Was there not any sealant on the tubes from the factory? Can't tell if the pics are after cleaning or not.

It looks like the bottom is kind of beveled so is the valve cover supposed to press down on the tubes and create a metal-metal seal? Just seems like an odd engineering decision.

 

you are correct. There was no sealant of any kind. The head has a slight bevel about half way down that then tube presses against. It is a metal to metal “Seal”. I have no idea what Toyota was thinking. I can not believe that no one else has run into this issue.

 

I am wondering if the OP's "problem" is really a problem at all.

Unless the oil is getting up around the spark plug insulator, and it sounds like it hasn't, there isn't really a problem that I can see. It's not like there is dirt and sand down there which is draining into the plug hole (like in the old days before plug caps and coils blocked stuff from falling in, when we used compressed air both before and after cracking the plug loose to blow it out before withdrawing the plug).

Possible also that worn rings, over-filled oil or faulty PCV valve is encouraging more than normal amount of oil to migrate into the plug tube(?)

Obviously Toyota didn't intend for a complete seal to be achieved, because it's not necessary.

If you really want it to be sealed, then you'll want to get some thin, self-leveling liquid sealant down into the very bottom of the annular gap that the tube fits into. You don't want any air blowing through your sealant as the tube is forced down as this will create a pathway that oil can later flow through. So just a drop or two of low-strength (purple) LocTite at the bottom of the gap will create a seal against the tapered seat if you can first clean out the gap completely using spray cleaner and compressed air.
There is also a "243" grade of LocTite that works in the presence of oil/grease that could simply be wiped on the tapered seat before insertion, and wouldn't get forced away by air as the tube is inserted. Thinking this through however, I believe the goop that you used is going to work quite well enough, though most of it is perhaps going to end up where it isn't needed(?) but it appears that there is likely a decent seal around the top of the gap.

Only if the oil were to build up to the point of causing mis-fire is there a real problem here imo.

 

I am wondering if the OP's "problem" is really a problem at all.

Unless the oil is getting up around the spark plug insulator, and it sounds like it hasn't, there isn't really a problem that I can see. It's not like there is dirt and sand down there which is draining into the plug hole (like in the old days before plug caps and coils blocked stuff from falling in, when we used compressed air both before and after cracking the plug loose to blow it out before withdrawing the plug).

Possible also that worn rings, over-filled oil or faulty PCV valve is encouraging more than normal amount of oil to migrate into the plug tube(?)

Obviously Toyota didn't intend for a complete seal to be achieved, because it's not necessary.

If you really want it to be sealed, then you'll want to get some thin, self-leveling liquid sealant down into the very bottom of the annular gap that the tube fits into. You don't want any air blowing through your sealant as the tube is forced down as this will create a pathway that oil can later flow through. So just a drop or two of low-strength (purple) LocTite at the bottom of the gap will create a seal against the tapered seat if you can first clean out the gap completely using spray cleaner and compressed air.
There is also a "243" grade of LocTite that works in the presence of oil/grease that could simply be wiped on the tapered seat before insertion, and wouldn't get forced away by air as the tube is inserted. Thinking this through however, I believe the goop that you used is going to work quite well enough, though most of it is perhaps going to end up where it isn't needed.

Only if the oil were to build up to the point of causing mis-fire is there a real problem here imo.

the oil level is currently good but that’s not to say it was not overfilled at some point. I’m going to change out the PVC just to be safe. I had no misfiring or anything yet. Was just doing for preventative maintenance (coolant/ radiator cap/ and plugs). I just found this issue so strange because I can not find anyone else with this issue on the internet.

Here is a picture of the plugs. You can see how high the oil was on one plug because it stained the insulator.

 

2012 Camry SE 2AR-FE engine with 139k miles. While changing out spark plugs, found small amount of oil on top of the plug in cylinder 2 and about 3/4 inch of oil on top of the plug in cylinder 3.

There was no oil high on the plug tube indicating that the tube seals in the valve cover gasket was not the cause of the leak.

I assumed that the tubes were threaded into the block and the thread sealant failed. After removing the valve cover and attempting to unscrew the tubes, I find out the plug tubes on the 2AR-FE are not threaded but instead “seated”.

I removed the tubes, cleaned surfaces, applied gasket sealant, and reinstalled the tubes. I could not find anything online about this issue on this engine. I wanted to share what I found If anyone has any questions, let me know. View attachment 328343 View attachment 328344 View attachment 328345 View attachment 328346 View attachment 328347

I removed and replaced the PCV valve after a couple conversations here. I will attached pictures of the new vs old valve. I can be done without removing the intake. It’s a pain in the ass but you can go through the passenger front wheel well. The old valve was full of oil and was pretty gummed up. It had a bit of a rattle when shaken but nothing like the new one. I would say it had 25% of the sound and movement of the new.

 

Thank you so much for your sharing. I have similar issue with my 2012 Camry. So is the PCV valve the root cause of the oil getting onto the spark plug threads or the spark plug tube not been sealed? I wonder if you used wise plier to remove the tube as I can see its surface has deep scratches.

 

I had the same problem with the #1 plug on my 2012 2.5. I replaced the top plug bore gaskets. It's been a few months and I haven't checked on it. Maybe I should!

The Toyota parts diagrams appeared to indicate that the tubes were pressed into the head and weren't replaceable. But, you've proven that they can be removed and resealed. Good to know!


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

I had the same problem with the #1 plug on my 2012 2.5. I replaced the top plug bore gaskets. It's been a few months and I haven't checked on it. Maybe I should!

The Toyota parts diagrams appeared to indicate that the tubes were pressed into the head and weren't replaceable. But, you've proven that they can be removed and resealed. Good to know!


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

it is very possible that the top tube seal fixed your issue. If you need to remove the tube and seal it (no factory seal), let me know and I will give you some detailed information how I removed them.

 

I am having the same problem and would like to know if someone explain how to remove tube

I found oil on the spark plug in my 2011 Camry 2ar-fe 2.5 lit engine. There was a quite some oil in spark plug well tube. I learned that tube is pressed fit and not threaded. Is anyone share their experience with how to remove pressed fit tube and reseal.

 

Thanks op! This is very useful for me, I went to the dealership and they couldn’t find the problem!! There are quite a bit of oil in 4th spark plug well, gasket was changed previously but having oil consumption badly, need to top up 1L oil every 1000km. is the engine valve cover the only thing to be taken off and able to pull out the tube? Do you need to drain all the all before opening up the cover ? Thanks a lot!

 

Please keep in mind resealing the tube will have no measurable effect on your oil consumption of 1 liter every 1000KM.
You may be better off changing the plug every 5-10K miles and cleaning out the tube so the oil does not short the coil out.

The tip of the plug is likely fouling out as well due to the oil in the combustion chamber.
The oil maybe coming up the threads of the plug.

 

Hello there.... I have a 2012 toyota camry LE and is leaking oil from the tube to the spark plug... I have to do the same job you did.... to take the tube out its is hard??? What tools do you use to take out??? Thank you.....