Spark Plug Ignitor covered in oil
06-09-2012, 06:36 PM
#14
Can you post a picture of the oil leaking on the front of the block? I'm wondering if it's leaking from the timing chain cover instead of the headgasket. It's pretty common to have an oil leak there because the timing chain cover is sealed with Hondabond. It starts to leak eventually like most sealants do. I also agree with the loose spark plug diagnosis. Also couldn't hurt to change the tube seals on the valvecover.
06-10-2012, 08:15 AM
#16
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60K is time to change the plugs. Honda says they're good for over 100K but I think that's way too long if you want to keep the car running well.
NGK platinums are a good choice so long as they are not the original ones. You need the part number with the "S" on the end. Just screw 'em in properly.
You may need to get a new coil pack but before you do this, I would suggest you clean that one up as best you can and swap it for another position and run it like that for a thousand miles or so and check it again. If nothing changes and the car runs OK, you may have bitten the bullet. When you change plugs, make it a habit of using a bright, sharp flashlight and looking down each plug hole to see what the top of each piston looks like. Are they all the same? Have they changed since the last time you looked? Doing maintenance on a car is not unlike going to see your doctor. If you check certain things routinely, you'll know when something changes. You can predict a car's health by doing this just like the doctor can keep trap of your health by knowing what things are normal and what things are different.
Change the VC gasket. Can't comment on that brand of gasket. Haven't needed to change mine yet - >80K miles and still tight. I've serviced a friend's S2000. He sold it at 100K miles and his gasket was still tight.
PS. Don't mistake a leaking VC gasket due to oil seeping out the metal of the front of the head. The early heads have been documented as having very porous metal. They do seep and sometimes, it appears as though it's leaking oil out the gasket.
NGK platinums are a good choice so long as they are not the original ones. You need the part number with the "S" on the end. Just screw 'em in properly.
You may need to get a new coil pack but before you do this, I would suggest you clean that one up as best you can and swap it for another position and run it like that for a thousand miles or so and check it again. If nothing changes and the car runs OK, you may have bitten the bullet. When you change plugs, make it a habit of using a bright, sharp flashlight and looking down each plug hole to see what the top of each piston looks like. Are they all the same? Have they changed since the last time you looked? Doing maintenance on a car is not unlike going to see your doctor. If you check certain things routinely, you'll know when something changes. You can predict a car's health by doing this just like the doctor can keep trap of your health by knowing what things are normal and what things are different.
Change the VC gasket. Can't comment on that brand of gasket. Haven't needed to change mine yet - >80K miles and still tight. I've serviced a friend's S2000. He sold it at 100K miles and his gasket was still tight.
PS. Don't mistake a leaking VC gasket due to oil seeping out the metal of the front of the head. The early heads have been documented as having very porous metal. They do seep and sometimes, it appears as though it's leaking oil out the gasket.
Excellent advice, thanks!
I did get the right spark plugs with the S. I will go ahead and order a new VC gasket kit and keep you guys updated on how things go. I will take pics of everything also when i do this. I will try and get some pics on here of the oil leaking I was talking about later today or tomorrow if time permits.
Thanks again everyone!
06-10-2012, 11:02 AM
#17
Originally Posted by xviper' timestamp='1339284802' post='21769022
60K is time to change the plugs. Honda says they're good for over 100K but I think that's way too long if you want to keep the car running well.
NGK platinums are a good choice so long as they are not the original ones. You need the part number with the "S" on the end. Just screw 'em in properly.
You may need to get a new coil pack but before you do this, I would suggest you clean that one up as best you can and swap it for another position and run it like that for a thousand miles or so and check it again. If nothing changes and the car runs OK, you may have bitten the bullet. When you change plugs, make it a habit of using a bright, sharp flashlight and looking down each plug hole to see what the top of each piston looks like. Are they all the same? Have they changed since the last time you looked? Doing maintenance on a car is not unlike going to see your doctor. If you check certain things routinely, you'll know when something changes. You can predict a car's health by doing this just like the doctor can keep trap of your health by knowing what things are normal and what things are different.
