oil in my valves!!
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
oil in my valves!!
okay, i have a 90 four door accord lx. it has 190,xxx miles on it. it drove like a champ the other day( nothing really wrong with the engine). then yesterday i droved it to the store like usual (ran like usual) and did my business. came back to my car and then the car wont start. (you cant even hear it start). once you try to turn the engine on, the power (battery) gets sucked, ex: the clock quickly dims like the battery is dying, but once you let go of the key, then the clock comes back to full power. at first i thought it was the starter, but when i checked the spark plug wires, they were (3 out of the 4) covered in car oil. i dont know how the oil got in there, but its all over the spark plugs and the wholes that they go in. does anyone know what happen and what i can do to fix the problem. any input would do, thanks a bunch!!
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
Re: oil in my valves!! (bill-71SS)
the battery was replaced maybe 2 months ago, and it was rarely driven. so i highly doubt it. another question, how did the oil get in there in the first place?
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From: Milford, MA, USA
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
Check fuses and then alternator/chraging system.
If its a new battery and its dead then it is not being charged properly.
Almost 200 k mi ,,, are those all original charging system components?
If its a new battery and its dead then it is not being charged properly.
Almost 200 k mi ,,, are those all original charging system components?
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
Re: oil in my valves!! (97accordex)
yep, so i guess the source of the problem wouldnt be that the sparks arent firing because they have oil in them right. so what i should be looking for is
1. battery
2. starter
3. alternator
1. battery
2. starter
3. alternator
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From: Milford, MA, USA
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
Maybe dead spot on starter,,, tap with hammer a few times. If oil is on the coils that may be a prob. But if battery is really dead it will not spin the starter. And,, battery is probably dead cause alternator was not charging it,,,,,,, or you have a severe short to ground somewhe 
re.
re.
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
Re: oil in my valves!! (97accordex)
Maybe dead spot on starter,,, tap with hammer a few times. If oil is on the coils that may be a prob. But if battery is really dead it will not spin the starter. And,, battery is probably dead cause alternator was not charging it,,,,,,, or you have a severe short to ground somewhe re.
re.
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From: tampa, fl, usa
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
Maybe the spark plug wires are faulty (clean the tips with electrical cleaner). Check all your electrical connections to and from battery, starter etc. It shouldn't have anything to do with generator. Is there a starter solenoid on this car? Do you hear a clicking sound when it won't start? Or just nothing? I'd have the battery tested anyway to see what the voltage is. The "zone" will do it for free and most other places.
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
Re: oil in my valves!! (snoop_bealybob)
yeah, i do hear a click, but no rrr, rrr, rrr. just a click and then the power is being sucked away. does anyone know a way to clean the oil from the spark plugs in the valves?
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From: Santa Rosa, Ca, USA
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
Ok, you have two different problems. One, no-start. Two, oil in spark plug tubes. First thing to do is have someone hold your key to the start position as someone else gently taps on your starter. Get the car able to start first. Then worry about the oil in your spark plug tubes, that's an easy fix.
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From: tampa, fl, usa
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
With a clicking sound it may be the starter solenoid. I'm not sure what you mean`by your other question? Are you saying that you have oil in your spark plug holes? I just replaced my valve cover and it was a sinch to do. That was leaking oil down into the plugs.
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Re: oil in my valves!! (snoop_bealybob)
Also, if it is auto tranny, try holding the key to on while wiggling the shifter or try in neutral, sometimes the neutral safety switches break/get out of alignment. If it is manual, the clutch safety switch might be bad. You can usually see this attached to clutch pedal up under dash, you can jump the wires together. Also if it is manual, put it in first gear and rock car back and forth, this works better than hammer trick to get it out of dead spot. And by the way, I just fixed the oil problem on my car. The idiots who did the valve adjustment replaced the cam cover gasket and the spark plug seals, but not the washers w/ the rubber that hold the cam cover down. The rubber was smashed flat so the cam cover wasn't getting tightened down enough. So make sure to get 4 of those and tighten to spec.
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
Re: oil in my valves!! (sp)
is there a proper way to clean out the oil from the valves where the spark plugs are in or should i just take a towel and rub around it!
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From: tampa, fl, usa
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
I sprayed some degreaser on there and then showered it off lightly with water (being careful not to get h20 down in the plug holes). Then I took a shop towel and cleaned the best I could. You should have seen this car, it looked like I don't know what! I cleaned for a while and you can see the engine again. Still not perfect, but much better than before.
Maybe you could spray some brake cleaner on a towel and wipe it with that too. It's up to you.
Maybe you could spray some brake cleaner on a towel and wipe it with that too. It's up to you.
