I’m watching this six years later and was absolutely well worth the time spent. I now own a Depstech bore scope based on Eric’s video a few months back and worth every penny I paid. I’m a home improvement contractor and needed to look inside a wall and you couldn’t ask for a better scope. South Main Auto for the win!
I loved the part when you where interviewing your daughter on how to get into kindergarden. The sudden realization on her face when you told her you dont remember anything either, figgin priceless. love your vids man keep up the good work
@@1marcelfilms I know this is like 6 months late but you get what you pay for and after watching him work I'd paid a lot for work on my car if I didn't work on it myself already.
A wonderful family supporting a true family man who is an outstanding mechanic. Thank you for your extreme knowledge and wonderful humor. You are a blessing to the auto industry. God bless you, your family and your business Eric.
You *could* have left it set a bit recessed into the hole, but you took the time to set it right... even on that older POS neon. After seeing that, i would have no concerns taking a job to you that im to lazy to do myself - clearly you put pride in your work. Great job man!
We have a 1999 Mazda Protege that blew out a plug. My husband thought the engine blew up. I said plug blew only because I've been working at dealership parts departments and will see this from time to time. I took off the coil pack and bam! Blown plug. I researched on how to rethread the hole and saw your video. The only one that looked like a shop did. The only problem we had was the tube was a smidge too small for the rethreader and socket to fit. We got something to work. Thanks for making this video!
Eric, you are so blessed. I've raised two Angels. One is an NCO at Travis AFB. The other is a competitive athlete at a D1 school in Texas. Celebrating 30 years of marriage this year. I can see the love your Wife has for you and the love your Daughter has for you. Enjoy it. Thanks for the videos I really enjoy them.
Six years late with my comment, but, eh, so it's late. Amazing work you did in this video on putting in that insert. I've never heard about a spark plug going to la la land like that plug did, but it's goog there's a fix. That customer will be thrilled her baby is running again. You are an amazing mechanic, one who really cares about doing the job right and not just to move to the next job. It's also interesting to watch these older videos and see what your kids were like at that time, compared to today. It's also nice to watch the interaction between you, your wife and kids. That's a real nice family.
Good morning Eric. I just wanted to thank you for posting this video. I have been working on forklifts for 30 years and now I have my own business. Had a caterpillar with a XN1P engine ( Peugeot ) which had 3 stripped out holes. These are not your typical engines. Watching your video gave me the confidence to try this procedure before removing the head which can really ruin your day with these engines. By the Grace of God all three holes were saved and no chips in the hole , the engine is running great. Keep up the good work.
Someone needs to make an action figure in your likeness. With a string that you pull to make it say all your little phrases! "There's your problem, lady!" "Classic reach around!" "Full gorilla!" etc...
Good video. I have done a couple on motorcycles. I always had fears the insert would come out when changing plugs so I always put Anti-seize on the plug threads. But I'm a Scaredy cat
That is THEE largest Q tip I've ever seen in my life. You do a great job with the videos! Love to see the family in them as well. I'm going back and watching a lot of your older vid's as well. Really glad I found your channel and will recommend it to my friends.
Nice demo of Heli Coils. I have only read about them never having the need for one in my amateur car repair experience. And now I know about thread chasers. Gonna buy a pair of funky needle-nose today. So the spark plug must have been loose and it wiggled around for a long time eventually destroying the threads and escaping. During that whole time there would have been a loud hiss with every stroke of that cylinder. And she just kept driving and driving blissfully ignoring the noise. My wife, even though she is a brilliant engineer would have done the same. I knew one guy whose car was making a hellish noise and he just kept driving. But in his defense he was born deaf. Using sign language I told him there was a noise and pinpointed the faulty pump. He fixed it himself and came back to me to ask if it sounded right. It did. From then on all of us guys at work made a point to listen to his car regularly.
Red Loctite won't hold because it's so hot on top of the cylinder, around the spark plug. It's the mechanical connection, the knurling, that holds the insert in place. That's why you have to use the special tap and set the insert to the correct depth. LOVE the shaving cream idea. Those SWABS ARE AWESOME.
450°F is limit for red Loctite , but spark plugs can get fairly hot. Copper Anti-Seize would probably work as lube/sealant and is recommended for spark plugs.
That head (and spark plug) are not going to get any hotter than the thermostat's rating. That shouldn't be more than about 220 F. Should be good to go.
i use the inserts with the shoulder for the spark plug to seal on. i wrap 1 round of solder between the spark plug and the insert. the solder is soft so it lets the spark plug release from the insert. the spark plug breaks loose every time. not that i work on many fords with spark plugs issues....today.
Yea my old favorite thing was when I was now retired working at Ford dealerships. For that repair I would put the piston at bottom of stroke and then used generic shaving cream to fill the cylinder to prevent any shavings from going inside the cylinder. When threading was done I then started the engine to blow everything out. Worked like a charm.
Yo Eric O, This is Dustin coming from the DEEEP South Mississippi. I've watched enough of your videos to know for a fact that we as in "SSippians" need mechanics like you running shops! The fact that you explain every tiny detail and that you handle every single detail sets you apart from these lazy ass, corner cutting, lying crooks. I just want to thank you for being a straight up honest and educating mechanic. I don't bring my rides to the shop, never have. I do all my own work and when i need some guidance i like to find good videos like yours to help do the job correct. There's nothing worse than having to repair a repair... Ohh by the way i just pulled a head out a junk yard that already had a helicoil and was no good. The head was free so im gonna go for the double whammy. Wish me luck. It's my whip so im not trying to screw anybody im just trying to make it and save as much money as possible. Covid19 has me out of work so i gotta "work with what I've got". From the Gulf Coast to the East Coast this is DustinB. Have a good one bro, BE the American Dream!
