Tool from NAPA:
http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Detail.aspx?R=BK_2125_0055742197
http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/904764.jpg

First no napa in my area stocks this exact kit. They do sell it seperately which comes out costing more than the kit. The 3/4" insert is too long for a standard spark plug and the 1/2" one is too short to cover the threads. $40 for tool and insert. ($30+$10) The reamer edges didn't feel very sharp.

The reamer/tapper - SUCKS ASS, it couldn't cut in to aluminum. I even tried chucking it up in to my 1/2" drill and turning it at a few RPM's/minute (no faster than I could with a socket wrench) with most of my weight on top of the drill. Few chips produced, drill wasn't happy, and this was the only way to keep the damn reamer centered.

I gave up on that piece of shit and looked at Autozone, found this guy:
http://www.abbeypowertools.co.uk/webupload/APOWER/DRAPER2010/APOWERSMALL44086_dhcl-sp.jpg
(Roughly what it looks like in Autozone in the tool section, $29.99)

Now, the head of this tool managed to find some 14mm threads and start going in. As it pulled through it reamed out the hole and cut new threads for the insert. This tool cut that head like butter in comparison. The cutting edges were MUCH sharper in comparison to the NAPA tool. The threaded inserts also were the right length. I used red loctite insted of the recommended high temp RTV which is not recommended to be in the presence of fuel.

Took me about 45-60 minutes with this tool to complete the repair. Lots of time taken to ream in for a ways, carefully back up, clean up chips, re-grease tap, and repeat. Some chips still fell in to the chamber, but they were easy enough to remove since the spark plug sits in parallel with the piston on a saturn engine.

I just used the Heli-coil branded one that looks JUST LIKE the Autozone one. It worked great and cut the aluminum like butter and did a pretty good job of centering itself in the remains of the old hole.

I also went with red locktite - RTV seemed like the wrong product. I've got about 2000 miles on the repair and zero problems. I figure if it hasn't blown by now, it probably won't (knock on wood).

I think I paid $49??

Yeah, the instructions on the autozone tool/insert package said use high temp RTV.

I was himming and hawing between that and red loctite, until I read the RTV label closer. Said right on the label to not allow it contact with gasoline. Figured a compressed gas/air mixture qualified and went for the red loctite. :laughing:

If you're looking for a better quality kit, search "Time Sert" on google. GM puts them in there engine thread repair kits. Works awesome but pricey. They also do alot of specialty kits like for ford triton spark plugs and what not.

Almost 20 years ago, I had a timesert style insert done on 2 studs on an aluminum Yamaha inline 4cyl motorcycle engine. As of a couple of years ago, through something like 3 more owners, that engine was still running without additional work.

If you're looking for a better quality kit, search "Time Sert" on google. GM puts them in there engine thread repair kits. Works awesome but pricey. They also do alot of specialty kits like for ford triton spark plugs and what not.

For the price of the timesert kit I could have gotten another head and swapped it out. or probably just found another car w/ engine to steal.

This was on a Saturn with 260,000 miles on it.