The oil fouled spark plug occurs when engine oil covers the spark plug and reaches the combustion chamber. When this situation happens, the spark plug is unable to travel across space.
If you’re not aware of this problem, you could wonder whether this is a common fault or an issue that requires immediate attention.
Thus, you might ponder: What causes the oil-fouled spark plug? Is it harmful to get an oily spark plug fouling? What would you do if something like that happened to you?
Oil-fouling spark plugs are a popular symptom of engine corrosion. This article will lend you a land to learn more about it with useful information. Let’s read on!
What Is Oil Fouled Spark Plug?
How can you understand an oil-fouled spark plug? You need to get the right answer to get the hang of what an oily spark plug will look like before addressing the problem.
You have an oily spark plug when you get a big amount of oil that comes with the gasoline. Also, a spark plug oil fouling indicates that your piston rings have deteriorated.
When the stems and valve stem seal wear out, this problem will happen. If these valve seals are free, oil can leak across, covering the spark plug and affecting the cylinder.
Oil and fuel leakage originates from broken piston rings, failing O-rings, and old valve cover tip gaskets.
Thus, an oiled spark plug implies that your engine has problems, and you should figure them out as quickly as possible. After you detect any oil leak fouling on the spark plugs, replace them.
You should also check the oily leakage in the cylinder and valves to fix them timely.
What Are Causes Of An Oil Fouled Spark Plug?
Why Does The Spark Plug Oil Fouled?
Oil will flow through it and accumulate within the fuel tank if there isn’t a solid seal on the piston rings. When the spark plug ignites, the oil will fire. The ignited oil increases pressure in the fuel tank, resulting in bad acceleration.
This pressure can burn off the gasoline before it ignites. So, an oil-fouled spark plug will fire and ignite, resulting in decreased fuel economy.
Besides, the oil will access the combustion chamber if the piston rings and cylinders have worn or fractured spark plug oil clogging.
The head gasket is crucial in your vehicle because it acts as a seal, keeping coolants from entering the combustion chamber.
The coolant can reach the combustion chamber if the head gasket lacks its seal, causing oily deposits to moisten on the spark plug. The rich fuel mixture is also the main drive of dry fouling spark plug.
This cause also produces carbon on a spark plug with black color and a soft texture called carbon fouled spark plug.
What does a carbon fouled spark plug mean? It indicates an excessive fuel mixture, insufficient heat range, or poor combustion.
What Are Symptoms Of An Oil Fouled Spark Plug?
The surface of an oil-fouling spark plug is shiny and black. If there is too much oil in the ignition chamber, carbon deposit on spark plug will form on the shell, porcelain, or tip.
Smell the plug to check if the fouling is from oil or carbon on spark plug. You will find it smells like motor oil. The oil also comes from the PCV system, the piston rings, or valve stem seals.
A leak-down test can be helpful to determine failing piston rings. A relative pressure test will help determine structural defects when carbon fouled spark plug one cylinder appears.
Defective PCV systems are another symptom of oil fouling in the engines. These systems can separate oil from engine fumes and regulate when the engine absorbs the fumes.
A malfunctioning turbocharger is one of the signs of spark plug oil clogging. Despite the sturdy seals on the turbine shaft, they can be faulty due to low oil quality or heat.
The shaft’s lubricating oil can penetrate the cylinder head and the pressurized entrance.
What Does A Spark Plug Wet With Oil Look Like?
A spark plug fouled with oil will get a burnt, greasy color or damp look on top.
How to find a faulty and oily spark plug through spark plug colors and what they mean? The grayish-tan or brown color on the deposits indicates the spark plug is in good working order to provide reliable service.
The fuel additive or excessive oil can produce ash deposits on spark plugs with a light brown color. This build-up tells you about the worn upper engine or bad engine performance.
If you see black carbon on spark plugs, it describes carbon fouling due to poor ignition, insufficient heat, or fuel mixture.
How Often Does An Oil Fouled Spark Plug Occur?
An oily fouled spark plug with considerable carbon spark plug build up on the piston rings can develop in a vehicle engine. Within 50k miles, this accumulation that comes with the low mileage for most vehicles can occur.
On the other hand, a few engines can get it to 100k miles before developing this issue. This can happen faster if you drive your old automobile for a while.
The excess space between the cylinder wall and the piston in a flawed engine design results in the faults with your guides or timing chains you can experience.
What Happens If A Spark Plug Has The Oil Leakage?
Oil in the spark plugs can reduce vehicle performance and enhance oil consumption, resulting in blue smoke from the misfires and exhaust.
Besides, oil on spark plug will cause a vehicle problem in extreme instances. If your engine shows these signs, you need to conduct a comprehensive inspection as soon as possible.
Is Oil Fouled Spark Plug Dangerous?
No, the volume of oil in the combustion creates back pressure in the fuel system, but not enough to make a spark plug hole in it.
But, if you are experiencing a loss of power, you should consult a repair shop so that the mechanic can fix and release your car timely since this can indicate significant engine damage from piston ring corrosion.
How To Stop The Oil Leaking On Spark Plug?
Changing your oil is the greatest method to avoid oily, fouled spark plugs. Thus, you should replace the oil every 3500 miles before discovering a problem with this part.
This oily change effectively avoids the bad spark plugs when you drive in severe conditions such as off-roading or winter weather.
In case you don’t replace your oil for a long time, it will start drying up, and the rings will fail to cover well, allowing an unburned mixture to penetrate your fume system.
Another solution for stopping oil-fouled spark plugs is repairing or replacing piston rings or cylinder walls that are worn, faulty, or broken.
You can apply this method when cylinders or damaged piston rings make the oil reach the combustion system.
Change the fault valve guide if the oil goes into the fuel tank through it. A decent valve guide will provide a good seal that prevents oil from entering the vehicle’s internal combustion engines.
The fuel mixture becomes rich with the large amount of oxygen available and causes dry carbon clogging on the spark plug. Therefore, you need to check the oxygen sensor to find the root problems.
Can You Drive With An Oil Fouled Spark Plug?
By all means, you shouldn’t drive your vehicle if it comes with oil-fouled spark plugs. This problem can cause a serious engine misfire and affect your vehicle’s performance.
A misfire can significantly damage most parts of your automobile, such as the fuel tank or the catalytic converter. Thus, you need to find the best solutions for fixing an oily spark plug before driving your car.
Which Vehicles Are More Likely To Get An Oil Fouled Spark Plug?
Vehicles equipped with a straight-through carburetor can get more of this problem. The fuel is injected directly into the atmosphere, and the fuel or air combination will happen in by a valve.
Attaching a blasting pipe to the venturi’s end will accomplish this.
A carburetor is a device that mixes and delivers fuel for ignition in a gasoline engine. It operates by regulating fuel into the cylinders in ratio to flow.
The carburetor will either be an updraft or downdraft kind in some stationary engines and practically all autos.
Conclusion
The oil fouled spark plug can show many potential problems with the health of your vehicle. If the fuel in the combustion has issues, including oil seeping in, it tells you the spark plug fouled with oil.
If your car displays these symptoms, an appointment with your experienced technician is necessary. Most problems that originate from a poor spark plug are simple to fix.
Attempting to drive with dirty or clogged spark plugs can lead to significant issues that are harder or more costly to repair.
To prevent further effects and expensive repairs, you must identify and solve the problem related to the oil-fouled spark plug for the performance and safety of your vehicle.