I got lucky with my 98 f150 5.4 2v triton. Never once did it blow a plug out. It did however enjoy the all you can eat coil pack buffets. 251k miles when I got rid of it. It had 94k on it when I bought it. I went through atleast 3 complete sets of 8 coil packs that had nothing to do with the 100k tune-ups. Any time I hit a water puddle, there goes a coil lol.
2V didn't have many threads, but they could support more torque than the factory manual calls for. As long as they haven't blown out, torque new plugs in 2V heads to 25ft-lbs and you're g2g
+Thomas Niner I put a Helicoil in an '87 Dodge Aries right before I sold it years ago....the kid who bought it came back to me four months later... "Yeah, that thing blew up on me....put 13,000 miles on it and didn't do nothing to it, but it sure blew up." ....And I thought "wow, he got 13,000 more miles outta that $450 turd."
I think whats make the SMA channel so special, is the interaction around the shop, other stuff to do... Plus lunch (good on you Vanessa, you take care of Eric well ) and including the rest of the family.. Including the dogs! Will be waiting for the day that you teach your sons their first brake job ( or even Trina/Trinity for that matter). Love what you do, and have learned so much watching, thus happy to be a Patreon. Keep up the good work for your customers, and for all of us as learners! .... I'm just a backyard mechanic, but I'm sure this knowledge will come in useful one day.
Excellent video. Good thing you had that thread expander. I went with a friend down to Florida to pick up I think, a '67 Fairlane. On the way back we heard a big bang and then it was missing. Yup, blew out a spark plug. Luckily, it had just loosened up and we were able to just screw it back in. I was a little concerned when you started the car from the outside though. One day while in the Army in Germany, I went up to the motor pool and inside the I saw this big hole in the wall. I asked a friend about the hole because I didn't remember it being in there and found out a guy was working on a 2 1/2 ton truck and hit the remote starter with the truck in gear. I looked out the opening and the truck was down in a field. Luckily he didn't get hurt. Another time I was working on the carburetor on a '88 Chevy Nova trying to get it to run better. I thought it was in neutral, but unfortunately it was in drive. I made an adjustment, the revs went up to about 3,000 and ended up being pinned between my car and my sister-in-laws brand new car. I ended up in the hospital for 10 days. I called my car Christine after that, lol. That was 14 yrs ago and I still am very leery walking in front of and in back of running cars. Didn't break anything, luckily, just got a 3 bad infections. Oh well, such is life. Thanks again for sharing especially being so thorough explain each process. Funny how so many jobs just don't go as easy as we'd like them to go.
I recently changed the plugs in my Toyota T100. I had an insert come out with the old plug. I bought a new set of inserts at the parts store and threaded it in with a wooden drum stick. I counted the threads on the insert (13). Then I put the new insert in after an application of red loctite and slowly turned it counter-clockwise until it clicked. I turned it a quarter-turn clockwise and verified the threads had engaged. Then I threaded it in the full 13 turns. I wiggled the drum stick out without rotating it and verified the insert was flush with an endoscope. I had a similar cheapo unit like in the video that I had on hand. Once I was happy with the insert position, I flared it with a 3/8" drive socked that had a nice flare and fit the insert well. Worked like a charm! Thanks SMA for the video as it helped me decide on a course of action that got me out of a jam without having to buy the insert installation kit!
"Don't tell them who your dad is or they won't let you in" lol Trinity is so adorable. hahaha My sister still blames me for her being unpopular with the school because i was so hated by the teachers there. lol One of our agency lads had the spark plug blow out the top of his old Kawasaki 650 after having it "repaired" twice by a garage. So i got a tube of this mega evil death epoxy i got off a hydraulic engineer and stuck it back in with that. Its been fine for 2 years. But i was thinking of helping him remove the plug and do a propper job. Its a nice bike after all.
I can relate... both the school/sister thing and because I had to include a tube of SuperUltraEpoxy to my arsenal as a plan b should the solo performance / at-home repair of my motorcycle not go too well this afternoon, being that I am NOT an Auto Mechanic, like, at all (medic/musician/youtube diy junkie). Well, here I go!
Excellent video. fixed my 99 Plym. Breeze 2.4L. you r a live saver. you guys are an awesome family. i left my wife & two sons for another chick, married, divorced, married again. given another chance, i would have worked things out with number 1. moral to the story: no matter what, YOU TWO STAY TOGETHER & AND WORK OUT WHATEVER!....and you will NEVER have regrets. PEACE, GOD BLESS!
I do enjoy a "Well, there's you're problem, lady!" within the first 3 minutes of the video. Now, if we could couple that with a liberal application of brake cleaner on something, we'd be set.
I’m watching this because the #3 plug in my Fit felt like getting off the highway before the rest of the car. Then I hear this gem: “Only thing that runs? Honda. Of course.” 🤣
You remind me of my dad. He was a mechanic, owned his own shop. Talked the same way, same jokes and puns, same mannerisms. I grew up in a shop, worked in a bunch, went to school for it (not for work, that takes the fun out of it), so I know a good bit, electrical diag is my best area. I still learn from you, Where I’m going with this is, I do watch because I like mechanics, but mostly because you remind me of how my Father was. Hell, even the way you fingers and hand grip wrenches and pliers, my dad always gripped everything like that, never thought too much of it. Until I saw you do it and realized it’s just a long time mechanic thing. Using the most leverage the hand can offer. Keep em coming Eric! When I get back to PA, I’ll swing up. I’m only 3-1/2 hours outside of your shop. Be cool to meet you in person and pick up some signed merch.
Watching in 2020. This guy needs his own network tv series. But then he'd be reduced to the whim of a network corporation. Just stay Eric O. Your your you-tube friends love you!!!
Sir I've been watching your videos for some time now and I have to say. . . . . .You my friend are very very good at what you do. I think God had it planned from the beginning that you'd be a mechanic. Love your channel! Without question one of my favorites.
