Time sert 5600 kit needed ... maybe

[TobyU]

Update(9-16-2017)
Ford dealer told me $4,200 for a head swap all said an done. He had just quoted someone else about a single head swap. (Mine is passenger side head)

Mom an pop garage (James garage of Albany Oregon) told me he doesn't feel comfertable doing the head swap, and suggests swapping the whole engine because he's seen too many problems with people having head swaps (and or head gaskets) done. He quoted $5,200 for the engine swap all said an done. Not bad for a 0 mile engine, he said it comes with 3yr 30,000 mile warranty.

Now I'm trying to decide what's the next move.

Has anyone had an insert custom made bigger than 3/4"? I have a buddy whose a middle school shop teacher and has access to a lathe, I'm thinking about doing a 13/16 or 7/8 in threaded insert, and make my own tap that has a ledge to make a ledge for the insert to stop on.

I'm wondering what's the max size I can tap into the sparkplug whole without getting into the water jacket?

I also am wondering if I should done a hard aluminum billet insert vs steel insert?

Any help from machinist, mechanic, metlergist types would be much appreciated.

Agentt3

This ****** me off! Is this just because it had been inserted before or do they ALWAYS recommend to most extensive expensive repair in every situation?? Probably!! Why I hate garages!!

The way you did it is THE ONLY way to do it!!

Sorry I'm late to the party on this thread.

Any way to do it is fine.
You could even do the worst and get a larger thread spark plug no fouler and cut a notch in it to make it self tapping and/ thread hole with tap and loctite that in OR a completely different plug with larger threads and same idea. Not ideal but I would work and be better than the ridiculous amount of money they want you to waste. GOD I hate people!!!

The worst case scenario is you pull the head and take to a machine shop. They can weld the whole damn hole shut and start over. They can put an insert with tons of threads 20X better than factory but removing head is what we want to avoid but these buttwipes would pull it off and put the same crap design on again!! Did I mention I hate people???

To answer one question about how big you could go...as big as you can adapt it down to fit a plug. No water to hit around there.

The only thing that even concerns me is the different ways different inserts use to keep it in place.
All kinds of swedgers or rods or center threaded "lockers" etc that are used to seat it or lock it into place.
I would think the best would be it you could have a slight countersink or bevel on the hole in head and had an insert that cork style seated into the bevel and then staked it into place. Or maybe just as good to have no bevel and simply stake around insert.
I think that ANY insert gives you better stronger threads to the spark plug but not necessarily attachment TO the head.
I think you will be fine though.
Great work!!! I would use antiseize on this plug threads only and don't overtorque it.
24ft lbs max....maybe even 18 if it feels tight enough.

 

[TobyU]

Ok so, I fixed it.

Napa
$15 7/8" 14 Nf plug tap prt#T-111
$18 7/8" 14 Nf hex die prt#Th-219
$8 14mm -1.25 metric tap prt#T-248

Harbor freight
$25 big drill bit set of 8 total 1/2"-1"

Free
1/2 drill bit I had laying around

I also had a new coil and sparkplug (2
$20 off eBay) from when it first happened an I thought timesert cared about us.
They don't.
I made a 7/8" insert so their claim to have the biggest one out there is a bag of lies !!! Hahaha
I digress, I took a 7/8 bolt I got from our local farmers feed and tack joint called (coastal farm) for $2.18. Put in in my vice and squeezed it super hard, so it would'nt move. I cut off the threads, and went about threading it with my 7/8-14 NF. It was a PItA but I got it done, I had to use a pipe wrench so it wouldn't slip off the die when cutting. I had some sweat and a few curse words but I got it done.

Next was to drill out the center with a little 1/8" bit I had that was new. I stress the new bits because they cut kick ass and you don't have to worry while trying to keep your hole centered and true, also a bit of advice use your center punch. I did an I still went off center.
Then 1/2" drill bit to chase the hole out big enough to do the spark plug threads 14mmx1.25. This part was also tuff because you have to back out every couple turns and it's a blind hole so you have to clean it out often.

