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This is what I had to do after the #6 plug blew out of the head at 2AM Sunday 1,000 miles into a 1,400-mile trip to get the car home. The spark plug is glued in with CarGo QuikSteel epoxy putty, and held down with a plug socket & 3" extension. Then the coil is on top, tucked under the fuel rail, with its bolt in as far as it would go.
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$525 later, this arrived. #5553
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This is how I made it the last 400 miles home, and another ~100 driving around before I got the TimeSert kit. Having the injector unplugged allows the rings to retain their oil normally, so no additional damage is done.
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The coil barely fits wedged between the extension & the fuel rail, which gives it the most strength to hold the spark plug down in the hole. Having the hole plugged prevents debris from entering the cylinder, and provides more balance to the engine than running one cylinder open.
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The coil was damaged by the spark plug hammering it for ~15 miles, but I broke a little more away so it would fit on top of the extension.
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Since I didn't clean the wall of the head, the epoxy broke free easily, and I had no trouble backing the socket & plug out. Even the excess epoxy came out easily.
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I should have known the camera wouldn't focus on the bottom of the hole, but it's relatively free of epoxy residue or threads. There is some debris on the piston, but it will be cleaned out later.
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The first tool starts by cleaning out any remaining spark plug threads (red pointer), then uses a smooth pilot (white) to hold the cutter (blue) square to the hole.
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Even the tools specifically sold for working on these heads aren't long enough to do the job with the valve covers in place, but I used a socket & extension on an air ratchet (per the instructions) to drive the cutter. It rubbed slightly on the fuel rail, which helped align the tool, but also tended to pull them along the rail.
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Following the instruction, I loaded the cutter with grease to collect the majority of the shavings. It worked well, and the few that did fall into the cylinder will be cleaned out later.
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Next, the reamer is used to enlarge the hole for the tap. More grease catches most of the shavings.
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I didn't want to overload the grease, so I stopped halfway & cleaned it out.
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The 3rd run of the reamer makes sure the tapered shoulder is cut correctly, so I cleaned the reamer again, per the instructions. I used the air ratchet again for all 3 passes.
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A lot of metal gets removed for the BigSerts, which have a thicker wall than the normal TimeSerts.
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The tap also has a pilot tip, and the instructions recommend grease again. I used a manual ratchet to drive the tap, but the air ratchet to remove it.
This is the time to vacuum out the cylinder to remove any shavings & grease. I used a ShopVac micro tool kit, then a borescope to inspect. After wiping the hole with clean rags to remove the bulk of the grease, I rinsed it briefly with brake cleaner & then cranked the engine for a moment to blow any residue or remaining debris out.
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The insert is threaded onto the installation tip, which slips into the driver, retained by its O-ring. The locking screw prevents the insert from screwing down onto the tip.
All BigSerts require red thread locker be applied before installation.
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Once the insert is torqued properly, the screw must be loosened to release the tip from the insert.
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The final step is to expand the insert with the last tool, which must be oiled. This sets the insert permanently into place & prepares the threads for the spark plug.
This photo came out better than I expected. The 1st cut is visible around the edge of the insert.
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The old coil probably still works fine, but I decided to replace it anyway. Same for the spark plug, if I had regapped it, but the boot was chewed up.
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Once I get the other 7 done, I'll replace the alternator connector.
UPDATE: Turns out I won't be blowing any more plugs out of this engine - I totalled the car. But the TimeSert kit turned out to be pretty lucrative. I rented it out to local mechanics at independent shops, and made back more than I spent on the tool. I've had to reorder inserts about 4 times.
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Spark Plug
