I've got a '94 Legacy L Wagon with 128,000 miles. I just checked the condition of my spark plugs and I found oil deposits on them!!
Quote from my Haynes repair manual:
OIL DEPOSITS Symptoms: Oily coating caused by poor oil control. Oil is leaking past worn valve guides or piston rings into the combustion chamber. Causes hard starting, misfiring and hesitation. Recommendation: Correct the mechanical condition with necessary repairs and install new plugs.
I checked all the easy valves to see if one of them was the canidate but failed to discover any. I think I'm going to take it to the shop.
Is there anything else that I should know about oily spark plugs that the Haynes manuel edited out? Could I cause serious engine damage if I don't get the problem fixed? What happens if I do nothing and pretend I never checked them??
There are no deposits on my plug wires...just on the tips of the plugs. There isn't a burnt oil smell coming from my muffler either. I suppose I caught it early before these types of symptoms come up. What would you suggest if there was oil on my plug wires??
I wouldn't need to suggest anything, really. If your situation was similar to mine, you'd be fishing for the ignition portion of the plug in your cylinder.
Run a compression test, if you're so inclined, I'm not quite sure what happens if you've got oil in the cylinder like that...
did you check the plugs after running the car and driving it for a while ? Is the car running OK right now ?
I think what haynes is trying to say, is if your plugs routinely have oil on them AND you are having to add oil regularly (say, more than a quart per 1,000 miles), and quite possibly you see some bluish white smoke from the tailpipe, you may already have the engine damage. These cars are not particularly susceptible to bad valve guides or worn rings at that mileage.
Are all four plugs the same ?
If your car is running like crap (rich) or you were having trouble starting it, then pulled the plugs, they will look wet with gas and gunk, which will burn off quickly when the car runs normally.
Any thoughts are welcome!