As this video progresses, I am getting angrier and angrier. Back in 1993, my 1986 Ford Escort lost a spark plug because someone put it in bad so the threads were stripped. I was told by a mechanic that I was SOOL. The only way to fix it was to get a brand new head according to the mechanic, May God have mercy on his soul. I didn't know about helicoils back then. I could have fixed it myself knowing what I know now. Instead, I had little money and had to drive it with 3 cylinders until it died. My life got messed up because of that and took me years to get back on track. God bless you and your videos. They are helpful to so many.
Super cool video on many levels. I'm almost 70 and rebuilt my first engine at age 16 - back when mechanics only shared their knowledge with those they knew and liked. I've always heard about Helicoil. Now I know. Awesome, thanks.
When I was 17 in high school, I got my first truck. Previously I had a 86 iroc-z camaro that had been my moms since I was around 6. Around 2 years later she put diesel in the tank and put holes thru multiple pistons. I sat with my dad and his friends every weekend for a couple months as they pulled,rebuilt the engine and put it in the car. From then on I was really into the mechanical aspects of things and with small block chevys. So I read many service manuals and did as much research as I could on the early 00 internet. The day I turned 15 I got the camaro and started putting work into. By the time I was 17 my dad didn't want me driving it on the street anymore cause he knew the invisible would happen(I really liked racing especially drags and had a heavy foot he knew both and assumed correctly what I was doing with my low 9 second drag car. He convinced me to buy a truck and daily drive it and just race my camaro. He paid for half the truck with me as per our agreement. He convinced me to buy a 4 cylinder toyota 4runner of all things which was alien to me not only a hardcore american manufacture fan but especially chevys. I bought it from his coworker and a previous 15 year toyota technician. He gave me a free labor warranty for any work that might need to be done on the truck for the first few months I owned it(if anything broke he'd fix it for free i just bought the new parts.) The brake master went bad a few weeks later and i left my truck at his house for the day and took my car to school. Well the inevitable happened that day. I had a friend get in with me to go to lunch and i tried to show off by drifting around the corner which I'd done many times. Well instead of the back end snapping loose and sliding it snapped loose and went like 45 degrees and grabbed traction again and I smashed into the back outside corner of a parked station wagon with the front corner of my bumper. My dad called rite as the cop showed up saying my truck was done and he was coming to get the car and I had to tell him I totaled someone else's car. The cop said I ran the sign but i had stopped. Dad was pissed but my car was fine for most part just a new passenger front fender didn't even damage my bumper just caught my fender and folded it. Pushed the 90s escort station wagon over the curb and folded the rear axle up under the car. The wheels face was flush with the ground on top of the side walk. My dad made me take my truck and go back to school while he drove car home. After that I started looking into my truck and what people said so I tried off roading. I've been hooked since. Unfortunately I was dumb and took my showroom quality 4runner everywhere I thought it would go and it did almost every time. Well turns out things start breaking fast when you take a 25 year old truck thru things a quasida and dirt bikes second guess. All this leads to the fact I hardworking on shit that's super crusty with dirt mud rust whatever too.ive had many a weird thing fall in my ears. Not fun, less fun cleaning it to realize how much there is in your ear. My truck was so bad when I was 18 my dad refused to help me work on it anymore ever cause of how dirty it was. My dads worked on Boeing 747s for nearly 30 years , he still wont touch my truck.
Great deadpan explanation of "shaving cream" probably had some believing you, that was awesome! You're truly blessed with your abilities and loving Family. *Good luck Trinity!* Maybe you'll fix the Teachers' or Principals' car some day? Great view with that Bore scope.
I wish all mechanics were as truthful and up-front like this man. You can tell he doesn't mess around, try telling ppl BS that's not true to make more money. He's straight up legit and a genuinely good practice mechanic. Plus you don't see shady mechanics video taping their work bcuz they can't. Bcuz they lie to their customers and say more things are wrong than really are. Mechanics like this guy are a rare hard find.
Been watching your videos for a few days and as a 35 year veteran Harley Mechanic, I'm impressed, good work! Nice family by the way. I hope you realize just how blessed you are!
Applied the Eric O. method on my 2v modular and it worked like a charm. Change your plugs and use nickle anti-seize! I learned my lesson about letting plugs go 100k+ EDIT: though I did use red RTV in lue of thread locker, used the tap to thread the insert in and then used the expander punch on it before i threw a plug back in haha.
I enjoy the expert repair video as well as the family interaction. You are clearly blessed and I can only wish that I could do it, because you can do it. Thank you.
Boy did this bring back bad memories. I am 70. When I was 16, I had my first Jaguar XK-120 and I decided I was going to change the spark plugs! Bad Idea. I cross threaded one of them. Fortunately, the place that normally did my wrench turning helped me out and used a helicoil to fix it. I thought that was so cool! Saved my bacon, in the process. Great video!
Here's a quick Tip for doing this job. Make sure to flare the end of the insert on the bench "before" you try to install it, check the video at 35:20 (the reason I flare it before inserting it, is because in some cases, the insert can screw all of the way into the cylinder, the flare keeps it from going all of the way in). Then apply the Red Loctite to the outside threads of the insert, and apply anti-seize lube on the spark plug threads. Screw the spark plug into the insert, then install both into the cylinder head and torque it to the proper torque spec. and you will not have to worry about removing the spark plug until the next spark plug change (this also gives the red Loctite time to do its job). Those teeth on the end of the insert will dig in and help to hold the insert into the head. I've done this several times and it works perfectly!
Borkzilla You can use the Save-a-thread on a V.W. but you don't have much room to hammer. You'd be better to use a Lisle kit with inserts that lock in. These in this video can loosen and pop out if the hole was enlarged.
