Since you’ve found this page, chances are you’re either a Ford owner with a spark plug blowout problem or a mechanic (possibly a shop owner) looking for the best fix for his customer that has a Ford spark plug blowout issue. As you’re finding out, there are many choices and… many prices! Parts stores have the quick temporary fixes. We’ve been helping to make sense of spark plug thread repair options since 2005. We get calls frequently on Ford spark plug thread repairs questions. First time repairs, second time repairs and yes even 3rd or 4th time repairs! Ninety nine percent of the time our kits can fix spark plug threads when others have failed. And when parts store quick fixes fail, they end up making the hole even BIGGER. Read on for more information on permanent spark plug thread repairs or call us for personal assistance in choosing the correct kit for your situation and particular vehicle at 800-524-9783.

We’re not locked into selling just one brand. We have several to choose from depending upon the application and the size hole being worked on. The most common spark plug thread problems are with Ford 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8 SOHC (Single Over Head Cam) engines. So that’s mainly what we’ll talk about here today, but we also have solutions for other applications too. Some customers that are on a tight budget call to order just the inserts. The inserts are the threaded bushing that have threads inside for the spark plug. The outside is also threaded that screws into the cylinder head. A common misconception is that there’s no special tools needed to make the threads in the cylinder head to accept the insert. Some guys think, I have a tap and die set already. Or it will just screw in without any preparation. It’s true that a parts store insert sold as a Dorman product self taps. But that fix is really just temporary at best. We get a lot of calls for oversize repairs after the Dorman has done more damage. See our product listing for the most affordable repair which has an excellent track record, it’s the Calvan 38900. It works for 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8 SOHC (Single Over Head Cam) engines. Which reminds me. A few times over the years, I’ve had customers think that they could not use the Calvan kit because they thought their engine was a DOHC (Double Over Head Cam) but really had a SOHC (Single Over Head Cam). They thought that since they had two cams it was a double or DOHC. However they did not have two cams per head. They just one per head which makes it a single overhead cam. So to clarify, a DOHC engine means TWO cams per cylinder head. SOHC means ONE cam per cylinder head.

When dealing with oversize repairs; for cases when a parts store repair has failed, we try not to go any larger than needed. So another common response when I ask how big is the hole? Is that they say it’s M14x1.25. Well that’s the size of the spark plug and therefore the inside of the parts store insert. That is unless you’re talking about a Dorman repair. Dorman uses an M16x1.5 no matter what the application is. And that’s messed up! When I ask what size is the hole, what I’m trying to find out is; what the size of the hole is now after a previous repair has made the hole bigger. Save A Thread Helicoil inserts as well as many other parts store inserts measure .66″ Calvan measures around .74″ so it’s big enough to do repairs when a parts store temporary repair has failed making the hole larger. In rare cases when there’s been a compression leak on the outside of the insert, the holes can be elongated or egg shaped. In those cases the Time Sert 5600 is the best chance to save the head. Cases where the insert blew out without having a compression leak for an extended period, the Calvan works well. Calvan even has a .85″ lip on top that helps seal in extreme cases. When purchasing from us we can email tips upon request that answers a lot of common questions we’ve had over the years. Remember we don’t sell on other sites so this offer is only good at DenLorsTools.com and WiseAutoTools.com. One person was upset recently with us because we would not email our free tips after he made a purchase at Amazon! Our tips are for our customers only. We also have the tap e-clip for the Calvan kit which is a safeguard that prevents the tap from falling into the cylinder if threaded too far. We offer the free 389-4000 leak tester with the 5600-389-4000 Time Sert kit. Again another benefit when purchasing from us. Want more info on this problem? Call 800-524-9783 x251 or see the links below.

Ford Spark Plug Blowout – Solved

Calvan 38900 Thread Kit

Time Sert 5600-3890-4000