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
Re: oil in my valves!! (4doorH22)
thanks for the replies, i still havent got the car up and running yet, but i believe that's its the starter (cause it doesnt even crank) i probably beat the hell out of it the other day, but still dont start. anyone know how much those things go for and where i can get one?
[Modified by pennies_hatchie, 11:36 AM 10/28/2002]
[Modified by pennies_hatchie, 11:36 AM 10/28/2002]
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From: tampa, fl, usa
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
http://www.mercedesshop.com/catalog/index.php3
This has all kinds of cars parts for good prices. Or you could just call around your local auto store. I'd pull the battery, plug wires and starter and have them tested before I throw parts at it to figure out what is wrong.
I bought the valve cover gasket for 11 bucks, ez install.
This has all kinds of cars parts for good prices. Or you could just call around your local auto store. I'd pull the battery, plug wires and starter and have them tested before I throw parts at it to figure out what is wrong.
I bought the valve cover gasket for 11 bucks, ez install.
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From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
Have you tried looking at your battery cables? If they are very corroded, amperage might not make the jump. Especially since you mention the battery was replaced recently, that "jiggling" (especially hooking up the starter wires) might have made marginal cables go to worse. A + battery loom is about $50 at the dealer.
On my rx7, I had the problem of a bad + cable to the starter...that would work if i jiggled it right. Examine the wiring from your battery and to the battery. I know Honda factory + cables are kinda flimsy...
What you might also have is 'oil seepage into the starter that is coking'. This is oil that is cooking off and carbonizing...effectively turning it into hardened goop. One of your engine seals might be leaking mildly dousing the flywheel which would eventually coat the starter arm and then gum up the internal sheath of the starter housing. Bad starter...but replacing the starter without addressing the problem would give you again....a bad starter.
[Modified by RotaryBzzz, 10:34 AM 10/28/2002]
On my rx7, I had the problem of a bad + cable to the starter...that would work if i jiggled it right. Examine the wiring from your battery and to the battery. I know Honda factory + cables are kinda flimsy...
What you might also have is 'oil seepage into the starter that is coking'. This is oil that is cooking off and carbonizing...effectively turning it into hardened goop. One of your engine seals might be leaking mildly dousing the flywheel which would eventually coat the starter arm and then gum up the internal sheath of the starter housing. Bad starter...but replacing the starter without addressing the problem would give you again....a bad starter.
[Modified by RotaryBzzz, 10:34 AM 10/28/2002]
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From: Jordan Michael, Minnesotian
Re: oil in my valves!! (RotaryBzzz)
Have you tried looking at your battery cables? If they are very corroded, amperage might not make the jump. Especially since you mention the battery was replaced recently, that "jiggling" (especially hooking up the starter wires) might have made marginal cables go to worse. A + battery loom is about $50 at the dealer.
On my rx7, I had the problem of a bad + cable to the starter...that would work if i jiggled it right. Examine the wiring from your battery and to the battery. I know Honda factory + cables are kinda flimsy...
What you might also have is 'oil seepage into the starter that is coking'. This is oil that is cooking off and carbonizing...effectively turning it into hardened goop. One of your engine seals might be leaking mildly dousing the flywheel which would eventually coat the starter arm and then gum up the internal sheath of the starter housing. Bad starter...but replacing the starter without addressing the problem would give you again....a bad starter.
good point, i think im going to just replaced that starter!!
[Modified by RotaryBzzz, 10:34 AM 10/28/2002]
On my rx7, I had the problem of a bad + cable to the starter...that would work if i jiggled it right. Examine the wiring from your battery and to the battery. I know Honda factory + cables are kinda flimsy...
What you might also have is 'oil seepage into the starter that is coking'. This is oil that is cooking off and carbonizing...effectively turning it into hardened goop. One of your engine seals might be leaking mildly dousing the flywheel which would eventually coat the starter arm and then gum up the internal sheath of the starter housing. Bad starter...but replacing the starter without addressing the problem would give you again....a bad starter.
good point, i think im going to just replaced that starter!!
[Modified by RotaryBzzz, 10:34 AM 10/28/2002]
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From: tampa, fl, usa
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
I still wouldn't replace the starter until you have the battery tested. I just bought a new one today, and they tested in on the car. It took five minutes to do the test at AZ. Just hate to see you throw money away.
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From: tampa, fl, usa
Re: oil in my valves!! (pennies_hatchie)
Yes, as much as a dislike autozone, I still use them because they will test for free. They also can pull codes if your car is OBD II or OBD I equipped (Ask some shop what they will charge to read codes-YIKES!). I had mine tested on my car yesterday. I was almost sure it was dead, but I thought I'd test it just in case. They tested it in my car, and it failed. So I walked in with the battery, bought a new one and drove off five minutes later. Good Luck.
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