3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
I went to change my spark plugs today and noticed in two of the wells there was some oil in them. i also noticed on all of the spark plugs there was a buildup of a white powder like substance should i be worried? are there some seals to replace?
not good buddy, im a bit of a newbie, but even in a good scenario, unless you recently spilt some oil in there yourself (unlikely lol) you are probably looking at new piston rings at the very least... Someone with a bit more wisdom got anything to say?
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building a crazy powerful sleeper
forged internals - valvetrain mods - new fuel system - big ugly turbo
is there not a rubber gasket at the top where the large nuts hold the valve cover on? i dont think im burning oil, there is no smoke coming out of the tailpipe.
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Preventive maintenance prevents mechanical problems. Ripe out your owners manual's maintenance schedule and start some common sense intervals for ALL fluids in your vehicle.
You dont have to worry about it right away. The oil will only get into the cylinders from there when you take the plugs out, which shouldn't be very often. Mine do this a little too and I just don't worry about it. If you do the tube seals, you'll be doing a valve cover gasket change as well. It isn't hard work, but it isn't really necessary either unless you've got a lot of oil building up in there.
this white buildup you are mentioning, is it on the electrode side of the spark plug that is in the motor, or the plug wire side that is on the outside? electrode side is the engine is running lean like eye8 mentioned. if its were the boot and wire connect, then its probably dried up dielectric grease or corrosion residue from moisture or from the seeping oil heating up.
I just had that problem recently in one of the wells. Turns out the valve cover nuts wasn't properly torqued down to specs.
Hit the nail on the head. Make sure the valve(aka rocker) cover is snug. Mine loosened up over the years. Since I pulled it off to inspect for sludge, I replaced the seals and gasket. Its a simple r&r.
I wouldn't worry about a little white buildup on the plugs if the vehicle is running well and maintained. Just replace them.
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Preventive maintenance prevents mechanical problems. Ripe out your owners manual's maintenance schedule and start some common sense intervals for ALL fluids in your vehicle.
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