Several months ago I had a spark plug blow out of my #8 cylinder. Everything worked fine until about a week ago. Now it appears to be bypassing compression. Not a lot, but just enough to cause a miss. While trying to remove the plug to do a compression check the plug was turning out very easy for a while... then it became very hard to turn. I screwed the plug back in without completely removing it to give me a little time to think about this. I have an idea that the heli-coil itself might be trying to come out with the plug. When I screwed it back in it seems like it is going in deeper than it is designed to. The spark plug socket seems to no longer be able to turn the head on the spark plug. I don't think I will have much trouble getting the spark plug out at this point, but what would you guys suggest I do to repair this short of replacing the head?
Thanks for your suggestions!

 

Heli coils are junk in these heads. Timesert is the way to go. If your lucky and can remove the heli coil with enough material left to get a timesert installed. Many many people on here run them with no issues. But there are known issues with heli coils.

 

Wow. Where can I get a "timesert"?
Thank you!

 

user Galaxy rents the tools and supply's the stuff as part of the rental.

 

If you have to you can go with a "Big Sert" as well.

 

I recently had a plug shoot out of my re-manufactured 99 5.4 drivers side head, I was sort of stranded so I used J.B. Weld and that surprisingly worked for about 500 miles (2 months). It even passed state emissions, but as I left the testing facility the J.B. Weld gave up and shot the plug again. I knew I'd have to wait for the plug to launch again (getting the J.B. out would have been very hard). I had timeserts installed in my original heads but one got loose on me and shot out which is why I replaced the heads. This time, I used the 'lock-n-stitch' method where the insert is threaded and lock-tite to the head, and a cross pin is drilled into the threads keeping them 'locked' into the head. Its a ford approved procedure so hopefully the next owner has good luck with the repair. I have a growing family and the Scab is too small, looking at 04 Navigators

 

Thank you jethat! I have sent Galaxy a message and I sure hope this works out!

 

I don't know if I will need to do that or not. I removed the plug and the cheap insert came out with it...good thing! It came out hard but I took my time removing it by backing off on it repeatedly as it was bindin up. After reading how the timesert works by cold rolling the threads at the bottom of the installed insert...the regular size might work out ok.
What do you think??
Thanks for your help!

 

Chuck...please e-mail me at amsoil@galaxylubricants.com You needing a BigSert is dependant on how much material was removed when the heli-coil was installed, but we can go over that. Odds are you're in good shape.

Mikey...don't quite now what happened with your TimeSert coming loose. The "lock-n-stitch" method you described actually describes a TimeSert...TimeSerts should have locktite on the threads and also have a pin that's rolled into the head via a tool that comes with the kit. Sounds to me like your TimeSert failed because it wasn't installed properly. Not too many reports of TimeSerts failing or backing out, that's for sure.

 

Mr. Galaxy,
I filled out your rental agreement and sent you the required deposit. Sorry, I am most likely wearing you out with notifications, but I want to make sure you don't miss my information as I need my truck back on the road!
Thanks again,
Chuck

 

@Galaxy, I was thinking the 'non pin' was a TimeSert. When I first blew a plug with my old heads, I had a insert that looked sort of like a heli-coil, but had 'teeth' around the top to lock the insert in. I was told back then that was a TimeSert so that is why I thought Lock-N-Stitch was something entirely different. This time, I know for certain I have the cross pin type of insert. If I Didn't have TimeSert back then, what is it I had?

 

That is the type of insert I had as well!

 

Chuck,
I know this is an old thread, but I have almost the identical problem you had with an old insert coming out. How did this work out? Did you use the regular Timesert or did you have to use the Bigsert? How did you decide? Thanks.