Scott, In theory you should not have to remove the head. If you have a reputable automotive engine repair shop near you, they should be able to fix it for you in the car. Although it may require removing the intake manifold for ease of access. It just depends on what they think they can do with the space provided. If not, The only way to fix it is with A Sparkplug thread repair kit. The challange is that the plug threads are deep in the wells of the head, it may require using an extension on the heli-coil tap. The other problem may be installing the new heli-coil insert. Their is a tab that has to be broken off after the insert is installed. Normally you would break it off with a flat screw driver but in this case there is a piston below it. So I,m not sure about that one. I would not want to drop that little piece of metal in the combustion chamber. Perhaps a very skinny pair of long reach needle nose pliers would work. As for tapping the head for the new insert you should put a little bit of grease on the tap before tapping. Most of the shavings will stick to the grease when you back it out of the hole. Also tap the hole in steps this will also help control shaving from reaching the piston. The same principle is necassary for drilling the tap hole. I Hope this isn't to confusing. Dennis --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Scot Stern" <Scotstern@xxxx> wrote: > > Today, I thought it might be a good idea to check the plugs. The first > one looked like new. It had a white center and the burn is obvisouly > clean. The middle on on the right side was also clean but it was not > tight when I loosened it. > > When I put it back, it will no really tighten. I suspect that the > threds are crossed. How does one fix this? Does the head have to come > off? Can a machine shop fix this? Is there any way to fix it on the > car? > > The car has 12,100 miles total on it. > > Thanks, > > Scot Stern > 6452 > To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/