major oil in spark plug well

[99 gst spyder]

The symptoms that came to me was a hard start, lagging when high rpm, and car jerking when foot on paddle when cruising. Came home and took my cop set up out and realize that #4 spark plug well is full of oil to the top. I was shock and wasn't sure what's going on so I use a towel and suck most of it out and even blowing the well with a compressor hose. So I went ahead and took all the spark plugs out and nothing was wrong with them, then I use my bright flash light and look inside the cylinders, and all the pistons were dry as a desert but a little carbon. I'm thinking there might be a leak somewhere with the gasket.

So my question is, could that be my problem with the symptoms I'm getting b/c of the oil in the well?

Thanks

 

[bryanwheat]

You need to replace the valve cover and tube gaskets.

 

[import_fantasy]

I second that. Easy cheap fix too.

 

[evileclipse909]

And make sure to use plenty of dialectric grease when you pot your cops back on. I've fixed many sputtering problems just by doing this.

 

[H@xtGSX]

Yup, valve cover gaskets around the plugs. They get hard and crack as they age, so if you haven't changed them, the plug gasket probably just cracked and blew oil from the valve train into that recess. That may have been messing up the COP and causing a weak spark. I run COP's too, so I know that if the plug hole was filled, then the bottom of the coil was submerged in oil also. You'll need to inspect that coil also and make sure that oil didn't infiltrate the coil itself. The wire to the coil needs a check also, but I doubt the wire will be fried... just in case though, I'd look them over. Lastly, check the plug boot. Pinch it and make sure it isn't cracked. You don't want spark sneaking out and hitting the valve cover instead of the plug. Be careful cleaning it out too... you can't just hose out the oil from the boot, but you'll need to scrub it out. Q-tips.

 

[99 gst spyder]

I've change brand new valve cover gasket including the well gasket for the spark plug on my new build, I coudn't understand why but will definately take the cover off and see. I just hope that's the problem to my sputtering on high rpm and the jerk while cruising.

Not sure on the dialectric grease for the cop. Cop is still in good condition along with the plugs.

Should I use bpr6es or the 7's with my built bottom. Je piston and eagle rods with clevite bearings, stock head with 272's.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Calan]

VC is probably warped. Check it for flatness across all the seal grooves.

 

[bryanwheat]

Sounds more like a defective or misaligned gasket if it is filling the well completely. The cover would pretty much have to be melted to let that much oil thru with a new gasket.

 

[Doubleot]

Same thing happened to me a few years back. Replace the valve cover gasket and the spark plug hole gaskets.

Omar Naranjo Via Sidekick 4g

 

[Eclipse2630]

so when your cruising, just barely pressing the gas and the car is just jerking a little?

 

[kenamond]

The plug well gaskets can fall partially out of the groove when you put the VC on, and you might not notice it. I put a bit of RTV to hold everything in place in the VC and let it start to set up. And I look between the head and VC with a flashlight as I set it on to make sure nothing shifts. One plug well gasket came off the first time I changed the gaskets, and I ended up breaking the VC as it warped around the misaligned gasket, so I've been really careful ever since.

Also, is your oil cap seal bad? Usually, you'll see signs of it all over the place, not just in the #4 plug well, though. Worth checking though.

 

[ctsellersjr]

did that fix the problem?

 

[StephensToySpyder]

sound like the valve cover gasket, theres four circle rubber gaskets on top of the sparkplug whole.if these go bad , oil will leak down onto the sparkplug and slowly fill up the whole . easy cheap fix. also check if the valve cover is craked anywhere around the spark plug wholes

 

[93TSiguy]

Yeah as the above wise men and proven members have said... the oil in the plug well is common enough with the circular spark plug well seals tears or becomming misaligned that most of us have had it happen before.

That's really the only single point of entry for oil into a spark plug well. And yes... if its not the seal torn or misaligned it could be a warped VC but honestly it takes alot to do that... pretty rare case. I've overheated the living s*** out of one of my motors 3 times warping the head horribly and even ever so slighly warping the iron block surface requiring a mill. But i stillll didn't warp the VC.

Also, has anyone answered his other question about the jerking throttle or did I miss that? I can't say I have a definitive enough answer for that one.

 

[2gdanny]

just some in put on this matter i had the same problem some time ago, i replaced 2 valve cover gaskets, after i noticed the oil cap o ring wasn't sealing it no more and oil came from there,
that could be over looked some times