Piston rings or valve gasket??
Posted: March 18th, 2007, 7:07 am
Heya,
I did a bit of service on my '91 Presso today, which included replacing the spark plugs. When i took them out, they were coated in oil - which caused me some alarm. I don't don't know *alot* about engines, but I know that's probably a really bad thing!
The oil was on the top end of the plugs (the bit the leads connect to - not the sparking end), and on the ignition wire plastic connectors. All three of the front spark plugs had oil, and so did the back three plugs too.
I took a look at the sparking end of the old plugs, and they were a light tan/orangey colour, no deposits - the internet tells me that this is normal and healthy.
So! What's my problem here? Is it worn piston rings (*cry*
) or is it the valve cover gasket?? Are there two gaskets? one for the front, and one for the rear?
I did do a search for this very common problem - but I couldn't tell if other people had had the problem with both the front and the rear spark plugs.
Is replacing the gasket a huge and troublesome procedure I have to pay a mechanic for, or can I do it myself?
I was going to buy a new valve cover and send it away to be polished at some stage... might be an excuse to get it done sooner
As always, your advice is greatly appreciated!!!
Oh! Also, I wanted to change the fuel filter and ignition leads, but the motor parts places over here want to charge me $130 and $280 respectively. $130 for a fuel filter?! Seriously??!
Can anyone recommend a good place for me to buy these online and have them shipped here? I think it'd probably be cheaper.
Cheers!
I did a bit of service on my '91 Presso today, which included replacing the spark plugs. When i took them out, they were coated in oil - which caused me some alarm. I don't don't know *alot* about engines, but I know that's probably a really bad thing!
The oil was on the top end of the plugs (the bit the leads connect to - not the sparking end), and on the ignition wire plastic connectors. All three of the front spark plugs had oil, and so did the back three plugs too.
I took a look at the sparking end of the old plugs, and they were a light tan/orangey colour, no deposits - the internet tells me that this is normal and healthy.
So! What's my problem here? Is it worn piston rings (*cry*
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
I did do a search for this very common problem - but I couldn't tell if other people had had the problem with both the front and the rear spark plugs.
Is replacing the gasket a huge and troublesome procedure I have to pay a mechanic for, or can I do it myself?
I was going to buy a new valve cover and send it away to be polished at some stage... might be an excuse to get it done sooner
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
As always, your advice is greatly appreciated!!!
Oh! Also, I wanted to change the fuel filter and ignition leads, but the motor parts places over here want to charge me $130 and $280 respectively. $130 for a fuel filter?! Seriously??!
Can anyone recommend a good place for me to buy these online and have them shipped here? I think it'd probably be cheaper.
Cheers!