Oil on Spark Plug Threads

[Mobil1Mach]

I have a 2004 Mach 1 but Im posting this here due to heavier traffic to this sub-forum, and the similarities between the motors (heads specifically).

I changed my spark plugs and COPs this AM and found this on cylinder 8 (firewall/passenger).

In addition, there was a tiny amount of oil on the face of my socket head when I removed the old spark plug.

I also found this odd build up inside the COP seat on the valve cover. What am I seeing here?

Valve cover gasket? Piston ring? What is the most likely cause of this?

Details on car: Bone stock internals. CAI/x-pipe/cat back/mild tune. Makes 317/320. 25,017 miles.

 

[01yellercobra]

It's the grommet that goes between the valve cover and cylinder head. They're known to go bad.

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[Mobil1Mach]

That sounds like a pretty straight forward fix.

Maybe a good excuse to pull both covers and get them powdercoated...?

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

pulling the valve covers can be a bit of a pain in the ass and make sure crud doesnt get in there while the covers are off. Replace the seals mentioned above along with new valve cover gaskets as well, re-seal the vc to timing cover with RTV as well.

 

[Mobil1Mach]

The passenger side VC doesnt seem so bad if Im just replacing the gaskets/grommets.

Is it recommended to replace both sides at the same time?

 

[98 svt]

Yup, the donut gaskets on the cam covers for the plug holes. Very common. Easy fix though.

 

[Mobil1Mach]

Anyone have an educated guess about the build up inside the COP seat on the VC?

 

[01yellercobra]

My opinion is if the driver side isn't leaking leave it alone. Unless you want to get them powder coated.

The crud is probably just dirt and stuff that's gotten under the coil cover.

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[hotcobra03]

I had oil..

being vc gasket is reusable..i had use silicone on those seals .

not a lot..

I found it held seals to vc, during install they would fall off .


looking at plug,,what' that gap..

ours said 0.54,

I had lower mine close to 0.40..

my last set I went .032 being I added a 4lb lower.

I'm using same plugs..they last forever..

cyl 5..looks like old oil someone may have left before..

a lot of us also have replaced the coils..these will go weak without any codes ,,cause slight jerk.

ford racing did sell a set of 8 oem coils ..
some other kits are also appearing.

while your in our section..see sticks

you will find the factor service manual..
full pc version is a must..
small version works on cell..

here you will find info on where to put rtv when reinstalling and everything else needed to do work..

 

[Mobil1Mach]

Gap was .56. I gapped the new plugs to .54. I replaced the COPs with MSD Blasters and the plugs with NGK Iridium XIs. It all seems to work well so far (one day lol).

It all seems to be running well. I'll tackle the VC issue in the next week or two. Thanks to everyone for your input on this!

 

[bigmoose]

Gap was .56. I gapped the new plugs to .54. I replaced the COPs with MSD Blasters and the plugs with NGK Iridium XIs. It all seems to work well so far (one day lol).

It all seems to be running well. I'll tackle the VC issue in the next week or two. Thanks to everyone for your input on this!

The OEM COPs are known to be the best and most reliable. Might not matter on your N/A engine. Either way hold on to your stockers in case you have issues with the new ones.

 

[03cobra#694]

Plugs with 11k on them. Tr6ix, car was breaking up like a bitch. Gap had opened up to over .036. Blowout
New tr6 gapped at .032, golden. I have no idea why this happened. Oil on the threads too.

 

[hotcobra03]

you can also post a pic of engine..

ours has a few items in the way that need to be removed to get covers off and on,

the cam towers are tall which require cover to come up before it can twist.

clutch cable,brake booster,heater hoses,vacuum and electrical harness,

thsee are some items that may need to be touched..
some items may not work after brake booster move..cruise control deactivate switch is 1 that needs to be reset..


it is a very easy job..