oil in plug wells

[chazmatic]

i just read an older thread in which shorod said something about oil in your plugs being a bad thing. i have a 93' sho and don't know much about the 3.2 yamaha. i know this sound stupid but when i changed the plugs a few months back i noticed oil on the wires. the car ran fine before i changed them so i didn't think much about it. the car hasn't backfired, but it was running bad for a little while(see previous posts) and didn't start for a couple of days until i noticed a loose plug wire. i'm beginning to think that the loose plug wire might not have been the problem.

[shorod]

Right, if there is oil in the spark plug wells, the spark plug wires may be arcing through the oil to the cylinder head rather than through the spark plugs. This will cause a misfire and could eventually lead to coil damage.

Another common issue with the SHO engine was some aftermarket plug wires did not have the correct length of boot. This would cause a gap between the seal and the head. Rain/water could sneak past the boot and fill the plug well, causing a similar misfire as if there were oil in the well.

-Rod

[chazmatic]

why is the oil getting in the plug wells? do i have to replace the valve seals?

[GPFred]

I would look at the valve covers, they have gaskets that will dry out and leak after a lot of years (i.e. high mileage). Leaking gaskets will allow oil to drip down the sides of the engine and into the plug wells.

[chazmatic]

thanks. i'll pick up a set.

[mwt47]

I hate to say it but there are better sites for the SHO

There is a complete 60K service required on that engine.
There is oil in the wells because the seals need replaced on the valve covers.
There are a lot of other things that need done to it as well.

I don't know how long you have had the car but Maintenance is very critical to keeping that engine on the road.

Mike

[chazmatic]

thanks for the tip mike. i've had the car for about two months, and i have heard of the 60k overhaull, but i'm low on cash and need to do a little bit at a time. i don't drive the car alot because i would like to keep the miles low.

[shorod]

The service interval is longer for the automatic if I recall correctly. For the 3.2L, the timing belt/valve adjustment interval is 90k I believe. The V-6 SHO is actually quite robust. The electronics tend to be the weak point for the engine.

-Rod