Newbie here. Just bought a really nice cherry-looking '91 for only $800. Thought it was a great deal. Then it started running bad. So I took it to a mechanic (got some severe spine probs and can't do my own work anymore) to see what was wrong. He checked the plugs and found one where the spark plug was drowning in oil. Put a new one in and it ran for a few minutes then started glubbing around again, so he pulled the new plug and it was oil soaked. So what is the source? Can it be coming in thru the intake valve stem? Or is it (arrrgh!), the piston rings or something down below? Anyone have any suggestions? The mechanic put a temporary semi-fix with spark plug protection sleeve he added. It seems to help a bit, but of course I have to stop this oil coming in. Anybody?
Oily spark plug.
- Thread starter johnmack
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KidVermicious
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Did he try a leakdown test? He probably doesn't want to or he'd have suggested it, but the results of that test should tell you where you've lost integrity.
Depending on the quality of your mechanic, I wouldn't rule out a misfire or flooding problem in that cylinder. I've seen gas fouled plugs look a lot like oil from the gas and soot in the chamber. To know for sure, you can do a quick compression check. If that fails, then do a leak down test to determine if its bottom end or top end. If the car has setup alot, valve seals would be my guess but if it has lots of miles, could definitely be rings. If you're not doing the work yourself, either one will cost you more than want you paid for the rig.
