Vauxhall Zafira A Glowplug Removal Problem

[wanleg]

Orange light (car with spanner) coming on on my 2004 Vauxhall Zafira A.

Took it to the garage that services it for me and it needs 2 new glowplugs and an EGR valve.

Gets a call from the garage to say when they removed the first glowplug the thread came out with it ! Cut a long story short the garage managed to replace one of the glowplugs by tapping a new thread, apparently this took a lot of time to do. Garage is telling me they don't want to replace the other glowplug in case the same happens, the plug snaps etc...

I asked whether this problem was as a result of the plugs being replaced incorrectly....the garage tells me they think they are the original plugs from new (Vauxhall parts) and that this problem is probably due to the fact that the cylinder head is alloy and the plugs aren't (steel ?)...so the mix of metals.

Either way I know I'm gonna have to replace this plug eventually but I guess I need to make sure that I have enough time where I don't need the car (and cash !) if the worst happens....which I'm told could be a new cylinder head.

Anyone else experienced this with the Y20DTH engine ?

 

[wanleg]

BTW when the missus went to pick up the car the garage showed her the glowplug they had managed to remove....apparently it had no thread on it at all.

Are the threads not machines into the plug body ? do they have some kind of metal sleeve on them for the thread ? anyone know ?

 

[ToffeeNick]

There is a thread on the glow plug, it's just full of the aluminium thread off the cylinder head
If it's ripped the thread out of 1, and it's the first one ever to be changed, then there is a good chance that the others will do the same when you come to remove them.
Whoever told you about needing a new head is after more money than you need to pay after all, the garage managed to fix the one they broke with nothing more than a helicoil