a copper 'housing' came out with my spark plug. What is it?

[Graphfixz]

I was taking out my spark plug and some kind of copper/led housing came out with it. What in the world is that? and am I screwed?

The housing goes on the bottom part of the spark plug... where the threads are. Actually the spark plug is screwed into this thing.

Help!

[Razi]

Any pictures?

[Graphfixz]

no, I am currently at work and I didn't think of it when I saw it.

[motoman399]

sounds like someone previously stripped the plug hole and use a heli coil type thing. i had one in my exhaust stud on my 22r.. i bet if you just unscrew it off of the old plug and screw it on the new plug it will be fine

[Graphfixz]

I did do that, however, it wont go all the way down. When I try to insert the cable on the plug it sticks out by an inch or so. It wont flush to the valve cover.

[liquid_cool]

you have a big issue man..if this is what ya found on your head..id start looking for another at a junkyard or online...this head has (Epic Fail ) all over it...just imagine what else may be lerking..the reason that the coil came out is couse it was not properly installed in the first place..and can ya tell if this has been done anywhere else?..the top of the Heli-coil should be no less than 1 thread into the tapped thread of the fix'd hole..if it cant go back in..try getting another coil that size with the installer tool and replace said coil for now..then replace head to a reliable one.

[Graphfixz]

well, i am going to get a lot of heat for this one. This is emberassing!

My car has failed one thing after another so I guess I have doomed my car prematurely.

Anyway, a day before I found this thing in the spark plug hole, I was testing for compression. So of course, the last hole I test is the hole that has the issue. Guess what it was? It was the adapter for the compression unit. Apparantly the adapter stayed behind when I unscrewed it and when I screwed the spark plug I actually screwed it into the adapter. When I unscrew the spark plug a few days later, it comes out with the adapter.

[motoman399]

haha i accidentally did this on a honda one time. makes no sense to my why they have an adapter with the same threads going into it as going out. at least its nothing serious. lol