Re: Oil level

Bill,

I think he was asking because normally, oil shouldn't be coming out of the holes for the spark plugs, since the plugs fill up the hole.

Was he maybe running the engine with those plugs out for some reason, and noticed oil coming out? Or was he maybe telling you that the #4 and #5 plugs were fouled with oil?

Don't be afraid to call him up, and ask for an explanation. Remember, he's not a god--he's a guy who works on cars, and there was a time that he knew even less about cars than you know now.

take care, Scott

The spark plugs should keep anything from inside the cylinder from coming out. If oil, combustion gases, anything is coming out through the spark plug holes I would say something is wrong with the threads or seriously wrong with the engine to the point that the clyinders are pressurizing well beyond what they should. (and has since damaged the threads)

The oil may be leaking out of the valve cover gasket on to the plugs and that general area. That is very common and a simple thing to fix on most cars. Just remove the valve cover and replace the gasket on reassembly.

When rings wear there is blow-by the combustion gases 'blow-by' the rings and into the crankcase. The gases are then sucked into the intake via the PCV system.

And I also forgot the oil fouling is because the rings don't wipe the oil from the clyinder walls so it gets burned with the fuel and fouls the plugs as well.

Also if the plug isn't firing it will appear to be oil fouled. Another area to look at is the valve guides if they are worn then oil will leak past them into the cylinder. PS, heads are easier to fix than rings.

As long as the oil level is above the add mark but below the full mark, you're doing OK. Was the piston ring diagnosis arrived at through proper testing or was it a SWAG? Valve stem seals can be a fairly common problem on a lot of old motors - the can get very brittle with aged and break easily.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

SWAG - silly, wild-ass guess. If the rings are not sealing good enough to keep the plugs from oiling, we'd usually see some other indicators.... in the case of a car with a PCV system, the air filter will usually oil up as well. If the car is equipped with a road draft tube, we'd expect to see a cloud of smoke coming from either breather or tube and even oil dripping from the bottom of the tube.

A cylinder leakdown test would help pinpoint the trouble..... expect to pay between two and three hours for one properly conducted..... However, it would be cheaper to simply have the valve stem seals inspected. If your inline 6 is like most I've seen, the valve cover is likely drooling a bit, anyway and a fresh gasket probably wouldn't hurt. The stem seals can be viewed between the coils of the valve spring - they should look kinda like a little umbrella. If you poke them with a small screw driver of piece of wire, they should be flexible. Look for any telltale "shrapnel" laying in the valve area... little pieces of crispy rubber. Bear in mind that many older motors didn't use stem seals on the exhaust valves.... adding them is a good thing but likely wont cure fouling plugs.

Everything, including replacing valve stem seals is well within the scope of a DIYer with "medium" talent and "high" patience. (Incidentally, I firmly believe that impatient people usually hurt themselves more often than not in a DIY situation).

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

The only way for oil to leak past the spark plug is for the hole to be stripped or the plug not tightened down all the way. However, I have seen symptoms similar to what you describe when the valve cover has been over tightened. The thin steel around the bolt hole bends with very little force. When that happens the oil just flows around and down the side of the engine pooling in the spark plug openings.

Who was your mechanic in WA? I live near T town. Maybe I could send him some business.