I just finished the break in on my new setup. It's 12.7:1 compression, 85x89mm, ITB engine. I have 1000 miles on it and I went to check my plugs. The #4,3,2 all looked very good burning well. The #1 though looks a little bad. It had oil on the threads of the plug, and a build up of ashy looking stuff on the bottom of the electrode. The plug wasn't wet though. The leakdown numbers on it were all 0.5-1% across, very good. Compression numbers were all high as well with no variations at all. The car does not smoke at all either. I did drive it 200 miles last night and noticed the oil level slightly lower. Any suggestions on what to check for. It's running great so I don't know what to do at this point. TIA.

 

Put some Hondabond on your number one spark plug seal next time you torque down the valve cover. I bet you are leaking oil that way. If it is on the threads that has to be where it is coming from. :-)

 

I sure hope so. It's not smoking or anything and all vital signs are good. Just the deposit on the plug is scaring me. The car is only tuned on low cam right now too and I know it's running rich as can be.

 

my guess was gonna be the spark plug seal as well.

 

I looked down in the tubes and didn't see anything really. Kinda weird, oil is only on the threads and the ashy crap is at the bottom corner of the electrode. I'm lost.

 

The ashy crap is becasue the oil leaked down and it causing interference with the plug wire delivering spark to the plug. I guarantee if you honda bond that seal your problem will cease to exist. Make sure you clean out the inside of the wire boot real good too.

 

I'll check it but I don't see any oil leaking, I had Honda Bond on it too. I pulled the plug again last night after cleaning it and driving it again and it was just grey with black soot on it from being so damn rich.

 

And it is only that cylinder that is that rich? If that is the case I would think you maybe had a stuck or leaky injector.

 

Well we did more tuning last night with Crome. Dave (Blundar) has the ability to tune each individual cylinder now with the program. The leakdown was 0.5% in that cylinder and it had oil only on one side of the plug, I think I have a bad valve seal on one side...