jefe

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, this has been covered 1000 times I'm sure but the search function is down right now.

My 93 civ hb has been missing and hesitating a little over the past couple of weeks. Figured I needed new spark plugs. Blew it off for a while but finally picked some up today.

When I pulled off the spark plug wires, 2 of the spark plug chambers were full of oil.

eek!

Car is running fine though beyond the occasional miss and hesitation, so I don't think it's a blown head gasket.

Would everyone think, like me, that it's the piston rings gone bad?

Or more likely worn cylinders?

I'm going to check compression this weekend which should tell me some more?

Is this kind of stuff do it your-self work with a small set of tools?

Expensive parts and labor to check and fix?

Any experiences with this, let me know.

Thanks.




Modified by jefe at 2:16 AM 11/12/2005

n8byte

Im not sure anymore but i think a new valve cover gasket comes with these 4 little circle gaskets that cover the sparkplug holes from getting oil in em. Those could have cracked and leaked? Is the car smoking blue out the exhaust though?

duggy

Yeah the valve cover gasket does come witht he 4 gaskets for the spark plugs.

jefe

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by n8byte &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Is the car smoking blue out the exhaust though?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nope. The car is fine other than the occasional miss/hesitation, which only seems to happen on the low end of a gear change. But after 3rd/4th gear or so, it no longer does it.

No smoke, no other performance loss, nothing.

Bcuz

I'm guessing it still has the D series engine?
If it does go to a honda dealer and get spark plug tube seals upper AND lower.
Upper are under the valve cover.
Lower are under your valve train. This one actually looks like an o-ring.
Now with that in mind, how is your PCV valve? And the tube that connects to it, is it clogged?
Yes those seals go bad from old age, but, they also go bad from pressure build up.
Give this a stuff a look, if you need more help PM me.

fizeks

same thing happend to me just replace the valve cover gasket and the valve stem seals under your rocker assembly ..my problem was the valve stem seals that were broken in half witch leaked alot of oil in my cylinders that caused alot of misfire and not grabbing spark on my plugs but if u need help just pm me

jefe

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bcuz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm guessing it still has the D series engine?
If it does go to a honda dealer and get spark plug tube seals upper AND lower.
Upper are under the valve cover.
Lower are under your valve train. This one actually looks like an o-ring.
Now with that in mind, how is your PCV valve? And the tube that connects to it, is it clogged?
Yes those seals go bad from old age, but, they also go bad from pressure build up.
Give this a stuff a look, if you need more help PM me. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks. I need to take a closer look at the upper tube seals to see what kind of shape they are in. But the car has over 150,000 miles on it and they have never been changed.

The PCV valve looked a bit junked up and there is some definate cloggage in the tube that connects to it.

I'm curious though how that would relate to the spark plugs. Just pressur build up there?

IHateJDM

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jefe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The PCV valve looked a bit junked up and there is some definate cloggage in the tube that connects to it.

I'm curious though how that would relate to the spark plugs. Just pressur build up there?</TD></TR></TABLE>

the pcv valve relieves crankcase pressure. if the valve isn't opening properly, the increased pressure is pushing on your gaskets, and some oil may slip by. I would get a new pcv valve and replace the hose before anything else.

jefe

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by IHateJDM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the pcv valve relieves crankcase pressure. if the valve isn't opening properly, the increased pressure is pushing on your gaskets, and some oil may slip by. I would get a new pcv valve and replace the hose before anything else.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Cool, so that could explain oil in the spark plug shafts.

What would be the noticeable changes in a car if the piston rings have gone bad, and/or cylinders are getting too worn out?

n8byte

If the rings were fried your car would be a worse smoker than i am

jefe

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by n8byte &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If the rings were fried your car would be a worse smoker than i am</TD></TR></TABLE>

ha ha! nice wording.

92ehatch

go buy a new valve cover gasket that comes with the gaskets for the plug holes as well, see if that helps.

mine leaks a little bit from there as well, its really easy to see if those things are wore out

jefe

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by n8byte &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If the rings were fried your car would be a worse smoker than i am</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, I put new spark plugs in and put the PCV valve back on in order to start the car up and test to see if the valve was shot or not.

I was in the garage, started the car up for a few minutes to test the valve, forgot to open the garage door....but the bad news is that in the few minutes I had the car on, the garage filled up with white smoke coming from the exhaust. I have not noticed any smoking while driving though but can't say I regularly check to see if I am or not.

The PCV valve is definately shot though.

The smoke is bad I assume? Meaning piston rings have gone bad? And possibly the cylinders are on their way out too?

Am I right in this?

92civichatch1

white is coolant...which could mean its the headgasket.

young noob

did you somehow misplace/switch a coolant and vacuum line when you swapped the pcv vavle or something?

jefe

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 92civichatch1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">white is coolant...which could mean its the headgasket.</TD></TR></TABLE>head gasket something I can replace myself? How hard is it to get to? never had to before....

jefe

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by young noob &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">did you somehow misplace/switch a coolant and vacuum line when you swapped the pcv vavle or something?</TD></TR></TABLE>

no, i only took off the one short hose that connects to the PCV valve.

jefe

iTrader: (1)

bump.

dpkelly

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jefe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Thanks. I need to take a closer look at the upper tube seals to see what kind of shape they are in. But the car has over 150,000 miles on it and they have never been changed.

The PCV valve looked a bit junked up and there is some definate cloggage in the tube that connects to it.

I'm curious though how that would relate to the spark plugs. Just pressur build up there?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The tube from the PCV valve goes to an oil breather that mounts to the back of the block under/behind the intake manifold. You need to remove the intake manifold to get to this. I would replace the oil breather and tube. Don't forget the gasket that goes with it.

jefe

iTrader: (1)

Thanks to all for the tips...

got done tonight putting in new spark plugs, new PCV valve and tube and new spark plugs o-rings for the valve cover.

after that, i checked the compression finally to see if i had any further problems. all cylinders were sitting somwhere between 200-210.

D15B7 engine, 143,000 miles. The norm for my engine is 184, according the manual I have.

Should I be concerned with the higher compression numbers?

jefe

iTrader: (1)

So get my car back on the road today and drive it to work. If you don't remember, the original problem that started all of this was the car was hesitating in lower gears, which made me think to change spark plugs.

Well, after everything from this thread, I drive the car and it is still hesitating. It seems to only do it when going through 2nd and 3rd gear. And it doesn't do it all the time.

Spark plug wires have some age on them.

Could it be this simple? or should I start looking at other things? Fuel pump?

Any ideas?

jefe

iTrader: (1)

bump

Archidictus

Could be wires, could be distributor coil. Replace the wires, cap and rotor before the coil, but keep it in the back of your mind none the less.


Modified by Archidictus at 5:02 PM 11/18/2005

jefe

iTrader: (1)

bump for any other opinions.

Tony_EM1

well my original motor's rings were done.. yet my car didnt really smoke till higher rpms.. it could be many things tho... pcv.. valve guides.. your rings.. also with cars that have cold air intakes and short ram the lil tube that connects from ur valve cover to ur intake sometimes shoots oil into the intake.. in any case if it was rings it would be a lil costly cuz of the labor .. but at the same time not having all the tools needed.. u would spend a lot of money on tools also... hope u figure it out and all goes well