hpjunky98

iTrader: (3)

Well I just had an LS7 clutch and LS2 flywheel installed in my car by a local shop and after about 280miles i decided to push the car to feel the difference in the car. The car had a ticking noise before i took it to the shop, but i noticed it was significantly worse when i picked it up. I attributed this to the crapy pacesetter gaskets i had installed in my car with my JBA headers so I was under the impression i just had an annoying exhaust leak. The SES light came on after i picked it up, but It had been comming on so frequently, I thought it was just the TPS sensor again...

Now when i pushed the car getting onto the freeway, at the top of third gear the slight ticking became a loud BANG! and its made an unusually loud ticking noise ever since, and the SES light started blinking. I drove the car strait home after puling over and diagnosing to the best of my knowlage that the header gasket had blown.

Now this morning, I was getting ready to replace the gaskets, and when i was under the car, I noticed that the passenger side plug closest to the tranny (#7 I think) was hanging loose from the plug wire touching my header! Did the loud BANG! blow out the sparkplug? Did the shop mess up and disconnect the sparkplug and forget to put it back? Wouldn't this flood the #7 cylinder with fuel? Would the car have run on 7 cylinders for 280 miles???

Any help and opinions are greatly appreciated, as I dont even want to touch my car at this point.

Chris

hpjunky98

iTrader: (3)

TTT rly need some help here if anyone can shead some light on the situation.

1994Z28Lt1

iTrader: (1)

how could you not know that your car was only running on 7 cylinders?

hpjunky98

iTrader: (3)

Thanks that was alot of help...

Tainted

iTrader: (9)

k serious question

Did the car seem slower or sluggish? If it didnt, then I doubt the plug/wire was not plugged back in. Now if it did, then they may have forgot. But the tick sounds like a header leak and a blown gasket.

ws98ta

iTrader: (48)

I have had this happen to me.
Just get a new plug and reinstall it. Just hope you didn't mess up the threads.
The louder ticking noise you heard was all the air coming out of #7.

I am not sure why the spark plugs lossen up, but some times they do. I have heard of it happen several times on our cars.

The SEL light flashing means it had a misfire. It will go away once your plug is back in.

_JB_

iTrader: (33)

Try to put it back in and see what happens. Hopefully the threads are not messed up like ws98ta said. It might not have been tightened down and slowly worked its way out.

hpjunky98

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the help I thought my car was gonna be fucked up... hopefully u guys are right

hpjunky98

iTrader: (3)

Well Ive confirmed my fears. The Spark plug hole is stripped. it has about .5 - 1.5 Threads left at the very bottom that will barely hold the plug in. I stoped by Kregan and got a spark plug tap kind of like a helicoil. anyway I was having some trouble with it, but I havn't got very far. I was wondering If you guys that have done this repair could chime in with some tips... Seems like I could really **** it up bad, but at the same time I think i have the competance and patience to do it. Any help is appreciated!!!

ShortChevy

iTrader: (21)

Have you ever drove an ls1 on 7 cylinders. After my intake swap the number 7 injector was left unhooked. The only time you could tell was idleing in gear. Other then that it idled and and drove surprising fine. Only drove it about a mile before it was jerking at a stoplight, took me about 40 secs to figure it out. Sorry to get off track hpjunky98 but just trying to back you up a little bit.

hpjunky98

iTrader: (3)

For sure man, it drove fine right after it happened. I only noticed when i was ideling at a stoplight, and thanks for the bump.

If anyone has rethreaded a sparkplug hole please chime in and let me know your experience.

Drew04GTO

iTrader: (1)

You can't just tap the head, you MUST helicoil.

If you have the cash and time take the head off and have a machine shop do this to avoid shavings and stuff in the motor. If you are strapped for cash and its your daily... Helicoil on the car.

The helicoil kit will come with the threaded insert and a tap for the insert.
1. apply a liberal ammount of grease into the threads of the tap to catch shavings
2. clean out all grease and shavings from tapping to a larger size, clean the tap and run it back through atleast 4 times, cleaning after each try with a good solvent such as brake cleaner or contact cleaner, the threads MUST be absolutely 100% clean, no oil or any kind of residue.
3. apply loctite brand bearing retaining compound on the insert, not loctite red or blue, you need some real ****. Loctite #620 or #668 high temp retaining compound would be prefered.
4. Make abolutely sure you don't thread the insert in too far as exposed threads in the combustion chamber are asking for hot spots and detonation.
5. There's a little tang used to thread the insert in, this must be broken off with absolute care to not get it into the motor.

Really, honestly, don't want to sound like a dick but being that there are so many unknowns you should pull the head and take it to a machine shop.

hpjunky98

iTrader: (3)

**** I really dont want to pull the head

I don't wanna **** this up though, so I guess thats what im gonna have to do. This means I have to pull the intake and all off too.

Damn it! Ive never had to dip into the motor before, and I dont have the cash to upgrade at the same time... unless i sell my wheels or something.

Grimes

iTrader: (3)

sorry to hear about your problem man, but if you pull the head and helicoil i'm sure it will be fine. Just some advice for other people - when putting in spark plugs always thread them in by hand most of the way so that you don't take the chance of messing up the threads.