Guys I need help....

[S14 Wannabe]

After 3 weeks without my car and less than 24 hours of having it something bad happened. This morning as I was driving my car I heard a loud thud and then clanking and clanking and clanking. I immediately pulled over and turned the car off. I thought it was a belt flip-flopping around but it wasn't. To my surprise the spark plug sleeve/boot shot out of the engine as well as the spark plug. It made a dent on my hood. The boot was cracked in half and the spark plug was lying in the valve cover. I pulled out the spark plug (it was not threaded) and I saw that the tip of the spark plug electrode was wrapped around the connector. I tried to thread it back in so I could just run on 3 cyl. but it would not thread in again. Did my piston shoot it out? I mean did the piston travel too far up and knocked it out completely? What a friend thought is that the spark plug wasn't completely threaded all the way in and worked it's way out. Eventually to the last couple of threads of the spark plug and then compression knocked it the rest of the way out. Any info or ideas what to check would be greatly appreciated.

[NISTECH]

this is a very common occurance on the altima. have seen it personally a number of times. you should be able to rethread it in. if it wont go in due to buggered up threads in the head. take an old plug and use a die grinder to cut 4 slots in it running the length of the threads. you will basically be retaping the hole without all the large metal flakes getting down in the cyl. then remove it and install a good plug and torque to spec.

[PalmerWMD]

Nistech:

So the engine isn't shot?

Fred..

[NISTECH]

no way, i have had several altimas do this and it was a fairly simple repair which requires finess to prevent going in sideways. you need to be sure you are straight with the threads when thread chasing the whole.

[S14 Wannabe]

Thanks Nistech, I'll try that ASAP and let you know what happened.