Hi. I was trying to get my giardinera running again and took out one of the spark plugs. To my horror and dismay it came out with an insert still warped around the thread on the plug. I have stripped of the head but I am looking for a small engineering workshop who could fit an oversized insert. I am based in the Midlands , Solihull. Does anybody know of a good place to go for this sort of thing? I also have a spare head but this one also has bolts sheared off and what looks like oversized studs on one of the exhaust manifolds. Please can you help?

Sir, trying to picture this as I was going to change my plugs in the near future as well. Can you post a picture? I am assuming that this was the threaded piece that the plug threads into on the head that came out?

It sounds like it has been helicoiled before because of a previous stripped thread and that the Helicoil has simply come out when the plug has been removed.

You can buy spark plug Helicoil kits on-line that come with everything you need to do a DIY job. It just depends how confident you feel about doing it?

Tony

Thanks all for the tips and advice. Managed to find a place in Derby close to where I'm working at the moment. I am hoping to get it back together in time for the Stratford motoring festival may 4 th.

Just for future reference I used Spot Auto Engineering. Simon Raj. www.spotautos.co.uk They turn it around in 48 hours, very helpful and knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend.

Duffys Dad said:

Just for future reference I used Spot Auto Engineering. Simon Raj. www.spotautos.co.uk They turn it around in 48 hours, very helpful and knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend.

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any idea what they did,
just wind another insert in..? -possible,
or go for sleeving..? , I've done that in the past..,
Charlie

Well actually I had two heads which I took along to them. They weren't able to fix the stripped spark plug as the hole was now too big for their largest inset. The other one had two sheared off studs which they removed and retreaded and the studs on the exhaust had been drilled out and fitted with oversize ones. They helicoiled these and fitted correct size studs. I'm still on the lookout for a way to repair the stripped spark plug, it you have any other ideas.

There is an older, larger size of spark plug which is 18mm rather than 14mm. I don't know the thread type. But you can get adaptors which simply screw into the 18mm threaded hole and reduce it to allow use of a modern sized plug.

It's a bit extreme but would work if no better method are available. Some detective work would be needed though, to obtain a tap at the bigger size and source the adaptors.

Easy to find actually..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spark-Plu...822?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35ca740146

and

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M18-x-1-5...869?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cf4848b45