5 Causes of Spark Plug Well Oil Leaks
Finding oil in your spark plug wells can be alarming, but try not to get too upset (but take it seriously). Oil leaks are bound to happen, but that doesn’t mean the oil will end up in your driveway or garage floor.
In this article, we’ll look at the most common reasons why oil builds up in your spark plug wells and how to properly identify the root cause. The solution might not be as bad (or expensive) as you think.
5 Most Common Causes of Oil Leaking from Spark Plug Holes
Later, we’ll go into a bit of the symptoms you may experience to come to the conclusion that oil is present in your spark plug chamber, but first, let’s look at the most common causes of engine oil getting into your spark plug holes.
1) Worn Valve Cover Gasket
Your engine has a metal part called a valve cover. The valve cover gasket sits between this cover and the top of your engine’s cylinder head. This helps seal your engine so oil doesn’t leak out.
However, the heat of the engine can wear down your valve cover gasket over time. Eventually it will start to crack and become hard and brittle, allowing oil to leak through the seal. If you can identify the problem quickly, you can easily replace the leaking valve cover gasket. Otherwise, your engine may be permanently damaged due to oil starvation.
2) Old Valve Guide Seals
Your vehicle utilizes valve guides to control the air supply to the engine. Essentially, the valve guide holds the valves in place while the engine is running. The only problem is that the valve guide seals wear out over time as you continue to use your vehicle. A bad valve guide seal will not prevent oil from leaking into the spark plugs and will probably need to be replaced at some point. When this happens, it can cause a lot of problems for your engine and cost thousands of dollars to repair.
3) Bad O-ring
There is an O-ring seal under the spark plug tube. If the O-ring is worn or damaged, oil will leak out and get into the spark plug tube. You need to fix this problem quickly before it has a major impact on your engine. You will also need to replace your spark plugs as the oil will seep into them.
4) Bad Pistons
Pistons can break if they are exposed to excessive heat. They will then start making a lot of knocking and rattling noises. More importantly, a bad piston can leak oil onto your spark plugs, which can cause all sorts of problems.
You will notice your engine misfiring more frequently and your engine performance dropping. All of these can damage your engine if you don’t replace the pistons right away.
5) Faulty Piston Rings
Piston rings are located on the top and bottom of the piston in an internal combustion engine. The purpose of the compression rings is to prevent oil from entering the combustion chamber and to remove excess oil that has built up on the cylinder walls.
Misfires and Engine Problems
Misfires are a common symptom of all kinds of engine problems, and oil in the spark plug wells is one of them. This oil can interfere with the spark plug’s ability to ignite the mixture, causing incomplete combustion and engine misfires.
Blue Smoke
Have you noticed blue smoke coming from your exhaust? This happens because of excess oil burning along with the fuel. If you see this smoke, you need to take a closer look at the problem and fix it.
Increased fuel consumption
When oil affects the spark plugs, it can disrupt the mixture in your engine. This can cause your vehicle to consume more fuel than necessary, resulting in poor fuel economy and reduced fuel economy.
Engine misfires
When oil accumulates in the spark plug holes, it can also cause your engine to misfire. In this case, you may experience a loud clicking or clanking noise when accelerating or decelerating. This can be very worrying (and annoying), but fixing the oil leak should alleviate this problem.
Gasoline Smell
If you notice a strong gasoline smell coming from the engine or exhaust, it could be a sign of oil leaking into the spark plug chamber. If the air-fuel mixture is incorrect, there can be too much gasoline in the exhaust, causing a noticeable smell.
Identify the source of the leak
If you find engine oil in the spark plug wells, the most important thing to do to solve the problem is to identify the source of the leak.
First, check the valve cover gasket. A cracked or brittle gasket is a common culprit, as heat and aging can damage the gasket. Worn seals can cause oil to leak into the cylinder.
Also check the piston rings. Worn rings no longer hold oil and can drip oil into the combustion chamber. A cracked or damaged piston itself can also leak if exposed to excessive heat. Finally, look under the spark plug tubes for damaged O-rings that may be leaking oil.
A thorough inspection of these common problem areas and components can help identify the root cause of the oil leak in the spark plug wells. The permanent solution is to focus on repairing the specific leak location rather than just treating the symptoms.