Oil in spark plug

[Chris]

A couple weeks ago I was replacing the spark plugs in my honda and when I pulled one out it was covered in oil... Is this a valve gasket or seal that is leaking? How bad is this and should I have it repaired asap, or can it go for a while? It drives fine, sounds fine, and only burns a small amount of oil between changes. thanks!

[NTIman]

Which side of the plug is covered?

[Chris]

Which side of the plug is covered?

not exactly sure what you mean, I just pulled it out and it dripped oil. the whole bottow part of the spark plug was covered.

[Maengelito]

as in, the electrode inside the piston chamber or the outside where the plug wire meets the plug?

if its on the outside, its probably one of the valve cover grommets which are a few bucks a piece. if its inside, i think the problem is a bit more serious

[Chris]

as in, the electrode inside the piston chamber or the outside where the plug wire meets the plug?

if its on the outside, its probably one of the valve cover grommets which are a few bucks a piece. if its inside, i think the problem is a bit more serious

oh ok, its definitely inside with the electrode :evil:

[white_2kgt]

compressions check? Blown ring/hole in piston. Is there any oil in the upper/lower intake?

[jongp3]

If you pulled your spark plug wire out and it was covered in oil as well this is a very common Honda problem, its your spark plug o ring seals. When you pulled it out, I'm sure the oil dripped down to the electrode part but this isn't anything major to worry about, the worse that could happen is the car will start missing if the oil gets into the Spark Plug Wire boot.
To fix, goto Honda buy some new sparl plug O ring seals 2-4 bucks usually you will need 4. Pop your valve cover off, replace the seals. Good to go. If you have some extra money might as well pick up a valve cover gasket and new grommets.

[ScottyB]

could be a leaky valve cover gasket. if your car runs fine, i wouldn't worry about it, just replace those o-rings like mentioned above and keep an eye on your oil level.

[Chris]

could be a leaky valve cover gasket. if your car runs fine, i wouldn't worry about it, just replace those o-rings like mentioned above and keep an eye on your oil level.

you might be right. I pulled the valve cover when I did my timing belt and I don't think it sealed correctly. I'll replace the above mentioned items soon. I also think I stripped one of the bolts that holds the valve cover on, which might be causing some of the problem.

thanks for the advice so far!!

[.RJ]

The valve cover is leaking... the set is ~$30-40 from honda.

[Chris]

cool, this makes me feel a lot better. Just ordered new valve cover gasket, grommets, and spark plug seals. We'll see if this fixes it.