I have a 93 Ford Escort with 94k miles. Over the weekend, we found oil in one of the spark plug sockets. The guy working on my car said that my rings are going bad. I've read some other messages and they've indicated maybe the valve cover gasket needs replaced, which I already had done a few months ago. The car is running horribly and I'm not sure if it's worth it to put anymore money into it.
Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
Both could be right...
Bad Rings (due to previously running low on oil JUST ONCE!) will often result in high engine crankcase pressure, forcing oil past gaskets.
The easy test is to lay a light piece of paper over the open oil filler with the engine running at idle. If your PCV system is good and clear, the paper should stay sucked to the opening. If it bounces off, you likely have bad rings on at least one cylinder .. OR the PCV valve is clogged.
Why did you change the gasket, and what did it run like, and how much oil did it use per thousand miles, before you did that?
Since I've owned the car, I've always had an oil leak. The valve cover gasket was changed about a year ago to fix one of the leaks. I've had the car to a few different garages to try to find the 2nd leak. 6 weeks ago, I got new plugs and an oil change. Last week, my car stalled and when it started back up, it was running like it had a miss. That cleared up. I took it back to the garage and they said it was really low on oil (my oil light never came on). the garage said they filled up the oil and said it was good. When we picked the car back up, it was still running like it had a miss. I had someone else take a look at this weekend and they found the oil in the plug socket. I called the garage back and he said the oil is because he had the valve cover open when he was working on it.
I'm just c> "Bridget" wrote:
It is easy to understand why you are confused, the oil light illuminates to indicate a drop in oil PRESSURE, it has nothing to do with the oil level
mike hunt
I heard from the mechanic and he said there is blow by around the rings. He said he's trying to find a nipple type cap that goes over top of the spark plugs, but he thinks they are no longer sold. Any ideas where to get this type of thing?
Bridget wrote:
He's talking about a device to keep the oil from fowling that plug. Such devices are available. You can also try a plug with a hotter heat range. It sounds like you will need engine work to keep driving it though. The bigger lesson here is that you have to open that hood and check the oil to prevent running low. You need to do this regularly even if the engine is not using oil to your knowledge. You do not need to be particularly knowledgeable to check the oil. My nine year old can do it.
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