucky and it could be carbon buildup making it difficult. if you can chase the threads with the right tap, that's the way to go. if you can't, try lubing a new plug with new oil and CAREFULLY screw it in and out a few times. take it out and use anti-seize on the plug and torque it to proper spec!! if it strips or won't tighten down, you can go the heli-coil route. try vacuuming out the shavings with a shop vac and some kind of straw. a couple shavings in the cylinder is not the end of the world, chances are they will get blown out the exhaust. good luck.

 

I dont know what planet you are from but Aluminum is not magnetic here.

I am just advising twords the best solution.

Go ahead tap it while its on the block do what you want. And have fun.

 

ha, yea forgot the heads were aluminum. what i said still holds true. you either pull the head, or attempt a timesert/helicoil and pull the head if something doesn't work right. so since in either case you are going to be pulling the head, you might as well give it a try. i mean if i was in this situation i would rather give it a try then just jump straight to pulling the cylinder head.

 

So....??? Your saying pulling a single cam cylinder head is hard? It is really an easy head gasket job. Takes me 45min start to finish.

 

This is what you want> http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

Put one of those on a ratchet extention and a T handle if you have one, pack the flutes up with grease and slowly chase the threads. After a few turns take the chaser out and clean/regrease and keep doing that until the new plug goes in smooth. Shoot some compressed air (arosol can works also) into the combustion chamber just in case when your done. Remember to oil the threads of the spark plug when you reinstall.

 

if its a stock head I wouldn't bother taking it to a machine shop I'd just get another head for what 60 bucks.

I'd try fixing the thread first then crank it with no plug in there to get the crap out then seeing if you can get the plug to work.....if it doesn't....then get a new head


Oh ya I just checked the weather in INDIANA is like -5 and in california its like 14 who the hell wants to pull off a head

 

ok my question is, if u pull a head dont u have to machine it because it becomes warped? or whats the real full details on it. just want clarification

 

No you don't have to machine it

 

If you make sure to loosen the headbolts in proper sequence and check the head for levelness with a straight-edge you should be good to go as long as the motor didn't have any overheating problems in the past.

 

Sell the car and buy a vw.. Problem solved

 

This is an EF forum noobie

 

a vw will fix the problem? lmao, that's a good one.

 

Lmao. I know this guy and I make fun of his honda all the time.lol