splischke
Scott Plischke Sonerai IIL N994SP
Maybe this is one of those things everybody knows not to do except me...
I have the heads off the Sonerai for valve lapping. Since the heads are off, I decided to run a spark plug thread chaser tool to clean-up the threads. After I did the left head, I inserted the plugs and noticed that the chaser had enlarged the holes enough to allow the plugs to wiggle until they seat. The wiggle is more than enough to make me uneasy. Time for inserts...
I thought this will be like any other spark plug thread fix -- get a helicoil of the right size from the corner auto parts store and install. Then I hit the internet and found a whole bunch of opinions on spark plug inserts that my head is spinning.
Some people say not to use helicoils 'cause they can act as glow plugs to cause detonation.
Some people say to use Full-Torque inserts (http://www.fulltorque.com/sparkpluginserts.htm) since they are made of aluminum and expand at the same rate as the head.
Some people swear by Time-Sert inserts (http://www.timesert.com) since they offer the most permanent fix and include a new seat for the plug.
What do you guys think? What's best for our aero-VWs with their aluminum heads?
-Scott
I have the heads off the Sonerai for valve lapping. Since the heads are off, I decided to run a spark plug thread chaser tool to clean-up the threads. After I did the left head, I inserted the plugs and noticed that the chaser had enlarged the holes enough to allow the plugs to wiggle until they seat. The wiggle is more than enough to make me uneasy. Time for inserts...
I thought this will be like any other spark plug thread fix -- get a helicoil of the right size from the corner auto parts store and install. Then I hit the internet and found a whole bunch of opinions on spark plug inserts that my head is spinning.
Some people say not to use helicoils 'cause they can act as glow plugs to cause detonation.
Some people say to use Full-Torque inserts (http://www.fulltorque.com/sparkpluginserts.htm) since they are made of aluminum and expand at the same rate as the head.
Some people swear by Time-Sert inserts (http://www.timesert.com) since they offer the most permanent fix and include a new seat for the plug.
What do you guys think? What's best for our aero-VWs with their aluminum heads?
-Scott