# I messed 'er up but durn good! Dang!



## MinnTim (Jan 20, 2014)

Well I pull the ol' 2014 blower out (just purchased in January...) and decide I'll be a stud and change the plug and oil before any snow comes. I may not do that again.

To preface this, I've been pulling plugs for about (shhhh......) (said in a whisper....) 30 years. Never had one go bad or cross-threaded one or in general screwed it up. Not this year. The odd's finally ran out.

I guess the guy at the factory needs a girl REAL bad or something. There I am with my socket, extension and driver and I'm practically standing on this thing to break it free. FINALLY it breaks and I can pull it out.

As I'm pulling it out it feels awfully gritty. I didn't sweat that. When the plug comes out finally what do I see; THREADS.

Well, I can't put my actual words in this post....  , I wasn't pleased. Hoping it was just some OEM dust and stuff I cleaned her up and attempted to rethread it. No go. Now I'm worried. Pull out a high watt light and check things out on the engine. Yup, threads and lots of them. Never seen this before whether a new engine or one with decades on it.

So I do my best to clean the plug hole and try it. Nope. Not cool.

So before do something irrational I load it up on the trailer and make the 1/2 hour trip to the dealer. Explain things and he makes some remark about aluminum heads and mumbled something else. Ok, I have hope.

Two weeks later (like just last Friday) he says come and get it. I ask what they did; new head!!!!! Oh my. Now I'm sweating it. Get there and it's a $627 bill (about 200 for parts the rest man power). Thankfully it was under warranty and they covered it that way.

Got her home, did the oil change, a little lube here and there, checked full functionality and topped her off. Ran great.

Good thing - because now I have 6" in my driveway and plenty more coming.

Moral of the story? Not sure. Maybe some breakfree, WD-40 or something on the plug threads next time. Honestly, seeing that cost (nearly half the original price) I just may take it in June and have them do the plug and oil. That way I'm not sweating another $700 bill.

Happy Winter guys.....IT'S HERE!!!!


----------



## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

use some copper anti sneeze on it.


----------



## MinnTim (Jan 20, 2014)

Yeah, they put the new plug in so I don't know what the guy did. Like I said, probably worth the $40 or so to have them do it next time.


----------



## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

You do know that to unscrew the plug you have to turn counterclockwise right.....lol You're too strong.


----------



## MinnTim (Jan 20, 2014)

Coby7 said:


> You do know that to unscrew the plug you have to turn counterclockwise right.....lol You're too strong.


Ooohhhh suuurrrreeee...... NOW ya tell me!!! 




> You're too strong.


Maybe I need a girl!!! (Don't tell the wife...  )


----------



## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

I think I like you, you have a sense of humour! Love a guy that will admit his mistakes and laugh at himself. Not enough of us. lol


----------



## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Coby7 said:


> I think I like you, you have a sense of humour! Love a guy that will admit his mistakes and laugh at himself. Not enough of us. lol


 I think there is a little to much BRO LOVE going on there. if I am right on that 1.


----------



## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Bro love is a lot better than trigger happy idiots. I said like not love big difference, look it up in the dictionnary.


----------



## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Everytime I post something you seem to have a negative or stupid comment, as much as I like the other guy you are starting to get on my nerves. Let's keep this forum civilized please and keep your homophobic comments to yourself.


----------



## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

And stop drinking!!!


----------



## 94EG8 (Feb 13, 2014)

If it came out with threads it was cross threaded in there to start, or the steel plug fused to the aluminum head. No amount of penetrating oil will help with that.


----------



## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Or it was over torqued to begin with.


----------



## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

Tim, that's too bad. Makes me think I might want to check the plug in my machine before it's run for the first time


----------



## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

did you let the engine warm up BEFORE attempting to swap the plug?? guy said it.. `aluminium heads` this step (let the engine up to temp) is near crucial


----------



## Ariens28 (Oct 2, 2014)

Same thing happened to my dad's B&S 305cc on his Husqvarna, Threads stripped out of the head, but we fixed it we hope with a save a thread kit... seems to be working great


----------



## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

94EG8 said:


> If it came out with threads it was cross threaded in there to start, or the steel plug fused to the aluminum head. No amount of penetrating oil will help with that.


ive had `some` luck letting atf overnight for that type of situation.. now.. it does NOT always work.. it seems to only really be useful when you can work a 1/4 turn out and back in over and over before letting it sit to work it in too..


