Running 5 Cylinders

Mikelb · #1 02-27-2006, 10:22 AM

WTF, my car is running 5 cylinders again... awhile back (after getting hit)... my car blew out a spark plug (#2 cylinder)... I replaced it, no problem... last Friday on the way back home... it blew out again... I looked, and the plug was hanging... it was covered in crud (burned, old looking oil, new spark plug, only a month old)... The whole side of the plug was gone, the electrode completely gone... the car's still running... so I took the wire off and am running 5 cylinders, I don't give the car another week or two... it's losing major oil outta the empty port, but I'm checking and throwing in the cheap stuff daily... any ideas why this one keeps going out?

talskinyguy · #2 02-27-2006, 10:33 AM

Sounds like oil is getting past your rings, or your valve stem seals pretty badly.

Mikelb · #3 02-27-2006, 11:03 AM

so, nothing I can fix cheap and easy right?... b/c I'm not throwing much more into it... it's totalled and insurance isn't helping... so, I'll have to sue the guy

AutostradaVR4 · #4 02-27-2006, 11:30 AM

contact your insurance rep and ask wtf is going on...did he not have insurance or something? Ask them why you havnt gotten a check yet.

about the car...sounds like a pretty major problem. Id say talskinyguy hit the nail on the head. was the plug firing before it blew out? if not, maybe you need wires or a coil or something like that.

Mikelb · #5 02-27-2006, 11:37 AM

well, I tuned it up only a few months before... and it was running fine... though after he hit me, the exhaust sounded different... and I noticed the left pipe is bent a little, and a gasket blew out on the exhaust, so I'm guessing the cat got clogged up or too much pressure from the pipe being bent...

Here's what the ins agent said:

At this time, there is nothing I know of that can be done in order to
assist you in this unfortunate incident. If there are anymore questions or
concerns please feel free to contact me on my cell phone ***-***-****.
Unfortunately, I work both inside and outside the office and need to
respond to messages as received, I am sorry I missed you on my last call.

Regards,
Joe

I've left out his personal info for protection... but that's apparently what he can do... b/c I was given a ticket for being over the center, which was bogus and I have proved that with pictures, but dealing with a crooked cop makes things even harder... so I have to wait for that to go to court... and then I can sue Tant and his insurance company...

Stealthee · #6 02-27-2006, 06:12 PM

If oil is getting past the cylinder that badly you most likely have a cracked piston. My engine is in sorry shape and my plugs are never covered in oil.

Mikelb · #7 02-28-2006, 08:09 AM

Well, I can't say for sure that it had spark... but I assume it did... as it ran much better with the new plug... is there a possibility that the piston could have hit the plug??? (SOHC, non-interferance)...
I used to have a 3.8l Taurus, and one of the spark plugs flew out of the port after being hit with the piston... and I'm certain that's what happened, because inspection of the plug showed a massive impact to the bottom of the plug, while it was still in the port (the threads on the plug were stripped)

Also, could I rethread the holes, and put a spark plug non-fouler in the port?

Stealthee · #8 02-28-2006, 06:35 PM

The piston will not hit the plug unless a rod breaks. And non interference has to do with piston to valve clearance.

Mikelb · #9 03-01-2006, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealthee

The piston will not hit the plug unless a rod breaks. And non interference has to do with piston to valve clearance.

I didn't really think it was an issue... but what if the car was to jump timing, there'd still be no possibility?... I'm pretty sure the rod isn't broken, as the car is still running... I know the valves are opening and closing... you can hear that...

pr0ject01 · #10 03-01-2006, 08:24 AM

I had a problem, kinda similar to this. Except, I was running on 4 Cylinders for the longest time. Wow, a 4 Cylinder stealth really isn't a car to be driving, I can tell you that. Two of my Spark Plug cables were really bad. I mean, old, broken, rips in the cables and everything. So, I figured that's why I was only running on 4 Cylinders. Well, I bought 8.5 MM Spark Plug Wires for her, and now she is running better then ever, and also threw on a Air Filter, she seems so much better runnning.

Mikelb · #11 03-01-2006, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr0ject01

I had a problem, kinda similar to this. Except, I was running on 4 Cylinders for the longest time. Wow, a 4 Cylinder stealth really isn't a car to be driving, I can tell you that. Two of my Spark Plug cables were really bad. I mean, old, broken, rips in the cables and everything. So, I figured that's why I was only running on 4 Cylinders. Well, I bought 8.5 MM Spark Plug Wires for her, and now she is running better then ever, and also threw on a Air Filter, she seems so much better runnning.

I'll check the wires, but I had replaced them a/b 6 months before... just the Bosch replacement... I heard those 8.5mm are even worse than stock... I don't really wanna throw out money into this car for it to die... b/c it's already totalled... I just don't see the finances right now...

Stealthee · #12 03-01-2006, 05:43 PM

Absolutely no possibility of the piston hitting the head period.

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