My spark plug shot out and I have to rethread the hole. I’m reading not to use helicoil so I don’t think I’ll go that route. I read that timesert is a good brand but there are different products and sizes on their site. I’m not sure which one to purchase. Can someone send me a direct link or give me the required information to purchase the correct kit? I have a stock ‘04 s2k.

Also, I’m a little nervous to even do this job myself. Can I call any shop and they will be able to do this for me without buying a kit? How much would they charge?

 

You're in LA? Call Evasive in OC and Tony Fuchs at Mid-Valley to see if either of them can do it. I'd avoid Rockstar like the plague.

 

If nervous to do it yourself, then I would agree to call a reputable shop in your area. Looks like you have a couple of options already.

You may already know this now, but the tq spec for the plugs was updated on the S2k due to them coming loose and causing this issue. Originally it was a very low figure (13 lbft) and they upped it later to I think 18 or 19 lbft. Most of us torque them between 21 and 24 lbft.

 

Billman took an old head and for testing, kept cranking up the torque until failure. As I recall he got up to the 70 range before the spark plug failed. The hole never striped.

 

Meaning, nothing to fear going to the forum suggested 22 lb/ft spec, which also came from renown S expert Billman.

Who installed the plugs that had the shoot out failure? Whoever did used the wrong torque spec. The old, outdated one. They did this to you.

THAT ALSO MEANS ALL YOUR OTHER PLUGS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER TORQUED.

So you need to have the other 3 retorqued down. That means first LOOSENING them, THEN torquing to new spec. Just dialing up 22 on the torque wrench, skipping the loosening, wrench might lie, say they're all good, when they're still under torqued.

The force needed to initially get a threaded thing moving is much higher than force to keep it moving. So a torque wrench is only accurate when its actually moving. When threaded thing actually being tightened.

So whoever is gonna torque the rest to correct spec, if they don't know to loosen them first, or at very least, make sure plug actually moves, tightens some amount before wrench says spec reached, you're at the wrong shop. Run away.

 

Sold it for 8 k...

 

It was 80 ft-lbs. 0 damage to plug threads.

 

Thank you for doing this and posting. I have been wrenching on my own cars for 35 years. I have always been nervous around spark plugs for fear of stripping threads. I am literally about to do them in my wife's 4runner today. This makes me feel at ease.

 

On small to miniature engines with aluminum heads, I barely go tight by hand. Too easy to strip. My trimmers, lawnmower engines and model airplanes engines get the gentle treatment.

 

I always use a torque wrench. Aluminum or cast iron heads.

Hand-tighten first.