Also use lots of tap oil (cutting fluid) it helps everything inside or out.

After all that was done and I was satisfied with the depth of both inner and outer threads, I cut the insert off the rest of the big ass bolt I used, and I started checking an fitting the sparkplug to my homemade 7/8" insert. I had to wrestle some with it to get it to workout how I wanted but what I ended up doing is leaving a little of the threads not done at the top of the insert so it would stop inside the head, I did my best to match it with the depth of the one that got spit out(as show in pics).

After all that was done I welded a 3/8" extension to the end of the 13/16 drill I got out of my harbor freight set. Make sure it's as straight as you can possibly get it, this will help big time when your drilling. I used a swivel to get my drill to work inside the cramped engine compartment. It was interesting but the drill did its work easy like through the aluminum. I hit something that stopped my drill bit at the end of the hole, I'm hoping it's not a valve , I cranked the engine over by hand to make sure the piston was lower and to check if the thing I hit would move , if it was a valve it should have moved but didn't after I turned the engine A little.

Next I welded a 3/8" extension onto the back of the 7/8" tap. Make sure to weld it on super solid, not just tack it like I did. It broke off ...
in the engine...
while I was taping the hole...
Luckily I was done and I'm a wrench ninja and got the tap backed out with my fancy skills. (I was proud of myself , can you tell?)

Once the tap was free'd and I had all the shavings vacuumed out to my satisfaction, I slapped the insert in!
Also I used a ~7/8" hose and jammed it into the end of our dyson for inside the house, don't tell my wife. It sucked that hole dry, as in no mas el shavingsO

Be sure to use high temp thread locker on the OUTSIDE of the insert, and use anti seeze on the INSIDE of the insert for the spark plug. Otherwise you'll have a bad day when it comes time to change your sparkplugs.

So just to be clear I just fired up the expy for a couple minutes after I was done to see if it ran and wasn't spitting my insert out. I haven't driven it anywhere yet, but I am confident it will have no issues for the next 50,000 miles till it's new plug time again. I'll update later when I find out.

Here's a pic of the taps an die I got from Napa.
View attachment 21829

Again, late to this thread, but....I use grease on the tap and then a vacuum hose taped down to a smaller tubing I put in hole to vacuum out. Then I use tubing on blow gun and vacuum and blow out several times. Then I fire up engine and let it blow the crap out the hole for 10-15 seconds.

Confused why you would think the drill bit hit a valve. You couldn't tilt it far enough to do that. The only thing you could hit would be top of piston. As long as you don't drill though that ..ok...or get the JB weld and a tiny putty knife out. LOL

 

[Yager]

U can hit the valve if the valve isn't closed. I have done omost every 5.4 i have had with the kit. Make sure the piston is all three way down and both valves are closed. Valves are angled inn the head so when there even cracked open a little bit then u could possibly hit or with the drill or tap...

 

[TobyU]

U can hit the valve if the valve isn't closed. I have done omost every 5.4 i have had with the kit. Make sure the piston is all three way down and both valves are closed. Valves are angled inn the head so when there even cracked open a little bit then u could possibly hit or with the drill or tap...

Haven't looked at the bottom side of a 5.4 combustion chamber and awhile or a 4.6 for that matter but it seemed to me the plug was pretty straight in at not much of an angle like some cars are and the valves would have to open pretty far for the angle to make up enough distance to be able to hit the valve but I guess it's possible. It would always be standard practice though to make sure the valves are closed when you are drilling or tapping and piston not near the top of its travel.

 

[forrestgto]

.just repaired a customers car with your idea.. so far works great!.. Had some ideas to simplify and quicken the fabrication of the insert though.. I own a small shop but have just about every tool imaginable and I also have a masters degree in black smithing and engineering.. neat thing is that the 2 major shops here tried and failed!.. This looks like it will work!... Thanx! Forrest..sent message/conversation to you to contact me (my cell # text) if you like