Isn't it great working as a family unit? Having your wife and child with you all day is great. I worked with my wife at her parent's newspaper as the head pressman for 12 years and our son went to work with us everyday from age 3 weeks until we left the paper in 2008 (about 15 years). It's not for everyone, working that closely with family.... but for those that can hack it, it's great!
Brilliant kit, i didnt use exactly that one but a much simpler Napa one for around $60 CA. A couple years ago my daughters boyfriend decided to change the sparkplugs/wires on her early 2000's VW golf as it had an occasional miss fire especially in damp weather. I dont remember the exact cyl now but the spark plug had gone through a total nuclear meltdown, there was no top electrode left, very little center electrode and ceramic left and half of the threads down one side of a long thread spark plug were just eroded and gone. I can only imagine the damage to the cyl head itself. There were zero threads left after the plug was removed. You could take the new plug and simply push/pull it out of the hole, zero thread grab. I'm an almost 60 year old backyard mechanic and have never, ever seen a spark plug like that. I was a little careless in tapping the hole for the insert so it didnt sit nice and flush against the head but no matter. Car was a beater anyway and ran finest kind after that. So if you strip threads out of a spark plug hole, dont lose your mind, it really is a simple straight forward easy fix weather its a lawn mower or a luxury car.
That's a good repair he did. That Neons worth at Max seven or eight hundred bucks. I don't know how much to repair was but that was nice to save the car for somebody who needs one obviously
I bought my parents 04 Neon ten years after they bought it. It had 32,000 miles on it. Drove it from IL to FL, made some repairs, and gave it to my granddaughter for college. Five years later, it is back in IL running good. The salt is taking its toll though.
You have the wife, kid, a couple of dogs and a job you obviously love, you are living the dream! Thanks for another great video!
plankton199: now isn't that the absolute truth! Eric O my man is the American dream, doesn't get any better than that!
i was thinking the same! that smaller dog looks like a devil prepairing something... hehe Thanks for another great video!
Now we know why she's always in a good mood. "Story of my life". I actually lolled. 29:30
The American Dream
you forgot one thing the money he making
I’m watching this six years later and was absolutely well worth the time spent. I now own a Depstech bore scope based on Eric’s video a few months back and worth every penny I paid. I’m a home improvement contractor and needed to look inside a wall and you couldn’t ask for a better scope. South Main Auto for the win!
I'm an engineer, working on cars for 45+ years, built a couple from scratch, etc. You do great work and are a blessing to your customers.
Thanks Stan!
@@SouthMainAuto thanks Steve
You need to release some of your knowledge for those who are eager to learn 😎 unless you're restricted from doing so by a firm and such.
I loved the part when you where interviewing your daughter on how to get into kindergarden. The sudden realization on her face when you told her you dont remember anything either, figgin priceless. love your vids man keep up the good work
At last! A mechanic who treats customer vehicles like they're his own ... outstanding work!!
He's not a mechanic he's a technician.
I think he is the bees knees
probably insanely overpriced tho
@@papi-champoo6033 3⁴4eqe33 for
@@1marcelfilms I know this is like 6 months late but you get what you pay for and after watching him work I'd paid a lot for work on my car if I didn't work on it myself already.
A wonderful family supporting a true family man who is an outstanding mechanic. Thank you for your extreme knowledge and wonderful humor. You are a blessing to the auto industry. God bless you, your family and your business Eric.
Love seeing the family interact together in the videos. Part of what makes this channel great.
Makes for a long marriage
She's a pip!!!
You *could* have left it set a bit recessed into the hole, but you took the time to set it right... even on that older POS neon. After seeing that, i would have no concerns taking a job to you that im to lazy to do myself - clearly you put pride in your work. Great job man!
this is my favorite kind of SMA video, some tech stuff, mechanic stuff and some family stuff. Bring it all together. Thank you for the videos.
We have a 1999 Mazda Protege that blew out a plug. My husband thought the engine blew up. I said plug blew only because I've been working at dealership parts departments and will see this from time to time. I took off the coil pack and bam! Blown plug. I researched on how to rethread the hole and saw your video. The only one that looked like a shop did. The only problem we had was the tube was a smidge too small for the rethreader and socket to fit. We got something to work.
Thanks for making this video!
Eric, you are so blessed. I've raised two Angels. One is an NCO at Travis AFB. The other is a competitive athlete at a D1 school in Texas. Celebrating 30 years of marriage this year. I can see the love your Wife has for you and the love your Daughter has for you. Enjoy it. Thanks for the videos I really enjoy them.
He is living the dream that I lived,5 kids and a wife a dog and cat and a shop,God I miss my time in the sun!
One of the most detailed and meticulous mechanic out there. Great job.
This channel is my after work therapy. Seriously thank you for the quality content everytime.
This is way beter than staged reality bullcrap😂
Sparky told Cylinderla he’s outta there because she’s been sucking every stroke that came along. The valve twins stuck while blowing a Rod.
Six years late with my comment, but, eh, so it's late. Amazing work you did in this video on putting in that insert. I've never heard about a spark plug going to la la land like that plug did, but it's goog there's a fix. That customer will be thrilled her baby is running again.
You are an amazing mechanic, one who really cares about doing the job right and not just to move to the next job.
It's also interesting to watch these older videos and see what your kids were like at that time, compared to today. It's also nice to watch the interaction between you, your wife and kids. That's a real nice family.
Awesome video. It really made a crappy day better. And just when i thought I had seen everything, eric busts out the worlds biggest q-tip.
i am 45 years old and i've never seen a q tip that big. i did not know they existed. such edumucation. very knowledge.
@@Tech-49 I'm 61, and I'd never seen one that size outside a hospital.
Wonder what they are called, so I can search for them on Amazon..
Imagine Eric O, just as he is, but working as a gynecologist (but without the brake clean). "Well there's your problem, lady!"
"Lets do a hypothetical what just happened in the hole series."
