My girlfriend was driving her 2004 mini s and the number 2 spark plug stripped out of the head. I called the mini dealership and they said they have tried the helicoil in the past and it doesnt work well so they said she would need a new head. they quoted me $3600 for a new head and labor. My question is does anyone know a cheaper way to fix this mess. maybe buying a used head and doing it myself? she bought the car from a dodge dealership used as is with aftermarket plugs. they said that its because the plugs arent the oem plugs so thats why it happened. hopefully someone knows a better way to fix this.
Thanks

 

I think the dealer is telling (selling?) you a story. I've use helicoils in much more stressed situations than sparkplugs (sparkplugs too) and never had one fail. The helicoil repair is actually stronger than the original threads! Think about it, it's bigger than the orginal threads and made of steel.

Put a Helicoil repair in her car. If it doesn't work (it will) you are only out the cost of the helicoil.

Dave

 

Put a helicoil in it......

If it's something that you can't do, take it to a good independent shop. Also, you might look at it very carefully, sometimes the threads really aren't hurt, and you can take a good tap to them and they'll be fine.

Do put th OEM plugs back in it tho. I'd also recommend using the OEM oil filter the next time you change the oil, I've had problems with the ones you buy at the local parts store - and never had a problem with OEM

 

The next question is just why the #2 cylinder decided to blow the plug out of the head...

I've used heli-coils in a lot higher stress areas on an engine with no problems... Doing the job with the head on is a tricky proposition... It is advisable to remove the head, perform the repair and replace the head... Others may disagree, but it 's the only way to make sure there are no metal shaving and / or other damage to the cylinder...

 

There are a couple of different ways to do the repair with the head on the car.

One is to fill the cylinder with shaving cream, the foamy kind, then after you are done intalling the helicoil, suck the shaving cream and metal swarf out with a shop vac.

Another way is to stuff a piece of panty hose through the damaged spark plug hole. Do the repair and all the metal swarf will stick to the panty hose, even as you pull it out.

Afterwards, try and pick the metal bits off of the panty hose, it's darn near impossible!

Dave

 

thanks for the advice guys. I will probably take the head off and bring it to a shop who can heli-coil it. Does anyone live in Denver who knows a shop who could do this in house?

 

No point in pulling the head if you don't have too.....

Take a good look at it first with a powerful flashlight and even a magnifying glass and make sure the threads are really damaged. I've seen more than a few that only needed a tap run thru them to do a mild clean up of the threads and they're fine - my son's '04 JCW for one.

If that's the case, put the factory plugs back in it, and torque them properly, then retorque them a week or two later and you might be fine. Don't forget just a touch of anti-sieze on the plug's threads too......

The pantyhose sounds like a great idea, but I'd think it would get caught up in the tap. In the past, I've always just loaded the tap with thick grease, the shavings stick to the grease and come out with the tap, then I just take an air gun to it for any remains.

 

I had a spark plug blow out. Cylinder #3. My mechanic was able to fix it without removing the head using a TimeSert. He used the grease on the tap and a tiny piece of panty hose to catch the shavings. Apparently any that escape are not an issue because the soft aluminum is just swallowed up and won't hurt the steel pistons and cylinder walls.

It was repaired for $240.

TimeSert makes some special longer drill bits and taps for an overhead cam engine.

My mechanic also said that my Brisk plugs could have been a factor in this blowout. The threads, it seems, do not match 100%. So now I have one NGK G-Power (installed by them) and 3 Brisk. Strangely enough, they said not to touch the Brisk or else risk damaging those threads and having another blowout. They are due for replacement anyway. I'll get 3 more NGKs.

 

We've fixed this several times. The best way is to actually remove the head and have it rethreaded. If your going through the trouble of removing the head a heli-coil isn't good enough.

 

+1 on time sert.
Don't use Heli and DON'T remove head. No need and you risk other problems.
A good mechanic can do the opperation without removing head.

If you're near Boston I have the guy for you.

 

I heard from a friend with this problem that time serts are the way to go as well.

 

Had this happen to me Sunday, performed this 'operation' yesterday - bought the kit at AZ for $30, and then the fun started .
First observation (that nobody tells you): try to get the piston as far down in the cylinder as you can for tap clearance - I used a 1/4" diameter wood dowel to guesstimate, which I then discovered...
Observation #2: you've got to play with the piston's position (bumping the starter) - I must have been on the "suck" stroke, as at a certain point I could hit the open intake valves with the dowel, and if you could hit 'em w/ a 1/4" wood rod, think what a 16mm-ish tap is gonna do .
Observation #3: the kit I bought (OEM Fix-A-Thred -that's what it's called- spark plug repair kit) has a 3/4" hex head on the tap instead of the traditional square end most taps have. 3/4" socket and 12" extension, right? - a 3/4" socket won't fit down in the spark plug tube (5/8" or 16mm max). Checked w/ 4 auto parts and 2 machine shops for alternatives, including this phantom longer tap, w/ no luck. (One of whom offered to weld a 5/8" size nut on the end of the tap - "have it by Wed." - "Thanks, I'll keep looking".) Ended up CAREFULLY grinding down the hex head on the tap w/ a bench wheel until it would fit snugly in a 16mm w/ a little help from a piece or 2 of shim stock and some plastic tape so I was sure I could get it back out, and then I was in business.

