Tapping noise w/ spark plug pulsating

[PierceHaney]

Hello from Austin, TX. My old faithful Tahoe (5.3) has developed a loud tapping noise. Interesting part is the pulsating plug wire on #3. Video below, any thoughts ?

TikTok - Make Your Day

 

[wjburken]

Hello from Austin, TX. My old faithful Tahoe (5.3) has developed a loud tapping noise. Interesting part is the pulsating plug wire on #3. Video below, any thoughts ?

TikTok - Make Your Day

Don’t have TikTok so can’t play video.

 

[Fless]

Don’t have TikTok so can’t play video.

Same here. No bueno.

 

[PierceHaney]

Don’t have TikTok so can’t play video.

Hmm, I’ve always been able to click and watch TikTok links without an account. Anyway, I need to delete this. Spark plug #3 has wiggled out of its threads and now loosely stuck!

 

[OR VietVet]

I was able to open it and that is what I saw. You had the plug wire boot on the end of the plug but the plug had backed out and compression was causing the plug to rattle/move on the threads and you saw the plug wire boot shaking because of that. Take the plug out and clean the threads and put anti seize on the threads and reinstall....snuggly and then reattach the plug wire. Best to do the other 7 the same way. Whoever installed those plugs, did it wrong. If was you, bite the bullet and correct the problem. Good luck.

All that was the source of your noise as well. That compression hammering on that plug when it is loose, can damage the threads in the heads.

 

[SnowDrifter]

Loose plug

Take the boot off, re-torque to 11ftlb

As an aside: ***** tiktok. Predatory platform.

 

[PierceHaney]

I was able to open it and that is what I saw. You had the plug wire boot on the end of the plug but the plug had backed out and compression was causing the plug to rattle/move on the threads and you saw the plug wire boot shaking because of that. Take the plug out and clean the threads and put anti seize on the threads and reinstall....snuggly and then reattach the plug wire. Best to do the other 7 the same way. Whoever installed those plugs, did it wrong. If was you, bite the bullet and correct the problem. Good luck.

All that was the source of your noise as well. That compression hammering on that plug when it is loose, can damage the threads in the heads.

Thanks much for your reply. Unfortunately the threads in the head are stripped I think. New plug won’t thread back in tight. Any thoughts on that? Is it a bad idea to use a thread chaser on that ? Thanks!

 

[OR VietVet]

Well, there is always the dreaded heli-coil. Or pull the head for a machine shop, do both heads if you do, or get new head(s).

 

[Mudsport96]

Thanks much for your reply. Unfortunately the threads in the head are stripped I think. New plug won’t thread back in tight. Any thoughts on that? Is it a bad idea to use a thread chaser on that ? Thanks!

Time to hit the junkyard it sounds like. Find a truck that has been rolled or in a wreck of some sort, that way you know it was running before it ended up there. Hell i have a spare set on the shelf in my garage just in case lol.

 

[OR VietVet]

Time to hit the junkyard it sounds like. Find a truck that has been rolled or in a wreck of some sort, that way you know it was running before it ended up there. Hell i have a spare set on the shelf in my garage just in case lol.

Speaking of spare set of heads on the shelf. I was always told by a machinist friend of mine, that when storing heads, to always stand on end and never lay them down flat. Is that still "a thing"?