Doctors should at least give the brake cleaner a try. I used it to clean my wife's ears and she now hears much better.
nasty ! family show here
This is probably the best video i've seen on this repair so far
Good morning Eric. I just wanted to thank you for posting this video. I have been working on forklifts for 30 years and now I have my own business. Had a caterpillar with a XN1P engine ( Peugeot ) which had 3 stripped out holes. These are not your typical engines. Watching your video gave me the confidence to try this procedure before removing the head which can really ruin your day with these engines. By the Grace of God all three holes were saved and no chips in the hole , the engine is running great. Keep up the good work.
Someone needs to make an action figure in your likeness. With a string that you pull to make it say all your little phrases! "There's your problem, lady!" "Classic reach around!" "Full gorilla!" etc...
👍
"" GIVE ER THE BEANS"
"what in thunder?"
Wooh Hoooh (like when he drops Heavy shit)
"C'mon little fella"
Good video. I have done a couple on motorcycles. I always had fears the insert would come out when changing plugs so I always put Anti-seize on the plug threads. But I'm a Scaredy cat
That is THEE largest Q tip I've ever seen in my life. You do a great job with the videos! Love to see the family in them as well. I'm going back and watching a lot of your older vid's as well. Really glad I found your channel and will recommend it to my friends.
Covid-19 is still 4 years in the future - you see them in 2020.
Nice demo of Heli Coils. I have only read about them never having the need for one in my amateur car repair experience. And now I know about thread chasers. Gonna buy a pair of funky needle-nose today.
So the spark plug must have been loose and it wiggled around for a long time eventually destroying the threads and escaping. During that whole time there would have been a loud hiss with every stroke of that cylinder. And she just kept driving and driving blissfully ignoring the noise. My wife, even though she is a brilliant engineer would have done the same.
I knew one guy whose car was making a hellish noise and he just kept driving. But in his defense he was born deaf. Using sign language I told him there was a noise and pinpointed the faulty pump. He fixed it himself and came back to me to ask if it sounded right. It did. From then on all of us guys at work made a point to listen to his car regularly.
Red Loctite won't hold because it's so hot on top of the cylinder, around the spark plug. It's the mechanical connection, the knurling, that holds the insert in place. That's why you have to use the special tap and set the insert to the correct depth.
LOVE the shaving cream idea. Those SWABS ARE AWESOME.
What about using high heat red loctite 272? They don't list the heat rating on their website.
450°F is limit for red Loctite , but spark plugs can get fairly hot. Copper Anti-Seize would probably work as lube/sealant and is recommended for spark plugs.
That head (and spark plug) are not going to get any hotter than the thermostat's rating. That shouldn't be more than about 220 F. Should be good to go.
JB weld,77 Cordoba
He saved these people a bunch of bucks . Great job sir .
i use the inserts with the shoulder for the spark plug to seal on. i wrap 1 round of solder between the spark plug and the insert. the solder is soft so it lets the spark plug release from the insert. the spark plug breaks loose every time. not that i work on many fords with spark plugs issues....today.
thsnk you
Yea my old favorite thing was when I was now retired working at Ford dealerships. For that repair I would put the piston at bottom of stroke and then used generic shaving cream to fill the cylinder to prevent any shavings from going inside the cylinder. When threading was done I then started the engine to blow everything out. Worked like a charm.
Since I been watching these videos, my damn brake cleaning spray makes that same funky music too!
Yo Eric O, This is Dustin coming from the DEEEP South Mississippi.
I've watched enough of your videos to know for a fact that we as in "SSippians" need mechanics like you running shops! The fact that you explain every tiny detail and that you handle every single detail sets you apart from these lazy ass, corner cutting, lying crooks. I just want to thank you for being a straight up honest and educating mechanic. I don't bring my rides to the shop, never have. I do all my own work and when i need some guidance i like to find good videos like yours to help do the job correct. There's nothing worse than having to repair a repair... Ohh by the way i just pulled a head out a junk yard that already had a helicoil and was no good. The head was free so im gonna go for the double whammy. Wish me luck. It's my whip so im not trying to screw anybody im just trying to make it and save as much money as possible. Covid19 has me out of work so i gotta
"work with what I've got".
From the Gulf Coast to the East Coast this is DustinB. Have a good one bro, BE the American Dream!
Man I was almost sure before clicking that it would be a Ford Triton since they have a severe spark plug allergy :-).
Lol me too
matco makes a special tool for extracting the broken spark plugs out of the head and you aint wrong about those v10's
I got lucky with my 98 f150 5.4 2v triton. Never once did it blow a plug out. It did however enjoy the all you can eat coil pack buffets. 251k miles when I got rid of it. It had 94k on it when I bought it. I went through atleast 3 complete sets of 8 coil packs that had nothing to do with the 100k tune-ups. Any time I hit a water puddle, there goes a coil lol.
You're wrong. The 2v were known to blow plugs out. The 3v break when trying to extract them.
2V didn't have many threads, but they could support more torque than the factory manual calls for. As long as they haven't blown out, torque new plugs in 2V heads to 25ft-lbs and you're g2g
Home mechanic. Never did a helicoil but now know what's involved. Your the best Eric.
I think this repair and the new plug will outlast the Neon.
+Thomas Niner the thought of keeping a Neon on the road is ..is...disturbing.
+Thomas Niner I put a Helicoil in an '87 Dodge Aries right before I sold it years ago....the kid who bought it came back to me four months later...
"Yeah, that thing blew up on me....put 13,000 miles on it and didn't do nothing to it, but it sure blew up."
....And I thought "wow, he got 13,000 more miles outta that $450 turd."
would you rather a fiat based vehicle? i think yugo is trying to make a come back.... early sign up in your future?
Tim Ewa in Tennessee neons are everywhere!
