TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Jan 18, 2015 9:28 am

I bought a set of heads off of a guy here on Samba, everything was ok until I looked at the spark plug holes. All 4 holes are junk. Ran a thread chaser thru them, still not enough meat left. Putting in Helicoil save a thread. They say to use hi-temp RTV on the inserts. Wouldn't this be a little to soft? What about hi-temp lock-tite? Any suggestions? Thanks

Sun Jan 18, 2015 10:28 am

I would return heads.... Helicoils are only a "patch" they will probably come out next time you remove plugs even with best thread locker...

Best fix would be to have heads welded up and holes redrilled and tapped...

Dale

Sun Jan 18, 2015 10:59 am

I had helicoils for a while, until my spark plugs started popping out.

Sun Jan 18, 2015 11:21 am

I am surprised there is not a better thread sealer for spark plug inserts. I tried high temperature locktite but it vaporized and condensed on the white insulator of the sparkplug then the plug blew out.
The Porsche 356A heads have a factory steel thread helicoil in them that never gives any problems so it should be possible to figure it out for a VW Head.
There are 1st over and 2nd over inserts as well as steel helicoils available for VW heads but the ones I have used always came out the next time I changed the plug.

Loctite is only good to about 450' F and I think some of the new RTV's Like the Orange Copper stuff is good for about 750'F It may work.

Other manufactures use aluminum inserts for aluminum heads. I have not seen them for VW heads.

There may be a way to use say a 2nd over insert on your heads and pin them in and with the RTV they may just be the best way to go. Also I have searched the internet for "High Temperature Thread Locker" and there are some products that are good for 2000' but they're not available in the retail auto parts websites.

Here is a Video for the Time-Certs Installation: Ford Insert Kit video, Looks like the Time-Certs would be pretty good.

Sun Jan 18, 2015 11:24 am

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/Time-Sert-Tool-Rental-14-x-1-25mm-4412-p/time-sert-rental-4412.htm

are flared to lock into place, no loctite needed. These are far superior to heli-coil type repairs.

Sun Jan 18, 2015 1:15 pm

yeah time-serts are a lot better. They use same tap size as a heli-coil

Sun Jan 18, 2015 3:26 pm

Time-Serts are best by far.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/HEL0/5334...]Heli-Coil

JB Weld

Anti-Seize

Good Luck
Tcash

Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:02 am

Thank you everybody. I am going to try the inserts that tcash describes. They are not a coil of wire, but an actual solid insert that you flare at the top to hold it in place. Thanks again everybody.

Wed Jan 21, 2015 7:34 am

Time-Sert is likely the best.

I use one solid threaded insert (not Time-Sert though) on my 1835cc engine, like 6 years now, no issues. I cleaned the head threads, red Loctite on the insert's outer threads, and a little anti-seize on the spark plug itself.

I didn't pull the engine either to install that (#2 cylinder).