Stripped

[EHVS]

Hey ,
I was changing the spark plugs today and one of them wouldn't come out. It turned a couple of times but then got tighter. All the others were OK. I'm scared to try tightening it again, guessing it will strip it completely.
The car is drivable as the plug is firmly in there.

What should I do? or what can I do?
If its stripped , is there a fix or do I have to get a new head?
VS v6

Any ideas

[cunners3]

With mine sometimes it can feel like it is tightening before it comes loose - just a thought but please don't run out to ur car and thread it and blame me for saying to try it.
If ur not planning on keeping the car too much longer, leave it. If u are wait till u've got the time to muck around getting it to mechanics etc and give it a shot. If u thread it u may be able to get it re threaded...

[Infus10n]

Take it to a mechanic to take it out, if he threads it he gotta fix it....

[clinster73]

Yeah good call, take it to a mechanic and if he strips the thread then he has to fix it.
Being careful though that if he does fix it and says "no worries mate" make sure he didnt strip it then bodge it up without you knowing....

[hako]

Maybe whoever put the plug in crossthreaded it so the damage was done before you tried to remove it. However, I've found it not uncommon to have a similar situation and in these cases I've loosened the plug as far as I safely could and then sprayed it liberally with WD40, then screwed it back in - not all the way but just enought to let the WD40 lubricate the threads....then try unscrewing again with more WD40 etc etc. It should eventually come out. They can be stiff if the plug is the incorrect one and reaches too far into the combustion chamber and gets coated with carbon. Mechanics aren't fools and if something breaks whilst they are disassembling it then you pay for it not the mechanic. Even if it is stripped (which I'd think is unlikely), you can have a 'helicoil' inserted for not too many dollars and this effectively rethreads the hole. Try it with the WD40, make sure you have a tight fitting plug socket and gently work at it. Good Luck.

[kopper69]

Would go with hako on this one. Right on the money. As he said, if you do take it to a mechanic and they have to do the work to it, they will charge you, no two ways about it.

[Centurion]

Dont just take it to mechanics and let them **** it up, we have to put up with enough shitty cars and dodgy people trying to get free shit of us cuz they bring us ****ed cars and dont tell us about the problems. I would go with the crc on it and be really careful with it.

[EHVS]

Thanks hako and everyone for all the ideas, I wouldn't be taking it to a mechanic to stuff them up, it wouldn't cross my mind. It was a "reputable" place that put them in last, but it was quite a while ago and I don't think they'd own up to it either.

Am I right in guessing that if it does end up needing a helicoil, the head would have to come off? for tap access to the plug hole?

I'll have to give the wd40 a go.

thanks

[hako]

The head does not have to come off for a 'helicoil' which is why they are used. I really doubt you will need to go that far. Use the WD40 or similar and go easy....backwards and forwards. I would doubt the mechanics stuffed it up (despite my never going to mechanics) and I think it is just 'one of those things'.
The very fact that you are checking up your options before proceeding shows that you have respect for your vehicle which is the first thing any car owner should learn.