I think the next oil change will outlast the neon lmao
I think whats make the SMA channel so special, is the interaction around the shop, other stuff to do... Plus lunch (good on you Vanessa, you take care of Eric well ) and including the rest of the family.. Including the dogs! Will be waiting for the day that you teach your sons their first brake job ( or even Trina/Trinity for that matter). Love what you do, and have learned so much watching, thus happy to be a Patreon. Keep up the good work for your customers, and for all of us as learners! .... I'm just a backyard mechanic, but I'm sure this knowledge will come in useful one day.
I love working on heavy duty trucks, I've never had to re-thread a spark plug hole 😉 but I do look like who did it and why at the end of the day.
Excellent video. Good thing you had that thread expander. I went with a friend down to Florida to pick up I think, a '67 Fairlane. On the way back we heard a big bang and then it was missing. Yup, blew out a spark plug. Luckily, it had just loosened up and we were able to just screw it back in. I was a little concerned when you started the car from the outside though. One day while in the Army in Germany, I went up to the motor pool and inside the I saw this big hole in the wall. I asked a friend about the hole because I didn't remember it being in there and found out a guy was working on a 2 1/2 ton truck and hit the remote starter with the truck in gear. I looked out the opening and the truck was down in a field. Luckily he didn't get hurt. Another time I was working on the carburetor on a '88 Chevy Nova trying to get it to run better. I thought it was in neutral, but unfortunately it was in drive. I made an adjustment, the revs went up to about 3,000 and ended up being pinned between my car and my sister-in-laws brand new car. I ended up in the hospital for 10 days. I called my car Christine after that, lol. That was 14 yrs ago and I still am very leery walking in front of and in back of running cars. Didn't break anything, luckily, just got a 3 bad infections. Oh well, such is life. Thanks again for sharing especially being so thorough explain each process. Funny how so many jobs just don't go as easy as we'd like them to go.
It is great to watch you take on your work with the attitude that the job is already done before even removing one screw!
I recently changed the plugs in my Toyota T100. I had an insert come out with the old plug. I bought a new set of inserts at the parts store and threaded it in with a wooden drum stick. I counted the threads on the insert (13). Then I put the new insert in after an application of red loctite and slowly turned it counter-clockwise until it clicked. I turned it a quarter-turn clockwise and verified the threads had engaged. Then I threaded it in the full 13 turns. I wiggled the drum stick out without rotating it and verified the insert was flush with an endoscope. I had a similar cheapo unit like in the video that I had on hand. Once I was happy with the insert position, I flared it with a 3/8" drive socked that had a nice flare and fit the insert well. Worked like a charm! Thanks SMA for the video as it helped me decide on a course of action that got me out of a jam without having to buy the insert installation kit!
"Don't tell them who your dad is or they won't let you in" lol
Trinity is so adorable. hahaha
My sister still blames me for her being unpopular with the school because i was so hated by the teachers there. lol
One of our agency lads had the spark plug blow out the top of his old Kawasaki 650 after having it "repaired" twice by a garage. So i got a tube of this mega evil death epoxy i got off a hydraulic engineer and stuck it back in with that. Its been fine for 2 years. But i was thinking of helping him remove the plug and do a propper job. Its a nice bike after all.
I can relate... both the school/sister thing and because I had to include a tube of SuperUltraEpoxy to my arsenal as a plan b should the solo performance / at-home repair of my motorcycle not go too well this afternoon, being that I am NOT an Auto Mechanic, like, at all (medic/musician/youtube diy junkie). Well, here I go!
Excellent video. fixed my 99 Plym. Breeze 2.4L. you r a live saver. you guys are an awesome family. i left my wife & two sons for another chick, married, divorced, married again. given another chance, i would have worked things out with number 1. moral to the story: no matter what, YOU TWO STAY TOGETHER & AND WORK OUT WHATEVER!....and you will NEVER have regrets. PEACE, GOD BLESS!
I do enjoy a "Well, there's you're problem, lady!" within the first 3 minutes of the video. Now, if we could couple that with a liberal application of brake cleaner on something, we'd be set.
I’m watching this because the #3 plug in my Fit felt like getting off the highway before the rest of the car. Then I hear this gem: “Only thing that runs? Honda. Of course.” 🤣
THIS IS MY NEW FAVOURITE CHANNEL! :D
You remind me of my dad.
He was a mechanic, owned his own shop. Talked the same way, same jokes and puns, same mannerisms.
I grew up in a shop, worked in a bunch, went to school for it (not for work, that takes the fun out of it), so I know a good bit, electrical diag is my best area. I still learn from you,
Where I’m going with this is, I do watch because I like mechanics, but mostly because you remind me of how my Father was.
Hell, even the way you fingers and hand grip wrenches and pliers, my dad always gripped everything like that, never thought too much of it. Until I saw you do it and realized it’s just a long time mechanic thing. Using the most leverage the hand can offer.
Keep em coming Eric! When I get back to PA, I’ll swing up. I’m only 3-1/2 hours outside of your shop. Be cool to meet you in person and pick up some signed merch.
Starting to really like this channel
Watching in 2020. This guy needs his own network tv series. But then he'd be reduced to the whim of a network corporation. Just stay Eric O. Your your you-tube friends love you!!!
Another fantastic video! That job would have terrified me. You made it look easy. Keep em coming!
Tool and die maker with 25 years experience here, grease on tap to control chips is genius! Love these videos!
Sir I've been watching your videos for some time now and I have to say. . . . . .You my friend are very very good at what you do. I think God had it planned from the beginning that you'd be a mechanic. Love your channel! Without question one of my favorites.
Yes sir, this is where He put me so this what I do :D
and extremely good at it too I might add if I haven't already. lol
Dog Lover112233 bh
How wonderful to watch a happy guy nattering to himself with no background music. A joy to watch even though my spark plugs are perfect.
Awesome like a freaking dentist, fixing holes and stuff!
