Jump to content

O/T BMW Spark plugs


Les Henson

Recommended Posts

Seeing as everyone is asking questions about other makes of veh - I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. :P

I went to look at a BMW the other day, which was firing on 3 cylinders. The reason for this was that a spark plug was out, and the thread was so damaged, that it could be pushed back home without turning it.

Obviously the head has to be removed and a helicoil insert fitted, but as an attempt at a temporary repair - I de-greased the plug thread and hole, then glued the plug in with Araldite Rapid. This lasted for two days, but gave up again this morning. While the customer gets the money together to have the head repaired properly, he still relies on the car for his daily transport. So perhaps there is a suitable glue out there that might last longer thatn Araldite? Anyone have any suggestions please?

Les. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seeing as everyone is asking questions about other makes of veh - I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. :P

I went to look at a BMW the other day, which was firing on 3 cylinders. The reason for this was that a spark plug was out, and the thread was so damaged, that it could be pushed back home without turning it.

Obviously the head has to be removed and a helicoil insert fitted, but as an attempt at a temporary repair - I de-greased the plug thread and hole, then glued the plug in with Araldite Rapid. This lasted for two days, but gave up again this morning. While the customer gets the money together to have the head repaired properly, he still relies on the car for his daily transport. So perhaps there is a suitable glue out there that might last longer thatn Araldite? Anyone have any suggestions please?

Les. :)

IIRC years ago on the farm Dad used to have some sort of instant metal repair stuff called "Durmetal" which he swore by for all sorts of things though I have no idea if it is still made....

Also how about JB Weld? They reckon you can use it for cracked engine blocks :)

I guess the high temperature would be what would break an Araldite bond?

Edited to say yes they do - Durmetal

Edited by BogMonster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Les, if you can get at the plug easily, then a wire thread (helicoil) or ‘second thread’ insert can be done without removing the head.

I have done a couple (both astra’s) and all I did was to make sure that the piston was at almost TDC, and that it would not foul the tap, grease the flutes of the tap and then use a small tube and vacuum cleaner to get any odd bits of carp from the combustion chamber ……..

I get mine from http://www.uni-thread.com/………….and they do sizes of 10x1, 12x1.25, 14x1.25, & 18 x1.5…… the standard 14’s run out at £40 a set (with 10 inserts). The taps have a pilot nose so no drilling is required………. and the pilot also gives very accurate alignment.

If you want to talk about other motors ........... I have just replaced the cam belt on our 3 year old 2.8CRD VM engined Cherokee .......... not a pleasant job and not an unpleasant job if you see what I mean.......... there are no after market manuals or even autodata for this model yet, so it was a bit touchy feely, however, once all the ancillaries are out the way, its basically the same engine as the 2.5 voyager so a little bit of info was available...........but I saved myself £810 on the dealer price ! :rolleyes:

Ian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JB weld gets my vote, very strong stuff, i've heard they're not going to produce it anymore though

What's the better there will be a surge in sales just before they stop making it :rolleyes:

I must admit I've only used it once and it didn't work, but it was trying to repair a split beer barrel and I'd already tried everything else I could think of, none of which would stick :angry:

If all else fails you could make a bracket to clamp the plug in, a bit like what holds a 300Tdi injector in place :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reckon JB weld would do a good job, the trouble is it may well do such a good job that you won' be able to get the plug out again cleanly to do a decent repair with a helicoil afterwards.

Regards,

Diff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy