MG-Rover.org Forums banner
Cancel

Lots of oil in the spark plug hole

3827 Views 11 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  ashy, 
A
Firstly Hi all. As you can see this is my first post, I hope it's not bad form for it to be a post about a problem but that's how I came to find this forum in the first place when trying to find help. I have been reading all sorts of fantastic info on this forum already and I have used the search function as best I can but not found all the information that I think I need.

I have a problem with our 'S' reg Rover 216. It has the K series 1.6 engine with just over 43,000 miles on the clock. However it's not been behaving recently first it was the clutch that went swiftly followed by the head gasket which the garage said was more than likely the result of a slightly leaking water inlet, spraying a fine mist of coolant on the rear of the engine as it didn't and still doesn't overheat. Not at least according to the gauge at any rate. Either way that cost a fair amount to get sorted. The head gasket was only done about 8 months ago and now the new problem...

The car has been stuttering in all gears especially when under. After searching the forum for similar problems the consensus opinion seemed to be that the plugs and leads would be a good place to start. So I decided I would pull the plugs to check and clean them before ordering new ones. After removing the cover plate the first plug lead I pulled (No.4 I think, timing belt end?) was dripping with oil, and I mean dripping, the oil was covering the end of the plug tube by an inch or so. I am suprised that the car was running at all to be honest. I cleaned the lead and mopped the oil from the plug hole with a cloth and plugged the lead back in. Then tried the ignition which started first time, I ran the engine for about 30 seconds with a couple of revs. The engine sounded OK. I then checked the plug again and the hole was full again. So..... obviously there is a major leak. Again I used the search and have been able to ascertain that the fault is likely to be either the cam cover gasket or the carrier seal. Am I doing Ok so far?

Basically then assuming that i'm right so far... How can I tell which of the seals is giving the problem? Is it a case of do the easier cover gasket first and see if the problem is solved or is there some way to tell before hand. If it is the carrier gasket then i'm assuming this is a more difficult. Could I feasably do it myself or should I get a garage to do it?

Phew that's the end of my short novel for now. Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers.
Dave.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
1
Put a piece of kitchen towel down the hole. The cam cover joint is much higher up than the carrier to head joint so you should be able to tell which is leaking from the marks on the paper.

If it is the carrier joint, it means having the cam belt and camshafts out so it may be beyond you unless you are used to working on engines.
Reply
Save
Like
A
Thanks, i'll give it a go in the morning
Reply
Save
Like
Dr Dave
Yep, I'd go for the cam cover gasket first.......when the HG was replaced it *may* have been reused.....tut tut naughty naughty
Reply
Save
Like
A
Just replace the cam cover gasket firsrt. AFAIK there is newish type rubber backed cam cover gasket available. Try to get that one if you can.
Reply
Save
Like
Dr Dave
Not seen a rubber one Ash, it's more of a foamy type squidgy stuff
Reply
Save
Like
A
OK. Due to weather this morning and commitments this afternoon I have only just got around to checking.... and now i'm really confused.

If I look down the bore of the plug hole I can see the 2 joints in question unless I have it wrong of course. There is one right near the top of the hole, clearly visible as the cambox cover is black so this must be the camcover gasket right?

Then the bore narrows slightly from this point and descends a couple of inches or so to where I can see another joint... presumably this is the carrier seal?

Now for the confsuing part. I pulled out the offending plug lead and cleaned out the oil with a rag until the bore of the hole was clean then I started the engine leaving the plug out and starting on three cylinders, which it did suprisingly easily btw. Then I kept an eye down the bore to see where the oil was coming from, waited a bit but nothing............................... still nothing ............................still nothing..............................


,...........................


..............................

Ok the oil doesn't seem to be coming from either of these joints. Is it just that I'm not seeing the correct joint, ie is there one further down nearer the plug itself, or is there somewhere else that the oil could be coming from?

I thought maybe the piston rings but giving the car a good rev doesn't produce plumes of blue smoke from the exhaust, which I would expect for the amount of oil appearing in the plug hole ........like I said ...confused ...

help...?

Cheers.
Dave.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
Dr Dave
You are quite correct in identifying the joints.

The oil will only leak with the engine running and hot.
Reply
Save
Like
1
Don't run the engine with the plug cap off, the ECU might not like it!

The joints identified are correct, but it will probably take longer for the oil to show. Give it a couple of days.
Reply
Save
Like
A
Dr Dave said:
You are quite correct in identifying the joints.

The oil will only leak with the engine running and hot.
Click to expand...
The engine was running and was hot although likely not up to full running temp to be fair.



1955diesel said:
Don't run the engine with the plug cap off, the ECU might not like it!

The joints identified are correct, but it will probably take longer for the oil to show. Give it a couple of days.
Click to expand...
How will the ECU be affected? Doesn't it manage the running of the engine on a constant basis so will simply readjust when the plug lead is replaced? Or can it do some permanent damage in some way?

On the subject of timing I was pretty sure that when I checked the plug the first time, then cleaned the oil, replaced the plug and ran the engine for 30 seconds then the oil returned almost immediately.... although I am now thinking that perhaps I didn't clean down into the tube far enough and therefore when I replaced the plug lead it simply displaced the oil and covered the tube again making it appear as thought the oil had filled the tube again... hmmm I will double check again later with a torch and clean the hole out properly. My wife is actually using the car right now as it seems to be running OK now the oil has been mopped up. I said it was not a good idea but she desperately needed to go out and we live in the sticks a bit so she needs the car .... oh well.

Thanks again for the help. I'll report back when and if I find anything.

Thanks again.
Dave.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
1
I think that if it was leaking that much in 30 seconds, it would be overflowing by now! ;)

As I understand it - if you remove a spark plug, the HT charge looks for somewhere else to discharge itself and this can sometimes be within the ECU. Maybe that is not correct as it is not my area, but it is something I always bear in mind and make sure I short the HT lead to earth.
Reply
Save
Like
A
Dr Dave said:
Not seen a rubber one Ash, it's more of a foamy type squidgy stuff
Click to expand...
Yes those are the usual ones Dave, but lately there has been another type available which has a rubbery type backing.
Can't remember where I've seen this or got this idea in my head, but I don't think I dreamt it...:err:
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
MG-Rover.org Forums
A forum community dedicated to MG & Rover owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, troubleshooting, upgrades, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
MGF and MGTF MG ZR / Rover 25, 200 & Streetwise MG ZT / Rover 75 MG / Rover Related Chat - up to 2005 MG ZS (2001-2005) / Rover 45 & 400
Top