As this video progresses, I am getting angrier and angrier. Back in 1993, my 1986 Ford Escort lost a spark plug because someone put it in bad so the threads were stripped. I was told by a mechanic that I was SOOL. The only way to fix it was to get a brand new head according to the mechanic, May God have mercy on his soul. I didn't know about helicoils back then. I could have fixed it myself knowing what I know now. Instead, I had little money and had to drive it with 3 cylinders until it died. My life got messed up because of that and took me years to get back on track. God bless you and your videos. They are helpful to so many.
Am I the only one who listened to 34:59 and thought you said; "That's it folks, just cracked the head..."
+Scruit maybe cuz I did ;)
@@SouthMainAuto lol 4 years later still funny
Super cool video on many levels. I'm almost 70 and rebuilt my first engine at age 16 - back when mechanics only shared their knowledge with those they knew and liked. I've always heard about Helicoil. Now I know. Awesome, thanks.
Eric you know the good thing about a Dodge Neon? I can't think of anything either, haha.
Nice! Best Auto repair YT Channel I've seen. I like how you don't cut corners on your repairs. If you were local I'd bring my car to you!
The smell of brake clean in the morning smells like victory !
When I was 17 in high school, I got my first truck. Previously I had a 86 iroc-z camaro that had been my moms since I was around 6. Around 2 years later she put diesel in the tank and put holes thru multiple pistons. I sat with my dad and his friends every weekend for a couple months as they pulled,rebuilt the engine and put it in the car. From then on I was really into the mechanical aspects of things and with small block chevys. So I read many service manuals and did as much research as I could on the early 00 internet. The day I turned 15 I got the camaro and started putting work into. By the time I was 17 my dad didn't want me driving it on the street anymore cause he knew the invisible would happen(I really liked racing especially drags and had a heavy foot he knew both and assumed correctly what I was doing with my low 9 second drag car. He convinced me to buy a truck and daily drive it and just race my camaro. He paid for half the truck with me as per our agreement. He convinced me to buy a 4 cylinder toyota 4runner of all things which was alien to me not only a hardcore american manufacture fan but especially chevys. I bought it from his coworker and a previous 15 year toyota technician. He gave me a free labor warranty for any work that might need to be done on the truck for the first few months I owned it(if anything broke he'd fix it for free i just bought the new parts.) The brake master went bad a few weeks later and i left my truck at his house for the day and took my car to school. Well the inevitable happened that day. I had a friend get in with me to go to lunch and i tried to show off by drifting around the corner which I'd done many times. Well instead of the back end snapping loose and sliding it snapped loose and went like 45 degrees and grabbed traction again and I smashed into the back outside corner of a parked station wagon with the front corner of my bumper. My dad called rite as the cop showed up saying my truck was done and he was coming to get the car and I had to tell him I totaled someone else's car. The cop said I ran the sign but i had stopped. Dad was pissed but my car was fine for most part just a new passenger front fender didn't even damage my bumper just caught my fender and folded it. Pushed the 90s escort station wagon over the curb and folded the rear axle up under the car. The wheels face was flush with the ground on top of the side walk. My dad made me take my truck and go back to school while he drove car home. After that I started looking into my truck and what people said so I tried off roading. I've been hooked since. Unfortunately I was dumb and took my showroom quality 4runner everywhere I thought it would go and it did almost every time. Well turns out things start breaking fast when you take a 25 year old truck thru things a quasida and dirt bikes second guess. All this leads to the fact I hardworking on shit that's super crusty with dirt mud rust whatever too.ive had many a weird thing fall in my ears. Not fun, less fun cleaning it to realize how much there is in your ear. My truck was so bad when I was 18 my dad refused to help me work on it anymore ever cause of how dirty it was. My dads worked on Boeing 747s for nearly 30 years , he still wont touch my truck.
Great deadpan explanation of "shaving cream" probably had some believing you, that was awesome! You're truly blessed with your abilities and loving Family. *Good luck Trinity!* Maybe you'll fix the Teachers' or Principals' car some day? Great view with that Bore scope.
I wish all mechanics were as truthful and up-front like this man. You can tell he doesn't mess around, try telling ppl BS that's not true to make more money. He's straight up legit and a genuinely good practice mechanic. Plus you don't see shady mechanics video taping their work bcuz they can't. Bcuz they lie to their customers and say more things are wrong than really are. Mechanics like this guy are a rare hard find.
42:13 That mushroomed insert looks so perfectly placed. I wish I could do it that precisely.
+Aristotle2000 just lucky is all...
Been watching your videos for a few days and as a 35 year veteran Harley Mechanic, I'm impressed, good work! Nice family by the way. I hope you realize just how blessed you are!
3:31what every Chrysler Neon owner says when they get from A to B every day
+apachelives "Phew, made it without the transmission or head gasket going out!"
the 01' pt cruiser i had, head gasket was half blown, had nothing but problems from it
They were awful cars
+Mike Miller biggest pos i ever owned, so i just stick to my s10's
but they were the best cars dodge made. gotta tell ya something
Applied the Eric O. method on my 2v modular and it worked like a charm. Change your plugs and use nickle anti-seize! I learned my lesson about letting plugs go 100k+ EDIT: though I did use red RTV in lue of thread locker, used the tap to thread the insert in and then used the expander punch on it before i threw a plug back in haha.
High temp RTV is what Helicoil recommends for the record. Though I imagine a high-temp resistant threadlocker would work also
I enjoy the expert repair video as well as the family interaction. You are clearly blessed and I can only wish that I could do it, because you can do it. Thank you.
Boy did this bring back bad memories. I am 70. When I was 16, I had my first Jaguar XK-120 and I decided I was going to change the spark plugs! Bad Idea. I cross threaded one of them. Fortunately, the place that normally did my wrench turning helped me out and used a helicoil to fix it. I thought that was so cool! Saved my bacon, in the process. Great video!
