what would cause the oil to leak into the spark plugs and how would i fix the problem

 

i work at a honda dealership and i knwo exactly what ur problem is. your tube seals are bad. get them replaced. and usually when we put know tube seals on, we recomend that you do a valve adjustment with that. let me know if it works

 

thanks how much does this coast and how important is it to do the valve adjustment also

 

its either valve seals or rings. hopefully the first..
valve adjust should be done if you hear your engine tapping..

 

Either one of those guys could be correct...

Tube seals are sort of like part of the valve cover gasket. They will leak oil onto the top part of the spark plug, above the threads, & maybe on the boot of the plug wire. They're real easy to replace, & its convenient to adjust the valves while you've got the valve cover off.

Rings & valve seals will leak oil into the combustion chamber, where it burns & fouls the bottom of the plug, below the threads. They're a lot harder to replace, especially rings. Bad rings will give low readings for a compression test.

 

i have a 90 accord lx and i had the same problem a month ago, i took it to a local mechanic and he replaced the valve cover gasket. im not sure if he replaced the tube seals or not.

after having him fix it, i changed my spark plugs and cleaned the remnants of the oil out. while one of the plugs were out i looked into the combustion chamber with a flashlight to see if there was lots of oil that had fallen. there were no pools of oil or anything that looked like "wet oil" but it was pretty dirty looking. almost like a sludge. is there a way to clean that stuff out?

and also, how much would a dealer charge for a valve adjustment, i think that is what my car needs. you can hear something clicking coming from or around the valve cover. is it bad if my car is doing this?

while taking my car to the dealer for an oil/lube/filter they said my cam seal had a leak and they told me something about my timing belt could break. they told me it would be around 600 bucks to change the seals/belt/waterpump and something else that i already forgot. is that expensive, and should i go to a local mechanic rather than a dealer for that work?

thanks

 

I would not worry about what the inside of your combustion chamber looks like. From the plug opening there is not much of interest that you can see clearly.

I think there is a recall out on the cam pully seals. If you don't change them you will leak oil and make a mess out of you motor and driveway. May start to see some belt slippage if it starts to spray.

I would let the dealer change timing belt and water pump but thats me. Some people would rather save the money or do not have dealership nearby. Personally I trust them (trust but verify) and would rather pay an extra $100 for Honda parts and training. Do valve adjustment while they are at it. Whether it needs a timing belt or not depends on mileage. I think Honda reccomends every 50-60 k miles on your motor. if it breaks you will probably have a lot bigger bill than $600.

 

valve seals or tube seals are the same thing. As for the valve adjustment you dont need it when replacing it but we recomend doing it. but its not necessarry

 

seals are like 3 bucks a piece. valve adjustment is free. diy 100%.
you need a feeler gauge, flat head, and a small wrench (8mm i think), and a haynes manual to tell you how to do it. its also easier with a friend helping.

 

I thought valve seals are on the valve stems; they leak into the ports, & you can't hardly see them unless you take out the valve springs. Tube seals are at the base of the spark plug tube of the valve cover.

 

Help clear this one up for me too!

*what is valve seat?
*what is valve tube?
*what is valve gasket rings? (are the all the same)?

 

Maybe I'm not using exactly the right terms...

The first picture is the valve cover, there are 4 holes for the 4 sparkplug wires. At the bottom of each hole, or tube, there's a rubber seal to prevent oil from leaking down onto the outside of the sparkplug. Maybe some people call them valve gasket rings?

#4 are sparkplug tube seals
[IMG] http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...13S840_A01.gif [/IMG]


The next picture is if you take off the camshaft, the rockers, & the valve springs. The valve guides are steel tubes that are pressed into the head; the valve stem slides into the valve guide. Maybe they're also called valve tubes?

There's a seal at the top of each valve guide, to keep oil from leaking down alongside the valve stem into the port.

#2 & #3 are the valve guides
#4 & #5 are valve stem seals
[IMG] http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...13S840_A02.gif [/IMG]


The valve seat is a peice, usually hardened steel, that is pressed into the head. The perimeter of the valve sets into the seat when its closed.

edit...
OK how do you put pictures in there??


[Modified by JimBlake, 11:35 AM 3/13/2003]

 

i had this same problem back then,
it was the gasket,
cost like 150 for mechanic to fix,
or better yet diy! save u 55$ in labor times. :]
hope this helps.

 

Comment by ScrewD07 ... valve seals or tube seals are the same thing

WRONG!

I am a Honda Technician and that statement is totally wrong. Tube seals are tube seals and valve seals are valve seals.

The tube seals are on the under side of the valve cover and prevent oil from entering the chamber where the spark plug is housed.

Valve seals are on the stems of the valve themselves.

If the guy who posted this originally is getting oil on the spark plug (seen by looking down the tube or actually pulling plug out and it is covered in oil) ... then tube seals are the problem. If he is seeing oil on the tip of the plug where the electrode is ... then valve seals or possibly rings are the culprit.


[Modified by mwkirchner, 12:50 AM 3/19/2003]

 

this are the seals that are probably leaking #19


http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...=CYLINDER+HEAD


[Modified by Qfactor, 11:40 PM 3/18/2003]

 

My valve cover set w/o-rings cost only $29.00 for a '96 F22B2..........No more oil in spark plug holes.


Chuck