VW aluminum head.Is it that hard to do, I see they have kits with the tap and coil specifically for spark plugs. Can I do it with the head on and vaccuum out the hole afterward???
CK5
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Anybody heli coil a spark plug hole???
- Thread starter chevyfumes
- Start date
it can be done but I would pull the head off for sure to do it right. you will never be able to vacume the chips out I dont think.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Take the head off. I've done the air cooled heads before and it'll cost you more if you make a mistake getting everything out. 
Alright so I'll pull the head ,how difficult is it to put the heli coil in. Sounds like it'd be pretty straight forward with the head off. Do the spark plug kits come with good instructions???
Uncle Fester
1/2 ton status
did you strip out the hole or just cross thread it? IF it is just cross threaded, I found a tool that you put down in the hole, expand it and then retap it from the inside out...starting witht the good, uncrossed, lower threads.
http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p32147665-k24-g4-~spark+plug+tool-nover?sourceid=13
if that link don't work for some reason...my links never seam to work right
, go to amazon.com tools&hardware spark plug rethread tool KD Tool
this keeps you from having to remove the heads.....
http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p32147665-k24-g4-~spark+plug+tool-nover?sourceid=13
if that link don't work for some reason...my links never seam to work right
, go to amazon.com tools&hardware spark plug rethread tool KD Toolthis keeps you from having to remove the heads.....
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Just be aware that helicoils in aluminum heads are not as strong as iron heads. They have a tendancy to not last as long. Especially in air cooled heads (old beetle) if that's what your working on. The water cooled motors are probably better, but still not ideal for helicoils.
Uncle Fester
1/2 ton status
Uncle Fester said:did you strip out the hole or just cross thread it? IF it is just cross threaded, I found a tool that you put down in the hole, expand it and then retap it from the inside out...starting witht the good, uncrossed, lower threads.
http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p32147665-k24-g4-~spark+plug+tool-nover?sourceid=13
if that link don't work for some reason...my links never seam to work right
this keeps you from having to remove the heads.....
This is NOT a heli-coil set up but an accual re-threader. Think about it, when you cross up the threads, it is only the top few threads that get jacked up...so to speak. This tool reaches past the threads in to the cylinder and then expands to fit the good threads at the bottom and chase them back up to the top, restoring them to original or better quality.
No it's stripped, just plain worn out over 30+ years, the plug actually popped out onto the deck,I went to the auto parts store and got some inserts.Thanks guys...
broc944
1/2 ton status
I have done it many times on AL heads on small engines, I have never had a problem. Do not ask if I took the head off
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Heli coils tend to come out when you remove the spark plug the next time around. A better solution is a thing called time-cert, these are a bushing rather than a coil and it requires a forming tool to form the last fews threads which locks them in place making them a permanent repair. The company is located in southern Ca. somewhere and i could get you their number tomorrow but that won't do you much good if you can't wait a few days to order parts from them.
Here is a link to their website. http://www.timesert.com/index.html
Here is a link to their website. http://www.timesert.com/index.html
Yeah I got the cheapo version, I figured if it didn't work I'd get real good at yankin out VW motors...
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Yea, I also had someone install a kind of insert where you drill the hole larger and screw in an insert that had new threads. It seemed to work fine from what I remember.
UseYourBlinker
1 ton status
Did it work?
I'm still waiting on steptard, he needs to do it or really be there when he can see whats going on. So whatta you thin Eric should we just leave the head on an blow it out and then vaccum it??? Or pull the head?? It's the #1 plug, when can I tell if the valves are all closed???
Just Do it!!...
I had 3 VW's,and all had at least one Heli-Coil on a sparkplug..
I put 2 of them in without pulling the motor and head..just greased the tap good with wheel bearing grease,and after it was installed I used a shop vac and a peice of fuel line to help remove any chips..
I never noticed any harm done..( I doubt any chips even went in the cylinder,they all were trapped in the grease)....didn't smoke or tick afterwards..done a good many mower engines too,without pulling the head..blew them out with an air hose inserted into the muffler--just turn it to the exhaust stroke so the exhaust valve is open.!..
Only thing I dislike about Heli-Coils is they seem to like to stay on the plug when you remove it,and getting it off to reuse without boogering it is not easy..for that reason I used to never change plugs on sunday!--no parts stores were open back then that'd have Heli-Coils!..
For all you Ford V-10 owners,I hear they strip spark plug holes REAL easy,and had hardly any "meat" around the plug hole to have success with Heli-Coils..my friend has 2 customers with Expeditions that both had stripped plug holes,and the plugs blew right out while driving!..he had to get a new head for one,after failing at installing Heli-Coils..Ford denies any problems,but the guys in the service dept say its not an unheard of dilema..and wont be suprised if they end up having a "silent recall"....
I had 3 VW's,and all had at least one Heli-Coil on a sparkplug..
I put 2 of them in without pulling the motor and head..just greased the tap good with wheel bearing grease,and after it was installed I used a shop vac and a peice of fuel line to help remove any chips..
I never noticed any harm done..( I doubt any chips even went in the cylinder,they all were trapped in the grease)....didn't smoke or tick afterwards..done a good many mower engines too,without pulling the head..blew them out with an air hose inserted into the muffler--just turn it to the exhaust stroke so the exhaust valve is open.!..
Only thing I dislike about Heli-Coils is they seem to like to stay on the plug when you remove it,and getting it off to reuse without boogering it is not easy..for that reason I used to never change plugs on sunday!--no parts stores were open back then that'd have Heli-Coils!..
For all you Ford V-10 owners,I hear they strip spark plug holes REAL easy,and had hardly any "meat" around the plug hole to have success with Heli-Coils..my friend has 2 customers with Expeditions that both had stripped plug holes,and the plugs blew right out while driving!..he had to get a new head for one,after failing at installing Heli-Coils..Ford denies any problems,but the guys in the service dept say its not an unheard of dilema..and wont be suprised if they end up having a "silent recall"....
Actually, the 4.7, 5.4 V/8's and the V/10 all have that problem and the 5.4's Ford fixed by making the newest version heads with threads the same length as the spark plug threads rather than the 3 or 4 they currently had in the past. Once again, time-cert makes the tooling for repairing those particular heads since a heli-coil cannot be used.
UseYourBlinker
1 ton status
If it were me. I would just pull the head,it most likely needs new gasket's anyway.
eh....
Air cooled VW motors dont use head gaskets!!--the early 36 and 40 HP ones had crimped copper "O" rings between the jugs and heads,but the rest are metal to metal!..
..might be a good idea to yank the heads anyway though,if a valve job is due...--all of my VW motors blew up the same way-- when the #3 exhaust valve decided to behead itself,and it went thru the piston,and wedged between the crank and the case! ..and I was pretty anal about keeping the valves adjusted properly--guess the first owner wasn't!..
Air cooled VW motors dont use head gaskets!!--the early 36 and 40 HP ones had crimped copper "O" rings between the jugs and heads,but the rest are metal to metal!..
..might be a good idea to yank the heads anyway though,if a valve job is due...--all of my VW motors blew up the same way-- when the #3 exhaust valve decided to behead itself,and it went thru the piston,and wedged between the crank and the case! ..and I was pretty anal about keeping the valves adjusted properly--guess the first owner wasn't!..
I can't figure out how to get the exaust manifold off or the stoopid tin...The haynes is too complicated and the hippy book is not complicated enough...
Every engine uses some sort of head gasket including VW's. Eric is correct, there is a head gasket there. It is a steel ring/shim type but nonetheless a gasket.