Change the VC gasket. Can't comment on that brand of gasket. Haven't needed to change mine yet - >80K miles and still tight. I've serviced a friend's S2000. He sold it at 100K miles and his gasket was still tight.
PS. Don't mistake a leaking VC gasket due to oil seeping out the metal of the front of the head. The early heads have been documented as having very porous metal. They do seep and sometimes, it appears as though it's leaking oil out the gasket.
NGK platinums are a good choice so long as they are not the original ones. You need the part number with the "S" on the end. Just screw 'em in properly.
You may need to get a new coil pack but before you do this, I would suggest you clean that one up as best you can and swap it for another position and run it like that for a thousand miles or so and check it again. If nothing changes and the car runs OK, you may have bitten the bullet. When you change plugs, make it a habit of using a bright, sharp flashlight and looking down each plug hole to see what the top of each piston looks like. Are they all the same? Have they changed since the last time you looked? Doing maintenance on a car is not unlike going to see your doctor. If you check certain things routinely, you'll know when something changes. You can predict a car's health by doing this just like the doctor can keep trap of your health by knowing what things are normal and what things are different.
Change the VC gasket. Can't comment on that brand of gasket. Haven't needed to change mine yet - >80K miles and still tight. I've serviced a friend's S2000. He sold it at 100K miles and his gasket was still tight.
PS. Don't mistake a leaking VC gasket due to oil seeping out the metal of the front of the head. The early heads have been documented as having very porous metal. They do seep and sometimes, it appears as though it's leaking oil out the gasket.
Excellent advice, thanks!
I did get the right spark plugs with the S. I will go ahead and order a new VC gasket kit and keep you guys updated on how things go. I will take pics of everything also when i do this. I will try and get some pics on here of the oil leaking I was talking about later today or tomorrow if time permits.
Thanks again everyone!
Head gasket leaks are very rare on these engines, not likely unless your engine has been boosted or improperly assembled in the past. The valvecover gasket kit will get you the valvecover gasket and the spark plug tube seals which is a good start. Torque your plugs to the new spec and torque your valvecover to spec (do no over-tighten) and you should be good.
06-10-2012, 06:38 PM
#19
Registered User
I've heard that if you put the cover back on while it's inverted the spark plug tube can cut the spark plug tube seal.
I posted this in another thread about flaking valve cover paint:
I posted this in another thread about flaking valve cover paint:
If you're talking about the red valve cover's paint, it is common for it to peel off.
This is how my '04 looked when I got it.
If you valve cover is leaking, you need to remove the valve cover and replace whatever is leaking.
12040-PCX-305 Gasket set
12342-PCX-004 Spark plug tube seal
It's described well in this VA guide.
http://squeezer.net/s2ki.com/S2K_Valve.pdf
When the valve cover is off, check each spark plug tube seal to make sure none are torn. When you take it off, it's common for them to get inverted. You need to flip them back before putting the cover on.
They should look like the lower left. The upper right is inverted and need to be flipped.
And if you're taking it off to fix the leak, you can also get it repainted.
This is how my '04 looked when I got it.
If you valve cover is leaking, you need to remove the valve cover and replace whatever is leaking.
12040-PCX-305 Gasket set
12342-PCX-004 Spark plug tube seal
It's described well in this VA guide.
http://squeezer.net/s2ki.com/S2K_Valve.pdf
When the valve cover is off, check each spark plug tube seal to make sure none are torn. When you take it off, it's common for them to get inverted. You need to flip them back before putting the cover on.
They should look like the lower left. The upper right is inverted and need to be flipped.
And if you're taking it off to fix the leak, you can also get it repainted.
06-10-2012, 09:51 PM
#20
If you look inside that picture of your valve cover where you are looking down the spark plug hole, I think you can see the black rubber spark tube seal peeling away from the tube (around 8 oclock in the picture).
Replace the tube seal.
Replace the tube seal.