dkas Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Anyone had this happen and how bad is this. I have a 1994 cutlass convertible with the 3.4 Dohc. Tonight I started it and there were 2 large explosions and smoke started pouring out from under the hood. The engine than started ticking really quick so I quickly turned it off realizing something had happened under the hood. Once I pop the hood the number one spark plug was out of the block and had been blown into the under side of the hood damaging it as well. So how bad is this. Is the engine toast? There has to be damage to the threads where the spark plug screws in. Do you think the timing belt broke causing this? Does the fast ticking noise mean valves are damaged also. I just bought the car in July for 2900 and have spent 2000 fixing all the minor problems. Body is great...but I guess I am at the point of when is it time to cut stop in investing in this wonderful classic. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jman093 Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 I can almost guarantee there is damage to the threads on the head. You could try and install a helicoil yourself, but you might have to send the head out to a machine shop to be repaired and is recommended so this doesn't happen again. It didn't happen because of the timing belt. The plug was either loose or crossthreaded (or it has a fascination with Ford modular V8's ). I wouldn't be concerned with noise. An open combustion chamber on a running engine is going to produce some pretty hellacious noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtuetovice Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 An open combustion chamber on a running engine is going to produce some pretty hellacious noise. x2. I'm almost certain you'd be lucky if it ran like dog shit with a fucked timing belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach 5 Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 I have had this problem on my fathers Mini Cooper. Just go to Ford and buy their fix for the spark plug threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkas Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 I am have the car towed to the garage tomorrow. The mechanic thinks maybe the injector was leaking and to much gas was allowed to enter the chamber. I had drove the car home from work and it had being sitting for about 30 minutes and then I started it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jman093 Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 You'd bend a rod before you blew out a spark plug, but no way either could happen from the cranking of the starter. It'd just stop cranking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myotis1134 Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 (edited) Bloody aluminum heads. Unless you are super OCD about torquing your spark plugs just so, it's almost certain to happen eventually. I have heli-coiled the entire back side of my engine now, and the latest was with an oversized thread repair kit since the last blow-out was the heli-coil itself. It is possible to do yourself, just use lots of grease on the tap so shit doesn't fall into the cylinder, and don't rush for the same reason. You're lucky, if I'm reading my manual right, the # 1 plug is on the front of the engine? if so, unless you really trust a mechanic to be as fastidious about fixing your machine as you would be, doing it yourself, then a heli-coil kit doesn't cost too much, and you could have it fixed in a couple of hours. On the flipside, since I believe the heli-coil inserts are made out of steel, and you will be sticking it into an aluminum head, it will probably plague you again in the future. Differences in metal heat expansion and the like. p.s. Don't freak too bad about the noise it made. It's true that there could be more damage than just the threads, but most likely the threads just gave, and the engine sounds awful when it's missing a plug. Edited August 12, 2011 by Myotis1134 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkas Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Cool. Thanks for the all advise and reassurance. It was suppose to go to the garage today but the tow truck could not pick it up today. Next week they are on holidays, so another week and I have have any answer. I am missing some prime convertible weather however! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkas Posted August 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Finally had the car towed to the garage today and when it was moved there was 2 small spots of oil under it. The oil looked to be close to the location of the cylinder that blew the plug out of it. It wasn't leaking oil before this. Will let you know the what the garage says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted2bass Posted August 22, 2011 Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 I can almost guarantee there is damage to the threads on the head. You could try and install a helicoil yourself, but you might have to send the head out to a machine shop to be repaired and is recommended so this doesn't happen again. It didn't happen because of the timing belt. The plug was either loose or crossthreaded (or it has a fascination with Ford modular V8's ). I wouldn't be concerned with noise. An open combustion chamber on a running engine is going to produce some pretty hellacious noise. :lol: My friends dad had one of the plugs blow out of his F-250. I have heard it is a pretty common problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkas Posted August 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 Car is alive. The spark plug some how managed to "work its way out" causing it to be launched when I turned on the car. The only damage was to the spark plug wires which had to be replaced. New wires, plugs and $550.00 later it is running again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jman093 Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 New wires, plugs and $550.00 I was unaware they made platinum plugs completely made of platinum. In any case it was just left loose instead of crossthreaded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted August 27, 2011 Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 DEAR GOD $550!?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomZoomFan Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 DEAR GOD $550!?!? Kinda what I was thinking...new plugs and wires was all that was done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake91 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 HOLY HELL!!! $550 for plugs and wires!! did they give you lube with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbex Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Did it take him a week to diagnose that as well? Jesus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oilpatch197 Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 HOLY HELL!!! $550 for plugs and wires!! did they give you lube with that? Better be dielectric grease on those boots!! Yeah that is kinda very high, and you had to replace ALL the wires? Wouldn't just one wire be needing replacing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Where can you buy one spark plug wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgethis Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Where can you buy one spark plug wire? Rockauto, I thought they sold single for the AC delco wires. if not maybe singles but at least a pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oilpatch197 Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 (edited) Where can you buy one spark plug wire? As long as it is not a proprietary wire(like some ignition coil wires), most recognizable parts stores. You don't buy ONE, you tell them to MAKE one. Most have bulk wire on a roll in the back and they can "custom" make you one. They do a lot of custom stuff at the auto parts stores, like battery cables with crimped on end lugs(far superior to the prepackaged universal fit cables) , they don't really advertise it, you just got to ask. P.S. I'm talking about auto parts stores, NOT the discount chains, but they might have something, a real parts store will have something. Personally I like NAPA. CarQuest if I can find one. Edited August 29, 2011 by Oilpatch197 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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