Need help please

So I rode my bike around this morning and then went ahead and check my spark plugs to see how they looked and guess what I did . Stripped the spark plug hole on one side . just my luck I guess. Well considering my engine was hot and I was gentle pulling them , What are the chances of metal being in the chamber . I slowly turned the motor over and it is not hanging up but they doesnt really prove anything to me . As a welder I know the metal is more likely to chip when cold rather than hot . I want to put a helicoil in the hole but I dont want it to blowup while Im riding . Any help is great appreciated - Tyler

Its not that bad.
Turn the engine over by hand until the ex. valve is open.
Hit that cyl. with a shot of air and everything blows into the pipe.
In a pinch use a canister vacuum with the hoses switched so it blows.
When using the threading tool from the kit, dip in wheel bearing grease and the chips stick to it.

Good luck.


Mike

This bike has been hitting me with every shot from day one. I will try ur method only because tearing into my bike's head is not on my list of things I am good at. Thanks

Well for goodness sakes, If you don't think you can do it right, then have someone who can do it.

A stripped plug hole is not that big a deal.
BUT A SCREWED UP REPAIR CAN BE.

Think twice.Paying a pro to do it might be the best money you ever spent.

Apologies as I had just gotten the bike on the road and ready to ride before this happened. After doing a head crunching amount of research, I'm positive I can fix this. Little did I know that people put helicoils in motorcycles all the time without disassembling the top end. As long as I really grease things up and clean everything I should be good to go.
On another note- How do I know when the exhaust is open? I have read that turning the crank until I see the T lining up on the advancer is top dead center. Where do I go from there?

Okay so I took my exhaust off to see when the valve opens up. Blew it out with compressed air and alittle bit of dust aluminum came out. After I tap this and insert the helicoil, do I have to worry about alittle bit of aluminum dust? Im sure the bigger pieces will blow out and such. I take the dust doesn't matter since so my people helicoil there motor as it sits. Any insight would be great,

Schmeck wrote: ... Stripped the spark plug hole on one side ....

Just to confirm, the spark hole is stripped -- meaning most of the threads are gone -- and not merely cross-threaded.

Asking because there's a reverse tap tool that re-threads beginning at the deep end of the plug hole.

The tool enables regaining a cleanly threaded hole in situations where cross-threading at the top end makes it impractical to start new threads beginning at the top end.

Good Fortune!

The top is cross threaded yes. What tool is this you are talking about? It sounds like what I need. I basically stripped out the top of the thread going about 1/4 into the thread till I realize it was not going in right. Is this a kit or a tool I can rent? I am very interested - Tyler

I google'd the back tap tool and yeah that is what I should have gotten to begin with. Maybe I should Rent one and just keep this helicoil kit for later down the road? Thanks for the information before I went to insert a helicoil. I will try to back tap it first and see how that turns out. Thanks Patton

Another re-threading option would be removal of the head to access and re-tap the threads in the normal manner beginning with the good threads on the underside of the head.

Where feasible, some folks may prefer to R&R the head in order to repair the existing threads per the foregoing, instead of using a heli-coil or time-sert. Especially if some other head work is also desired, such as replacing the valve stem seals, etc.

The risk of cross-threading is of course minimized by the practice of always starting installation of each spark plug by hand to assure the threads are properly meshed before finishing the installation and tightening with a socket.

Even when installing a piping hot plug -- such as at roadside incident to a throttle chop reading -- a short section of rubber tube may be used to grip the hot plug and provide a tactile feel to assure proper thread meshing when re-installing the plug. A 4" long piece of tubing fits nicely in the tool kit, and avoids burnt fingers as well.

Good Fortune!

sooo Looks like I will just put the helicoil in . I looked everywhere for this back tap or reverse thread tool and it seems its online only. All of the shops near me dont carry them . Napa auto was the only one that even knew what i was looking for . Todays auto store workers dont know anything about tools. Atleast the ones near me that it. Oh well, I will just use alot of grease and go little by little to get a clean helicoil put in with sealer . I read that the helicoil is better than the stock thread anyways. Dont know how true that is, but It seems to be my option since the coil is on the way already . Thanks all

Good news ! took me awhile but I got it rethreaded and it started right up . Cleaned it out very nicely . Bad news, now I have my power issue again where it takes it a second to accelerate. Normally it would take off and slide me back on the seat. If not ignition timing , What are causes of power loss? its getting plunty of gas.