hmmmn interesting... I always TQ the when the motor is cold... try that... I don't think you are at the limit of the plug... in fact since the head is aluminum it will surely give way before the plug

 

The engine was cold. I just said it heated up when I drove it, then I waited until it was cold before TQ again....as opposed to installing the plug--then TQing again a little later without having driven the car.

I wonder if the fact I have a threaded sleeve insert impacts this in any way? Remember I got this MINI because the cylinder 1 spark plug blew on the original owner--so Steve at Steves Autoclinic installed a threaded sleeve insert to fix the threads.

I noticed that removing the plugs the first time that the plug in cylinder 1 took a little more initial effort to release, but once it got loose, it came off with a little less effort than Cylinder 2-4 which had a bit more friction all the way until it came off.

Richard

 

ooooh right.... forgot about that.. well whatever the case the new plugs are working nice for you right?

 

Well the car slept at the shop last night because I'm hoping our engine guy can use his extractor to remove what's left of the spark plug that's still in Cylinder 1. If it were running--yeah--the new plugs seemed to have cured the problem.


Richard

 

yeah I some how missed the post about the broken plug... er.. that is strange... could just be one of those things.... I have regularly used more TQ than I recommended but again that's cause of the boost I run.. my point is... I have never had this problem... not once.. with any of the cars.. but I recommended 24 cuase that's where the loosening problem stoped in testing... 23 should be fine too... but there is no reason the plug would break... sounds like a faulty plug.... crazy

 

you should take the parts to the vendor and ask for a replacement. But then again, it's better the plug than the head!
As far as the inserts, they are a plus in general. In fact Edelbrock puts them in every Al head they sell. The bite into more Al than the plug threads would (same pitch, larger diameter). As far as the plug in the hole with the insert
coming out easier, I think that's because the Al is softer, and it deforms more as the threads seat, so they sqeeze a bit more when removed. But in general, I wouldn't worry too much, my head with an insert was the same way....

Matt

 

Thanks. Fortunately, our engine guy had an extractor and removed the plug in about 5 minutes once he had the tool in place. I put a new plug in, torqued it to 23 and drove off. LOL.

After 70 miles of driving today, absolutely no hint of those previous issues exist. No misfires--no idling issues--no stumbling or stuttering under wot even with AC cranked to max coldness and max fan speed. It's once again driving like it's supposed to!

Looks like I'll be stocking up on these NGK plugs--fortunately, I installed the plugs at 59,935--so I'll keep an eye out at 67,000-70,000 miles and if I experience any loss of power--will just insert new plugs.

Think my next maintenance item will be to install a new supercharger pulley belt.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Richard

 

should get the belt tool. IT's a must for any tool set if you're going to keep the car for a while....

Matt