What problems will a stripped spark plug thread produce?
A ba xr6 I am looking at has a suspect thread and just wondering what problems it will cause I.e. misfire? Cookin coils? Anything else? If those are problems or not can anyone confirm or deny
Cheers corey

The first thing you'll have is a loss of compression which will make your engine run rough. The worst case scenario is that your plug will become loose and blow out all together. Sounds like you need a helicoil installed.

whats the lifespan on a helicoil? and who would do them? do they need to remove the head to do so?

Stripped spark plug threads in aluminium heads is not uncommon. A helicoil is a permanent fix, is much stronger than the original threads, and can be done with the head in place. My neighbour is a Ford mechanic who does them from time to time.

The helicoil is a coiled stainless steel wire insert that is effectively threaded both inside and outside. The stripped hole is drilled larger (if necessary), tapped for the outside size of the helicoil, then the helicoil is threaded into the new larger hole (and presumably locked in place with some sort of sealant or thread locker). The inside thread of the helicoil is the same size as the spark plug, so the spark plug screws into the new steel threads just like normal.
http://www.emhartamericas.com/brands/he ... ad-inserts

To prevent metal shavings falling into the combustion chamber while drilling and tapping, my neighbour fills the hole with high temp grease first and turns the drill and tap slowly. The shavings get trapped in the grease which can then be extracted. I guess they could also just let the shavings fall onto the piston and blow them out with compressed air, but that's probably not as safe.

If it was me I would say F^$!k it, pull the head, get it reco'd, modified etc., and lap up the advantages

By the time you set up the drill, drill and helicoil, it will probably take the same amount of time and money, plus the fact that you could install a "proper" head gasket

Does anyone know any reputable places in Queensland that can/will do it