Alfetta pain in the ass

[alfa331.7]

So I'm driving home last all of a sudden I hear a loud pop and the car is running on 3 cylinders
I pop the bonnet to realise cycliinder 2 spark plug has shot out with the plug lead aswell now I tried reffitting the spark plug but it just kept spinning

What other options do I have here ??

[GR-124]

Cut a new thread and fit a helicoil.
Not sure how you do it with the head on never done it. But it maybe able to be done with lots of sticky grease on the tap so it captures the swarf/waste that the tap cuts. Keep pulling the tap out after 2-3 rotations and clean and reapply grease.
Fit helicoil.

[alfa331.7]

Hi gr 124 after looking at the spark plug tonight I found out the spark plug had already been helecoiled so there wasn't anything I could really do but I went past manning motors and he has told me to use an aluminium coca cola can cut a section out and place it around the spark plug and screw it in till Monday where I can drive it to an engineer down the road

The can worked a treat till Monday

[Cool Jesus]

Alloy thread tape, genius! 

[hammer]

Robert Panetta...Italian bush mechanic extraordinaire.

[giulia_veloce]

Gee thanks Hammer.

Had a few minutes to think of something I did years ago= aluminium can piece to jam in the spark plug thread to get me home.Glad it worked alfa33 1.7.
BUT,..knowing you as well as I do,,I bet you have already done 1000 kms since the fix this morning.
Oh,,and then there is tomorrow= SUNDAY= another 1000 kms,,,.and im not jokeing.

And Cool Jesus= great idea= aluminium thread tape.,We could make a fortune,so start marketing it.

Thanks guys..I needed a laugh after the Horror day I have had at Emergency + ICU with my wife.
Hopefully all will be better tomorrow..

[hammer]

Robert,

That sounds nasty mate. I hope the hospital is taking good care of your wife.

Cheers,

Brent

[alfa331.7]

Hi rob hope the wife is all well

No sadly I haven't driven it at all tomorow morning I will be taking it to als already spoke to the bloke today over the phone he reckons a bigger helicoil will sort it out until I'm ready to source a 2nd hand head

[Beatle]

Consider pulling the head and helicoiling all four plug holes.   That way you have a harder thread, correctly sized back close to original, and all chambers are the same.  Another old head will have old holes.  And an old hole is not much use to anyone.......

Plenty of aircraft stuff is helicoiled from day 1 so you have a stronger thread but retain the lightness of the al alloy case/structure.   

[Duk]

Consider pulling the head and helicoiling all four plug holes.   That way you have a harder thread, correctly sized back close to original, and all chambers are the same.  Another old head will have old holes.  And an old hole is not much use to anyone.......

Plenty of aircraft stuff is helicoiled from day 1 so you have a stronger thread but retain the lightness of the al alloy case/structure.   

Helicoils are a good idea, but remember the sparkplug needs to dump its heat to the much cooler aluminium head material and the helicoil will act as a bit of a thermal insulator (steel not being as good a conductor of heat as aluminium is. Yes, the sparkplug body is steel..........  ).
If you go the route of helicoils, the plugs may run hotter. You may get away with using colder range plugs if they do and it causes any problems like detonation or worse (dieseling when you switch off the engine).
You may have no problems at all, too.