I have a 2001 Ford Escape that’s been making very loud sputtering noices. Apparently the socket thread for the spark plug is blown off. How serious is this? How much will it cost me to fix it.
If the spark plug blew out, (they usually work loose, then blow out) you can usually simply replace the plug with a new one…If the threads in the (aluminum?) head were badly damaged and a new plug can be properly tightened, then those stripped threads will have to be repaired by a technique called “installing a Heli-Coil”. Usually, depending on access, this can be done with the head on the engine, say a one hour job, $150 bucks, something like that. With some engines, there is not enough room to do this job in place, and the head will have to be removed in order to be repaired, a MUCH bigger job…The last person who changed the plugs is a suspect here…Over-tightening or failure to apply anti-seize compound to the threads is what usually leads to this…