Lunch is served! Awesome job dude. Learning so much watching your vids. Helps that Mrs O pops her pretty lil self in the vids too lol. Peace man.
Am I the only person who throws my hands up in excitement when one of your fixes work?
Omg i was so into this video I reached to hold his flashlight. 🔦
I almost spit out my Pepsi when you pulled out that giant ass Q-Tip. Excellent
This is Chrysler's new cylinder deactivation feature.
Oh, is that the feature. where the gauge cluster has a seizure, and then as soon as you turn the engine off. the spark plug just kills itself
Man you visually show and explain what your doing so simple and easy to understand. Outstanding!!!
i like listening and watching your clips., always good common sensical stuff here! nice family! thanx for sharing
This neon looked very sad. It was lucky it find some love there at SMA. Hats off on making a pro job no matter the car you are working on.
Could we get a 2019 update on if this car is still on the road? and how the fix is holding up.
Not boring at all. Craftmanship, dedication. Thank you for the quality
Never fast forward your videos Eric.
You might just be the most realist mechanic show I've ever seen. I love it.
Not that was a fun and interesting video! Nice fix and great family!
What can be said .. the video is about two years old and still a great video to re-watch anytime and anywhere.
Bruddah, Thx for the Vids.
A tiny whiff of oil on the threads of the spark plug will act as a mold release on the helicoil and keep the loc right from sticking to the plug.
Nice to see you Mrs. O and Trinity! Great job by a perfectionist!
Meticulous, conscientious, attention to detail....ever thought about being a pediatric cardiologist? Great Video and work ethic!!
a new Subscriber
Here's a quick Tip for doing this job. Make sure to flare the end of the insert on the bench "before" you try to install it, check the video at 35:20 (the reason I flare it before inserting it, is because in some cases, the insert can screw all of the way into the cylinder, the flare keeps it from going all of the way in). Then apply the Red Loctite to the outside threads of the insert, and apply anti-seize lube on the spark plug threads. Screw the spark plug into the insert, then install both into the cylinder head and torque it to the proper torque spec. and you will not have to worry about removing the spark plug until the next spark plug change (this also gives the red Loctite time to do its job). Those teeth on the end of the insert will dig in and help to hold the insert into the head.
I've done this several times and it works perfectly!
I still have the Helicoil kit I bought 30 years ago to fix the stripped plug holes on my 66 VW Beetle.
Borkzilla You can use the Save-a-thread on a V.W. but you don't have much room to hammer. You'd be better to use a Lisle kit with inserts that lock in. These in this video can loosen and pop out if the hole was enlarged.
Best insert video ever!!!! great work....!!!
A shorter version of this repair would be Eric driving this car to the junkyard and setting it on fire, "No more problem lady!"
i believe the father of the neon owner already wanted to scrap it, as mentioned in the beginning
@keith cunningham Yep, one of the most durable pieces of plastic you can find.
You know what's funny is when I'd go to the junkyard with my dad growing up there was always a row of burned up Neons, especially the 2nd generation.
@@astrofan8775 They run, but were always on their last legs.
Isn't it great working as a family unit? Having your wife and child with you all day is great. I worked with my wife at her parent's newspaper as the head pressman for 12 years and our son went to work with us everyday from age 3 weeks until we left the paper in 2008 (about 15 years). It's not for everyone, working that closely with family.... but for those that can hack it, it's great!
Who believed his shaving cream / metal shavings explanation???? 😂😂😂
+Cody Munday It's all true! Haha
me I'm so gulable
It was like - "Nah, Eric, you are so full of... Well, he's taught us a lot of stuff, so maybe... You lying bastidge! I am foolish." :D
Napa shaving cream
Shavings cream. Fillet, the best a mech can get.
Brilliant kit, i didnt use exactly that one but a much simpler Napa one for around $60 CA. A couple years ago my daughters boyfriend decided to change the sparkplugs/wires on her early 2000's VW golf as it had an occasional miss fire especially in damp weather. I dont remember the exact cyl now but the spark plug had gone through a total nuclear meltdown, there was no top electrode left, very little center electrode and ceramic left and half of the threads down one side of a long thread spark plug were just eroded and gone. I can only imagine the damage to the cyl head itself. There were zero threads left after the plug was removed. You could take the new plug and simply push/pull it out of the hole, zero thread grab. I'm an almost 60 year old backyard mechanic and have never, ever seen a spark plug like that. I was a little careless in tapping the hole for the insert so it didnt sit nice and flush against the head but no matter. Car was a beater anyway and ran finest kind after that. So if you strip threads out of a spark plug hole, dont lose your mind, it really is a simple straight forward easy fix weather its a lawn mower or a luxury car.
48 mins in; and Sheba is poised ready to mop up any child food spillage. One bright dog that.
Man, I didn’t even know they made that scope, thanks a lot. That’s a deal!!!
Those sound effects! lol! That is a nice shop light, could I ask where you got it from?
Even though this video is 6 yrs old, it is full of great information, great job.
34:20 "We're gonna wack it, it's gonna spread 'er open". Story of my life!
What a fortunate guy. Lovely little town, lovely little wife, lovely little daughter, and lovely little garage. WOW
Brake Kleen is the Shops Air Freshener, lol.
That's a good repair he did. That Neons worth at Max seven or eight hundred bucks. I don't know how much to repair was but that was nice to save the car for somebody who needs one obviously
My kind of guy, no gloves, no safety glasses.🤘
Nothing cooler than metal shavings in your eye or chemical burns leading to blindness 🤘
I bought my parents 04 Neon ten years after they bought it. It had 32,000 miles on it. Drove it from IL to FL, made some repairs, and gave it to my granddaughter for college. Five years later, it is back in IL running good. The salt is taking its toll though.