Observation #4: I couldn't get the piece of nylons in the cylinder without some effort, so became suspicious of ability to get it back out , so ignored that step. The grease does catch quite a bit of the chips, but I cut a few rounds, turned it back out, cleaned it off, regreased, etc., etc. which may have helped. The remaining chips I could see on top of the piston I got out w/ a piece of 3/8" soft copper tubing rigged to my shop-vac - bent with a slight curve to cover more area of the piston (and you'll hear 'em going through the tube and hose). I also used a couple of quick squirts of Brakleen to clean grease from the tap off the threads, each followed by another 'hit' shop-vac.
Observation #5: The kit sez to use a bit of Hi-Temp RTV on the outside of the insert - I elected to use Red Loctite (271). (And it should go w/out saying, but don't get the loctite on the inside of the insert or the plug threads.)
Observation #6: The insert can be installed by threading onto the plug and then installing them together - I torqued to 10 ft/lbs, waited an hour for the Loctite to set-up some, then torqued to 20, buttoned it up and waited another couple of hours before backing it out of the garage.

Another couple of hours and took it on a road test of about 30 miles (w/ a break in the middle), and a recheck of everything this morning showed all is well...

 

Observation #4.5: I checked the insert before install w/ the '4 prong' plugs that were in the car when I bought it 3+ years ago (I really gotta clean out my garage), marked "NGK" & "BMW", and a brand-new Brisk Silver - both "wiggled" (technical term) what seemed to me the exact same amount - very little. <dunno>

The other three Brisks I installed (in the cylinders that haven't blown out (yet))threaded in and torqued down just fine...

I am now thinking, since I made it through the first time OK, of doing the other three as a preventative measure ("Just because it ain't broke, don't mean it ain't breaking.")

 

In regards to the time sert, does anyone know which one specifically do I need to get? Unfortunately I have the same issue with the head that many others here seem to have as well. I emailed time sert, but I wanted another opinion from those who have purchased them as well.

 

The spark plugs' threads are M14 x 1.25 ...

 

I have a 2004 JCW which at 50,000 I thought it a good idea to install fresh plugs. I installed NGK Iridium plugs and torque them to specs. 12,000 miles later #3 plug blew out of the head. A mechanic tried to install a heli coil without taking off the head and only suceeded at taking metal away. Now I looking at about a $4,000 repair bill. The part that really gets me is I learned afterwards that these plugs are known for working loose But still all the Mini sights still sell them and talk about them likie they are the greatest think since apple pie. Simple message; DO NOT PUT THESE PLUGS IN YOUR CAR. Get the word out.

 

Stock plugs come loose just as often, but since most folks on the forums upgrade, you just don't hear about it. It is recommended you could make sure they are not loose every once and a while since it takes 2 minutes. After a couple times if they are tight, they are not going anywhere.

 

pssssst

you guys are jumping on a year old thread . . .

 

Realize this is an older thread. Wanted add my experience for people searching in the future since this is the newest thread on the subject I could find.

My number 3 plug blew out last night. No indication anything was amiss previously. Car is an 03 with 63k on it. Spark plugs are NGK v-power in stock heat range with approx. 15k on them. This is at least the third set of plugs in the car since new. I drove ~3 miles to the store, parked, Leaving the parking lot gave it ~2/3 throttle and POP. Limped it home and found all but a few threads were completely gone. No signs of aluminum in the plug threads or down the plug hole.

I just did the repair on the car using a Perma-Plug #2200-14 kit I got at my local auto store. It comes with a tap that recuts the hole in one shot so no need for a drill bit which was nice. The previous post by davevt02s covered a lot of the repair very well. Only things I would add is the Perma kit comes with a tap that has the proper sized drive hex so no grinding is needed. I used electrical tape to attach the tap to the socket. The key to doing this repair is patience. I filled the tap with grease and would do two turns then take it out, clean out the grease, regrease and repeat. That really cuts down on the amount of wayward chips. Also back the tap up every half turn a half turn to break the chips. This will give you a bunch of really small chips that are more likely to stick in the grease. I then vacuumed things out as best I could, shoved a shop rag down the hole to clean up the grease etc. I finally started the car sans the plug for a few seconds to blow out anything that may have remained. I'd rather it go out the spark plug hole than through the exhaust valve.

One other thing of note is you will need a magnet to fish the swaging tool out of the spark plug hole when you are done.

Also I'll give my two cents on the aftermarket vs. stock plug debate. There is no way an aftermarket plug is causing this. I measured the threads and they are right on spec on the NGK plugs. It is definitely more mileage related. There just aren't any cars driving around with stock plugs anymore. Just double check their tightness occasionally and you will be good to go. Slightly exciting lesson learned for myself.

 

If your spark plug stripped like this I obviously had the same issue. I bought an easy out kit and got it out that way.

 

May I ask which guy? Greasy's? Thanks in advance!

 

@ thebestbear

Could you please let me know how to get in touch with the mechanic you mentioned??

I'm in a real jam - facing the same problem with my mini cooper

Thanks!

 

It is not a hard job. Don't use a helicoil but do use a TimeSert. The TimeSert will handle the heat better. There are a few YouTube videos on people tapping and installing a TimeSert. You do not need to remove the head by using a lot of grease on the tapping tool - when you about 3 turns in back it out and clean all of the aluminum shavings off and re-grease and continue the tapping repeating the cleaning every 3 to 4 turns.