I just started my car and a very loud pop rang out followed by sounds no engine should ever make. There was some smoke that seemed to come from the supercharger area, but by the time I got the hood up it had dissapated. Help!

 

Check your spark plugs...

 

Why? To see if they were replaced with C4?

 

Because you may have blown a plug out of the cylinder head.

 

Holy $$$$ ur right I've never seen that before what's that mean?

 

It's not good.

This is a common problem. Did you change pluggs reciently? If so, they need careful attention when they're installed - especially Denso. There are some threads on the issue right here on NAM.

 

Oh good a damaged cylinder head... Even better

 

No like 06 they're NGK

 

A competent shop can install a Heli-Coil or some other brand of thread repair device without removing the head. Check your local club for a good shop in your area. A nusance yes, but not that big or $$$ of a problem.

Jim

 

What about the dealer

 

welcome to the club ! my rmw head blew a plug as well. just ask around at shops . most shops should be able to do the job . the mini dealer charges way to much by the hour , i stay away from them at all costs. the bummer i found is when i went to re gap my plugs the heli-coil came out with the plug.
so when the day comes that i need to change plugs , i will need to do a new heli-coil at the same time.

 

There are inserts available, not heli-coil. I have used these sucessfully for many years. A good mechanic, that has used inserts, can do this repair without removing the head.

This http://www.locknstitch.com/sparkpluginserts.htm is the best info I could find on a quick search.

 

I'm pretty sure I was just blamed for this by the Mini techs. Apparantly they don't see many cars as modded as mine. I realize this is St. Louis, but we're talking an air diverter, intake, coil pack, wires, and occ. The rest is purely aesthetic.

 

Well, St. Louis isn't the Idaho panhandle either. After all St. Louis is the home of some of the best ribb places in the universe.

 

$4,500

 

Get an RMW head & have the best people you know put it on.

If you lived close by I could make the repair for less than $400 & back it up for a year, make it 5 years. I'v never had an insert fail, our shifter kart motors, Bow-Tie aluminum SB heads, Porsche & my own Cosworth Mini head.

 

I'd tell them to eat a ****! For that you can get a performance head installed!

 

I want some of that crack they're smoking!!
Typical "parts replacers".
There MUST be an Independent BMW/MINI shop in your area.


Jim

 

I want the yact.... but only if it has sails

 

It's at least gonna be a JCW head

 

Just gathering information here, but did you use anti-seize and proper torque spec when you installed the plugs? Re-torqued them after a few thousand miles?

 

That's going to cost as much or more than the RMW & not flow even close to what other builders are marketing. It's worth an email to Jan jan@revolutionmini.com or take a look here http://www.thumperheads.com/

 

I take pretty good care of my car, and yeah it was all done by the book. For the life of me I can't figure out what happened, but it turns out that a JCW head cost the same as replacing the stock head, and while a RMW it's not, it's better than I had so Ill just have to buck up a deal with it.

 

Smart move

Sorry this happened to your car

 

Depending on how bad the threads are a KD Back-tap spark plug thread tool may work. I have used it successfully before.

It seems our plugs like it when they are installed in COLD heads at 20-22 Ft/lbs. I check mine every 5000 miles at each oil changed. They have not come loose ever.

Rich