[raynasmommy18]

I have a 06 dodge charger 5.7 hemi, and I was having some overheating issues, growing up around boys I had an idea it was my water pump, with the very unprofessional mechanic confirming and over charging me it was replaced, but not even 24 hours later I was driving with my baby on the freeway and started hearing popping sound, the more I accelerated the louder it got. I pulled over and opened my hood to smoke! I had to get it towed, and the mechanic looked at my spark plugs, to his surprise the rubber part was missing and the spark plug had been bouncing around and my thread is damaged/partially stripped...he Said he thinks someone loosened it, but the guy wont admit it....now the dealership is quoting 2500! But another mechanic said he can replace it using a helicoil, and hes actually in my price range...im scared to trust anyone though....will a helicoil work? any advice out there? Is this normal? I love my car like my other child...ive had it 5 years and never this much trouble

 

[Lil Black 4x4 Hemi]

2500?! Sounds to me like they are just planning on a new set of heads and all the stuff associated with that.

My truck is an 08 and I changed plugs 2 weeks ago and let me tell you, they certainly don't work themselves out of that head design. That said I don't know why they would have touched the plugs unless they were trying to "manufacture" a problem.

Helicoils work on most heads. They say majority Ford modular V8s, I believe until 06, had a problem with the compression blowing the plug out and a helix oil was the only real fix.

That said I've never actually done it on a hemi.

 

[raynasmommy18]

Well after all the inappropriate comments the guy was making I figured he must have done something and as for the dealership, they said its because they have to pull the head out and do machine work to make new threads.....I just hope it works on a hemi, because I cant take another set back woth this car .

 

[Cammin Hemi]

I've never heard of a spark plug blowing out of a Hemi. I suspect someone at sometime in the past cross threaded it. Or there is the worst case scenario and the piston knocked it out due to internal engine catastrophic failure. I do not see any reason to touch a spark plug doing a water pump. The cylinder head now needs removed to install a helicoil ( thread repair ) at a machine shop. Hope everything goes well for you. But $2500.00 to do this repair is at least double what it should be in my opinion.

 

[89gtcs]

Research and find another shop - preferably a small one with a good reputation. Dealer will be too expensive.

 

[onsomenextsht]

heli coil would work just fine when installed right .. and if you head has enough material on it

 

[HemiLonestar]

As long as it's done right you'll be fine. Just make sure they remove the head to do it (I have actually heard of people trying to do this in place...). I have the same car, was just your water pump replaced? Did you get the radiator checked and verified your cooling fans were kicking on?