Engine Oil all over spark plugs

[Dian1]

I just took out one of the spark plugs of my Neon and it had oil all over it. It was soaked... Do you guys think that this could have caused the problem I was previously talking about - the car choking every time I press the gas pedal? It runs fine if I am extremely gentle on the gas pedal, but as soon as I push it just a little more (trying to speed up) - it starts choking and makes a banging noise coming from the engine...

Also, should I just replace the valve cover gasket? Is that the solution to the oil in spark plugs problem?

Thank you for all the help so far. Hopefully this will take care of my bigger problem...

[neon_rt]

Have you checked the PCV?
If the valve is allowing oil to blow by, that could be where the oil is coming from.
There will be a path of oil in the air breather if this is the case. Cheap fix.

[Dian1]

What is the PCV? Sorry, I don't have much experience... So I am not exactly sure what I need to do.

[das2123]

Your spark plug tube seals need to be changed. To get to them, you need to pull the valve cover, so replace that as well. A kit should run you about $20-$30.

Originally Posted by Dian1

What is the PCV? Sorry, I don't have much experience... So I am not exactly sure what I need to do.

Pressure Crankcase Ventilation valve. It's about a $5 part.

[Dian1]

Thank you very much for the tip. This is the first time I am venturing to do this, so I am a colmplete rookie... I got the whole kit with the valve cover gasket and 4 rings, which I am guessing are the plug tube seals... I took the valve cover out and now I am looking and trying to figure out where the little rings go - do they go in the holes on the cover? Also, do I need to do something to clean up the oil that was in the plugs so that the new spark plugs won't get soaked in or do I just try to reach in the plug tubes and wipe out as much as I can? Thank you.

[das2123]

The plug seals attach to the underside of the valve cover. Try to stick a shop towel down there to get the oil out of the spark plug hole.

[neon_rt]

Oil on the outside of the plug, not the inside, lol. Sorry.

[Dian1]

Thank you very much. I changed the gasket and the rings and also found out that the cables were bad. The car is running fine now (well, there are still a few things to fix, but nothing as major). Thank you.

[Dian1]

Thanks everyone. The car is finally running. Thanks for everybody's help.

[das2123]

Hey hey...good to hear! It's funny/irritating when you start to work on one thing and find other problems while you're at it.