93-02 V6 Tech V6 Camaro General Topics.

94 3.4l

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Old Aug 27, 2009 | 07:10 PM
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Default 94 3.4l

I was doing a tune up today first time on this car but not my first time , I started with the left side ( the hard side ) got them out easy , then started on the easy side , got the first out on the right side , then went for the second I noticed right away when I went to break it loose it was already loose, so I thought to myself the guy I had do it before must not have tighten it up good enough , so I went to untighten it with my hand , im guessing he stripped it , because it wont loosen up or tighten up anymore , my question is does this just happen sometimes or did he jack it up by over tightening , and from the other stuff Ive read im probly gunna have to take the head off and have someone re-thread it , this is my first post and I'm not a auto guru but I have been doing oil changes and tune up for quite awhile, just basically want to hear what you more exprienced guy have to say.
 
Old Aug 27, 2009 | 07:36 PM
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It's deja vu all over again!
You might have to pull the head, you might not. I had a similar problem once where someone previously got the spark plug cross-threaded in the head. I'm sure it was because they tried to put the plug in from above, when it was a much easier reach from underneath the car. The new plug wouldn't start straight, so I bought a spark plug thread chaser to straighten up the threads in the head. Auto Zone carries them. Then I used a different brand of plug that had a slightly longer threaded shank to be sure I was catching good threads as well.
Your threads might be stripped and gone, but you might be able to salvage them the same way if they aren't. It depends on how deep the plug was in the threads before it stripped out. With any kind of luck (keep fingers crossed), you might still have some threads below where the plug is sitting now. BTW, if and when you use a thread chaser, smear some grease on it so any shavings will stick to the tool instead of dropping down into the cylinder.

Can you grab the spark plug with a pliers, or get a small screwdriver below the plug so you can pry it up while trying to turn it out? The plug is stuck in there because the threads from the head are attached to it.
 
Old Aug 27, 2009 | 07:40 PM
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I might be able to slip a slim flathead under the plug socket but def cant get to it with pliers without taking a few things apart.
 
Old Aug 27, 2009 | 07:45 PM
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Do you have a torch to get a screwdriver tip red hot? In times like these, I've made right-angle tipped screwdrivers to help reach an unreachable spot.
 
Old Aug 27, 2009 | 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Camaro 69
Do you have a torch to get a screwdriver tip red hot? In times like these, I've made right-angle tipped screwdrivers to help reach an unreachable spot.
nope .
 
Old Aug 27, 2009 | 07:53 PM
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You can get a blow torch at Menards or Home Dopey relatively cheap.
 
Old Aug 27, 2009 | 10:02 PM
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Pep Boys used to sell a tool which reams the plug hole oversize and threads it for a helicoil, all in one operation, looks like a weird tap. They come in diferent sizes and reach. It works well on aluminum heads, but I never tried it on iron heads.
 




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