Oil in Spark Plug well - should I clean it

Mine is a Nissan 240SX - 93 Model with 100K miles. Car does not want to start. The last 2 times I was able to start the car by giving it a Hard Push start.

I popped the spark plug wires off just to have a look at them for the first time. I figured it was time to have a look at them and see what kind of condition the wires and plugs were in.

I found oil in 2 out of 4 of the spark plug wells. 2 Outer spark plugs are clean but not the 2 inner ones and make a slurping sucking sound when i pulled the wire off.

Question: Should'nt the area around the spark plugs be clean ? How can I go about cleaning the spark plugs ? Can this be the cause of the problem - Car not starting.

Thanks in advance, Alex

Reply to
Alex.S.
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Clean the oil then try to start it. Not knowing how the plugs are situated I can't say how to clean the oil. Maybe a can of pressurized carb cleaner and some old rags?

Reply to
Meat-->Plow

Yes. Take off the valve cover and replace the gaskets, especially the rubber rings that seal around the spark plug holes.

Once you have the valve cover off to replace the gaskets, the holes aren't as deep. Stick a rag down each hole to suck up any puddles of oil, then take out the plugs and wipe them off or just put in some new ones - they are cheap.

Probably not, unless the oil has gotten under the boot on the wires and is inhibiting the connection to the plugs. This problem is usually cosmetic.

You are due for a new distributor cap, rotor, plugs and wires at this age and mileage. Actually, way overdue for plugs if this is the first time you've looked at them.

When our '91 developed a similar hard starting problem, a combination of cleaning out the air inlet, new distributor cap & rotor (contacts in the cap were 50% eaten away at 80k miles), and new plugs & wires (basically a tune up) fixed it. That was two years/20k miles ago and the starting problems have not returned.

Reply to
E. Meyer

Leaking oil into the spark plug wells is due to a faulty valve cover gasket. You'll have to pull the valve cover off & replace the gasket. The gasket is not the reason for your starting problems though.

Starting problems on 240SX's, break down to either:

1). Battery power - is there sufficient cold cranking power to turn over the starter/engine - you need in excess of 350 amp cold cranking power to turn over your engine. Make sure your battery is in good shape & receiving a proper charge from the alternator. Remove any white crud buildup from your battery terminals & make sure you have a good solid connection where the cables connect to the battery, starter & ground.

2). Relay - there is a Starter Relay located in the black fuse box in the engine compartment located directly behind your car battery. Remove the cover & you should see a row of 5 relays in the center of the fuse box. Remove the SECOND relay (for manual transmission that relay is the Clutch Interlock relay - for auto transmission that relay is the Park / Neutral Position relay). Try using another relay in it's place to see if the car will start. If it does then the relay is your problem.

3). Starter. Your starter could be going bad. It's 11 years old remember? If you plan on keeping the car for several more years, and decide to replace the starter, get a rebuilt starter from the dealer. Although the dealer rebuilt starters ARE more expensive, you won't have to worry about getting a poorly-rebuilt aftermarket unit that will fail you after a year or two.

4). Ignition switch - the contacts on the START position of your ignition switch could be going bad. If that's the case, you're going to have to remove the ignition switch & replace it.

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5). Other electrical switches....One thing you didn't mention was whether your car was automatic or manual transmission, (I'm assuming it's manual transmission as you mentioned push starting in your post). If that's the case then check your Clutch interlock switch behind the clutch pedal. It's possible that your switch is not working properly. The Clutch Interlock switch is a safety switch used to make sure you don't start the car while it's in gear on a manual transmission. If the switch goes bad, then you won't be able to complete the electrical circuit required to start your car. On an automatic Transmission, the Park / Neutral Position switch on the shifter does the same thing as the manual transmission Clutch Interlock Switch.

Anyhow, hope all this information helps...Good luck with the repair. ID

95 Nissan 240SX SE

Alex.S. wrote:

Reply to
Idlafie

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