oil on sparkplugs? is this normal

[komedy]

hi just got my sr20det in, decided to do its first tune up.
the original spark plugs had oil on them, not alot just enough to notice on the threads of the spark plug. so i changed it to new ones. drove around for a week , check the spark plugs again and there still was little oil residue on the spark plug or the treading of the spark plug.

is this normal and have nothing to worry about or did i get a bad motor?

thanks

[boosteds13]

You probably have leaking valve stem seals.

[koukidough]

seems like you have a leak somewhere. Run a compression test

[andrewmp6]

start the car hold your handle over the throttle body with it idling if it sucks your hand its fine if it blows your hand valve seals are shot

[boosteds13]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

start the car hold your handle over the throttle body with it idling if it sucks your hand its fine if it blows your hand valve seals are shot

W-T-F???

That's not true at all. That has to do with the valve itself not sealing, not the valve stem seal. The valve stem seal just prevents the oil from the valvetrain from leaking down into the combustion chamber everytime the valve opens.

[NIK90s13]

"Valve stem seals" hilarious!!! It does sound like valve guide seals, is it smoking at all? How many miles does it have on it?

[boosteds13]

I don't know what is so funny, that is exactly what they are called.

[koukidough]

if they are shot i suggest you take out your motor, return it to the seller and slap him repeatedly. J/K Actually I think you should talk to the seller about it and see if hes going to fix it for you or atleast pay for your replacement parts. Installing valve stem seals is a bitch when doing it yourself.

[NemeGuero]

Where is the oil on the plugs? It may just be the O-ring gasket under the valve cover.

[Tenchuu]

Hey just a thought, but if it is on top, andc you JUST got your clip in, when they compression check them sometimes they use oil on the holes. My RB had some weird oil on the top/on the spark plugs, and after calling around i found out that that is 1/2 way normal for a clip justover from japan that has been ran and checked. was it redish oil?

[NIK90s13]

Originally Posted by boosteds13

I don't know what is so funny, that is exactly what they are called.

I thought you were being sarcastic, I thought you were talking about the stem seals on the tires. Not hacking on you at all!!! No insult intended!!

[boosteds13]

Originally Posted by NIK90s13

I thought you were being sarcastic, I thought you were talking about the stem seals on the tires. Not hacking on you at all!!! No insult intended!!

Oh ok then.

[Natty]

My first thought was your gasket under the valve cover. I think it is called a spark plus gasket. Try that first. It is a quick and easy job.

[krustindumm]

im going for either spark plug tube seals or residue from compression test. Since you said residue, not dripping, im've got 90% odds on compression test.

Clean the tubes & threads out and see if it's back in a week.

[komedy]

yup they say the compression was 150 across the board and that they did a leak down test and pass incredibaly. but no real evidence if they really did it or not. they told me the motor had less then 20,000 miles. can a motor with 20,000 or less have bad sparkplug gaskets already? no the oil was not red it was regular clear brown. i am going to do a compression test very soon.

[Irukandji]

I like how half the replies on this thread are total nonsense or stupid people trying to sound like they know what they're talking about.

It's most likely the o-ring gasket that goes around the sparkplug holes underneath the valve cover. (damn.. i can see neme beat me to it, oh well).

[240shorty]

Just a little tip... if you get a replacement for that at Autozone, double check that it's the right one. I picked one up recently. Valve cover and spark plug hole gaskets. The ROL rubber ones have the correct part # for the 240sx and are marked 240sx, but the Felpro reference # on it is for the Altima. The valve cover gasket had a distributor hole and the spark plug gasket comes without holes for where the valve cover bolts go. You can use it, but it's not correct. Or you can just get the Felpro...

I think the numbers are crossed in their system. FYI.

[NemeGuero]

Originally Posted by n1sm0r

(damn.. i can see neme beat me to it, oh well).

12 characters

[andrewmp6]

its called blow back valve seals leaking will do it

[krustindumm]

Originally Posted by komedy

yup they say the compression was 150 across the board and that they did a leak down test and pass incredibaly. but no real evidence if they really did it or not. they told me the motor had less then 20,000 miles. can a motor with 20,000 or less have bad sparkplug gaskets already? no the oil was not red it was regular clear brown. i am going to do a compression test very soon.

they could be, but i doubt they are. When they leak usually the plug boot is covered in oil also. Just look down in the tubes with a little light, you will see if they are leaking.

brake clean + rag on a stick will get the tubes & threads clean.

[edit: just thought, could it be antisieze? even if it's not, after you clean the tubes and threads make sure you use antisieze on the plugs when reinstalling them.]

[krustindumm]

Originally Posted by boosteds13

You probably have leaking valve stem seals.

Originally Posted by NIK90s13

"Valve stem seals" hilarious!!! It does sound like valve guide seals, is it smoking at all? How many miles does it have on it?

Originally Posted by koukidough

if they are shot i suggest you take out your motor, return it to the seller and slap him repeatedly. J/K Actually I think you should talk to the seller about it and see if hes going to fix it for you or atleast pay for your replacement parts. Installing valve stem seals is a bitch when doing it yourself.

alright guys, come on now. How would oil from the chamber make it's way to the threads without being burned? It wouldn't.

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

its called blow back valve seals leaking will do it

You mean blow by? That's the term for combustion chamber pressure leaking past the rings, which has nothing to do with valve stem seals. It would also not get oil onto the plug threads. Blow back is the action of a slide on a firearm moving when discharged.

[NIK90s13]

If the valve guide seals are bad. They leak oil into the combustion chamber. This will burn and cause smoke out of the exaust. If it's bad enough it can foul the plugs and/or leave oil in the chamber.
If the oil is on the out side of the sparkplug I would say its the cover gasket.
It depends where the oil is.
Is the oil on all of the plugs?
Is the oil on the spark plug wire end?

[krustindumm]

Originally Posted by NIK90s13

If the valve guide seals are bad. They leak oil into the combustion chamber. This will burn and cause smoke out of the exaust. If it's bad enough it can foul the plugs and/or leave oil in the chamber.

If that were the case he'd be asking about a smoke cloud, at least on startup, and hard starting. Maybe even a miss or detonation (since oil will foul plugs and lowers octane).