----------



## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

> Well, I can't put my actual words in this post....


I can only imagine MinnTim. Nearly new machine. I trust your credentials and knowledge of removing a spark plug. I just guess we have to be thankful it was 1. Under warranty 2. Something you were able to convince the dealer was from nothing you did wrong.
So $427 in labor to replace the head? Wow.


----------



## Skydog (Nov 12, 2014)

Galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar metals. That's why I anti-seize everything! Even dust caps on tire valves. Factory too cheap to use any? And air driven tools. When I went to remove the factory oil filter on my '09 F-150 I had to pierce it with a screwdriver and turnbuckle it off. Researched it online and someone had even drawn a cartoon of a gorilla with an air wrench as the factory installer! Glad they covered you for it.


----------



## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Coby7 said:


> Bro love is a lot better than trigger happy idiots. I said like not love big difference, look it up in the dictionnary.


 how does trigger happy idiots fit in any way. WHATEVER THERE DUDE.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Coby7 said:


> You do know that to unscrew the plug you have to turn counterclockwise right.....lol You're too strong.


Not a problem if you go the wrong way, that's what they make heli-coil for 

Anti-seize is the way to go with any sparkplug, copper or not. Small tube will do you or the auto parts stores carry small packets of it for a buck something.


----------



## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

I put either NGK or Denso plugs in everything I own and they both advise AGAINST the use of anti-seize.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/DYK_5Points.pdf


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

They don't advise against the use of anti-seize they warn that it can act like a lubricant and can change the torque buy up to 20%
When was the last time you actually pulled out a torque wrench to do a spark plug on your snow blower ??

If you do your plug yearly, no need for anti-seize. If you can't remember if you did it two years ago, three, .... then using anti-seize and NOT pulling the threads out when you try to take the plug out is far more important.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/dyk_5points.pdf

I've seen the damage pulled threads can cause and I've done a number of heli-coil repairs. In my world anti-seize is a huge benefit and cheap insurance the plug won't stick in the head. I have yet to damage the threads over-tightening a spark plug and except for a race engines I've never torqued a plug down to spec.

I torque every wheel nut when I pull a car wheel so I have a torque wrench and I know how to use it but I've never used it on a mower, blower, chainsaw .... spark plug.


----------



## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

My point being is it's not necessary when using NGK/Denso plugs, as they already have a "release agent" built into the threads of the plugs....just like it states in the link you and I posted. I just used a torque wrench on my blower last year and on my ATV this year when I changed them both to Denso plugs. I also use a torque wrench on all my lugs as I'm constantly changing from my "winter/storage" wheels to my summer ones on all my vehicles. I do have a bottle of anti-seize on my shelf, I just don't use it on plugs. 

DENSO SPARK PLUGS

I don't use one on chainsaws plugs though either. I have, however, used one to tighten the cylinder back down on a chainsaw.

I believe the OP issues was the plug was either cross-threaded and/or overtightened right at the factory. There is no other explanation why, something that new, would have had that issue just trying to remove the plug.....with or without anti-seize.

Using anti-seize will not harm anything as long as you are aware of the fact you should reduce the torque a bit in order not to over-tighten it.


----------



## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

I've helicoiled a few holes in my time. MinnTim's plug probably would have done that the day he got the machine.


----------



## MinnTim (Jan 20, 2014)

Marty013 said:


> did you let the engine warm up BEFORE attempting to swap the plug?? guy said it.. `aluminium heads` this step (let the engine up to temp) is near crucial


Interesting, never have done that but couldn't hurt, right?

Anyway, she's been run a few times now (we got around 14" and it's been blowing around) and she's running great. Seems to be skipping/missing when not under torque but running great either way. Heck, haven't started it in at least a week and she started first pull today to clear a path to the chicken coop.

Any thoughts on the supposed missing when idling? Normal? I don't recall if it did it before the new head so I can't compare new head work vs OEM build.

Oh, and as said, I've never, ever been a fan of steel plugs in aluminum heads. My first real mechanical training was the Army working on Cobra's and dissimilar metals was a huge thing with aircraft because of the corrosion and chafing that went with it. Dissimilar metal 'tape' all over the thing. Since those days I've never gotten the Al heads and steel plugs, rods, valves, etc thing at all. Not to mention how they expand, cool, blah, blah, blah. Figure the costs of steel inserts in everything though would make things pricier than they already are.


----------

