Helicoil on Buick 231 V6

Has anyone done this before the #1 plug is cross threaded and the plug does not seal. Im not sure if I can just rerun a tap and fix the threads or if I need to Helicoil it. Any one have a writeup on this or can give me any advise on what to do?

 

Either way I think you will get shavings in the cylinder. If your not worried about shavings run a tap and if it blows the plug out then Helicoil it. Last one I had it worked for a week then blew the plug so I took the head to a machine shop and had them Helicoil it. (I took the head off both times)

 

I have done it with the head on, but I was willing to pay the concequences if it went bad.

I forget what they are called, but napa sells a plug style spark plug re threding tap. It really does not cut anything just straightens the threads out.

If you helicoil, use a magnet on a stick and get as many of the shavings out that you can, when ou tap it put a dab of greese on the tap it will hold some of the shavings, then reuse the magnet. It really is not bad, and I have had success both times but just as easy the next one could go bad.

 

I"ve done it many times on those stinky Ford Triton engines. We used to have a vender doing our tune-ups before we hired another guy in the garage here. They never torqued the plugs (aluminum cyl head). The differance in metal types along with the heating/cooling effects would cause the spark plugs to "shoot" out of the hole. Destroying the threads.
The "proper" Ford fix is to replace the cyl head casting. We used a thread tap, and sometimes a helicoil, and repaired the hole while the engine was still together. I use the tap coated in grease, and it does a good job of keeping all the filings on the tap. Make sure once and a while to take it out and clean the metal/grease and re-load it. Never had a problem yet (knocking on wood).