spark plug will not go back in...! Gringo Stuck in Argentina

Maybe put some lubricant or anti seize on the thread to help it along? I wouldn't put a socket on it until you can turn it in several threads with your fingers. Are you sure the plug wasn't cross threaded before? They sell DIY inserts for that purpose but be careful as you can do damage to your head.

Remco

wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...

.....Your likely to be needing a new engine after a trip like that anyway...assuming that you've gone the entire route from North America....????

...If all you want to do is finish the next 300+ miles and don't much care about your status as a real do it the right way aircooled mechanic and this engine is expendable if things don't work out.........well then............get a tube of JB Weld epoxy or whatever heat resistant epoxy that's available down there. Smear some on the threads of a new plug and also on what's left of the threads in the hole. While threading in the new plug, you may have to give it a not too hard tap with a hammer or something every time you've given it a turn (use the socket and an extension to protect the plug while hitting it). Eventually by alternating turns and hammer hits, the plug will go in all the way but have a spare plug in case you have to start over. Wait about 10 minutes(?) and then very very slowly turn the engine over by hand at least two full revolutions to make sure that no excess epoxy is interfering with the top end of the piston's travel. You may encounter some resistance but the expoxy should still be soft enough to be compliable with the shape and space that's available when the piston is at the top of its stroke. Now comes the really hard part. You need to let that engine sit for maybe 2 or 3 days I'm guessing. The expoxy must be fully cured and I'm mean harder than what you'd think after touching it the next morning. It'll continue getting harder for a while after you've decided that it feels 'cured'. If you get impatient and try to drive it when that stuff hasn't fully cured, it will increase that chance of it failing. When you do start out again, drive with the least amont of throttle that you can under the circumstances and if possible stop during the hottest part of the day. It's the heat in that head that can cause the epoxy to fail. If all else fails, maybe you'll see a shop along the way before it fails that looks more hospital to millionaire yankee tourists!

btw.....about thirty years ago I did this kind of stupid repair and it actually worked for about 3 weeks before the heat finally softened the epoxy enough to spit out the plug again on a '69 bug. Of course I wasn't driving non-stop for over 300 miles at the time and your bus is likely to be making your engine run a little hotter. Just guessing.

btw #2......I don't stand behind advice like this because it's free advice and I'll already be paying for having given it by having to listen to what my fellow RAMVA friends have to say about me for giving it.

"not too hard tap with a hammer "

read this bit again !!!

VERY easy to break the ceramic part of the plug.

(dont ask ! )

ps. just another thought - would exhaust repair paste work at all ?

also, the bus _will_ run on 3 cylinders

(I have even driven a couple of hundred miles on 2 !! (dont ask :-) ) )

And you are right Tim - wait for it ! Reminds me of some of Jans repairs he has posted in the past ;-)

Rich

It is an oldie but goodie. It may work, but it will do damage. There's also always a chance it may not work. Definitely a page ripped out of the redneck book of school of car mechanics :)

If you have a decently stocked car parts store around, maybe careful use of a cleanout tap, if you can get your hands on one? It will most likely still need a new head or some machining in the future, though.

Funny - your caveat #2 was exactly my reason for not mentioning that trick. :)

...........Did you notice the part where I said to use a socket and extension to protect the plug and to have a spare plug inorder to start over if needed? This is experienced based advice here!

.....I don't know about using the muffler repair paste. It might work but I think that it's kind of brittle and weak compared to the JB Weld. But possibly more heat resistant.

......haha........when you've been here at RAMVA for about eight years little grasshopper, you'll be ready to speak out without any fear of the consequences.

.....I tried the cleaning out the threads with a tap once. Actually it was a redneck style tap made with a spark plug and a dremel cutoff wheel. That cylinder lost it's compression after about three days. I never tore it down but I'm guessing that the bits and pieces of the threads in the head did a number on the rings in that cylinder. I only recommend things that have actually worked.....sort of......maybe......lol

When I can snatch the pebble out of your hand, Master, will I be ready? :) (another maybe obscure kungfu reference)

Yeah, years ago I stripped a plug in my Volvo. Tried to fix it myself (see hammering trick in your post) but it ran badly due to having bad compression.

Since then, I've learned to have stuff like that be done by a pro. I have an automotive machine shop nearby where I take my re-tapping, flattening, re-machining, turning, etc. We're close friends now :)

thanks for everyones help. I am going to the mechanic today adn will see what the damage was... BTW this trip only cost about $7,000, well so far that is.

Well I had a mechanic look at it and he decieded to tap it while in place...He has promised that if a problem comes up with bits of metal in the motor he will fix it for free... he tried to charge me $100 but I neg. down to $30. Still that $30 paid for the entire shop for the day and I only spend 30 min in it.With any luck I will not have any problems he did do a good job of taking out the bits of metal with a vacume and hose... Wish me luck. Thanks agian. this was great.

Good - glad you didn't get hosed too much.

Seems to me an oil change is probably a good idea now, since you may have small bits of metal floating around. Wouldn't cost much and may be cheap insurance..

Remco

Great! If you get it home might want to replace the heads and maybe the pistons and cylinders too.

Did you buy the Westy from John Baron Reid? :)