Fouled spark plug

[importcar]

I am currently running NGK IX Iridium plugs in my 5SFE and one of them is fouled with oil. Can I replace just the fouled one or is it better to replace all 4? And if I'm replacing just the fouled one, can I use a platinum plug instead of iridium?

the iridium plugs have 37K miles on them

[bigbird]

it would be best to replce all of them but as long as they are the same your good. however, i would be a little concerned about one plug fouled by oil, its a sign of things to come.

[AliRazoR]

You Tube

You Tube

[rty]

Originally Posted by AliRazoR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYU8q...layer_embedded

I don't think a leaking spark plug tube will foul the spark plug electrodes.

I've had this problem in one of my cars with one of the spark plug electrodes fouling very quickly and I think it was because the car burned oil.

Anyways, you should be okay replacing just the one plug.

[importcar]

If the valve cover nuts are under-torqued, could that cause oil to leak into the chamber? Because I found out all the nuts was torqued to only 15 ft lbs!

[carsrus]

Originally Posted by importcar

If the valve cover nuts are under-torqued, could that cause oil to leak into the chamber? Because I found out all the nuts was torqued to only 15 ft lbs!

Yeah, but that would cause the wire to be wet with oil. Did you have oil on the electrode/threads?

If so I would compression test the engine, you might be getting some blowby on one cylinder. How many miles does it have?

[importcar]

When I pulled out the plug wire it was dripping with oil. I think it was wet only on the terminal side, not the electrode. My car still gets 30 mpg, so I doubt anything is wrong with the engine eventhough it has 160K miles.

[73sport]

The tube being full can cause issues as oil is conductive and the spark would not reach the intended location; the the electrode gap as it jumped internally.

You need to drain the swamp and fix the leak that allowed it to fill up. In this case, one new plug and the repair would be acceptable as there was a reason for it fouling.

Did you get a CEL?

[importcar]

Was that last question for me? What is "CEL"?

I torqued the valve cover nuts to 33 ft lbs and I hope this fixes it. I will check for leaks in a few days.

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by importcar

Was that last question for me? What is "CEL"?

I torqued the valve cover nuts to 33 ft lbs and I hope this fixes it. I will check for leaks in a few days.

CEL is an acronym for check engine light.

I would think that torqueing the valve cover nuts that tight should fix the problem. (Glad that amount of torque didn't crack the valve cover.) I hope you removed all the oil in that spark plug well first. If so, check down there again in a few weeks. When I had this problem I did what you did and it fixed the problem for many years, until an entire new cam cover gasket was needed. The seals under the nuts were still good even then. I used a white wire tie as a sort of dipstick to test for oil down there periodically. Just pull off the plug wire and stick the wire tie down there and then remove it. Look for any sign of oil. I think you will be fine.

Mike

[importcar]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

CEL is an acronym for check engine light.

I would think that torqueing the valve cover nuts that tight should fix the problem. (Glad that amount of torque didn't crack the valve cover.) I hope you removed all the oil in that spark plug well first. If so, check down there again in a few weeks. When I had this problem I did what you did and it fixed the problem for many years, until an entire new cam cover gasket was needed. The seals under the nuts were still good even then. I used a white wire tie as a sort of dipstick to test for oil down there periodically. Just pull off the plug wire and stick the wire tie down there and then remove it. Look for any sign of oil. I think you will be fine.

Mike

According to the manual, 33 ft-lbs is the correct torque for the valve cover nuts. It seems to have fixed the leak.