what causes this and how do I go about on fixing this? I’m sorry if I’m mechanically inclined about…
Check the circular rubber valve cover gaskets which are part of the seal for the valve cover. There are four of them in all and if they leak, they leak oil down into the spark plug wells. You may want to get new ones, or you can probably get by, by using some Honda-bond to seal them up.
Also, if the engine seems to have lost some performance recently, I would do a compression check. A bad head gasket, worn valve guides or piston rings could cause this if the engine is in really bad shape.
EDIT: It sounds like the valve cover gasket “rings” are leaking. When I read over your original post the first time, I didn’t notice that you said the spark plug cables were coated too. In light of that, a compression test isn’t necessary.
thank you for the advice,
Is it hard to replace those gaskets? and also do u know the proper pattern for re-tightening the valve cover nuts and how much torque I should use?
thanks again
how would bad piston rings, valve guides, or the head gasket cause oil to get on the sparkplug wire?(where it goes down into the motor)?
Originally posted by jaylo
[B]thank you for the advice,
Is it hard to replace those gaskets? and also do u know the proper pattern for re-tightening the valve cover nuts and how much torque I should use?
thanks again [/B]
It’s a good beginner project. I think it’s 7 lb/ft for each 10mm nut. These are very commonly over-torqued and break off as a consequence. Be gentle when torqueing them on, but if you do happen to break one, those are also fairly easy to replace. Start from the middle and work your way out, alternating from front to back in a diagonal pattern, starting with the nuts in the center of the valve cover. I would suggest using Honda-bond or a similar gasket sealer to prevent leaks in the future.
Originally posted by JB10
how would bad piston rings, valve guides, or the head gasket cause oil to get on the sparkplug wire?(where it goes down into the motor)?
Read what I edited into my original post:
EDIT: It sounds like the valve cover gasket “rings” are leaking. When I read over your original post the first time, I didn’t notice that you said the spark plug cables were coated too. In light of that, a compression test isn’t necessary.
I was a :loser: the first time I :read: through it and thought that only the spark plug TIPS were covered in oil. When I read back through it I saw that the wires were coated too, and realized it wasn’t an internal engine problem.