Someone borrowed grandma's car, now cylinders are full of oil to the top!

[333arod333]

Just throwing this out there as a last ditch effort to see maybe I missed something stupid before I start rebuilding an engine:

Someone borrowed my grandma's car [2001 Lexus GS300, 2JZ-GT engine] and it died while driving (completely shut off). Took it back to the house, it barely started once, just barely a second time after pumping gas, and not at all a third time after running scan on ECU. Computer has misfire codes on cylinders 2, 4, and 6. Ordered new coils and wires because I was pressed for time and couldn't do anymore diagnosing. The coils come in, I pull out a plug just to check and its covered in oil. I stuck a twig in the spark plug opening and the cylinder was completely full of oil. Matter of fact, it didn't even drain down as you would expect it to after sitting for a week.

My diagnosis: piston rings are completely shot. Engine rebuild.

Anyone disagree? Anything else to look at before?

Thanks everyone.

 

[03slow6]

Just a guess here, but could be valvetrain possibly? Feel free to call me stupid if this is a stupid answer.

 

[333arod333]

Mmmm, yeah like maybe the valve seals/guides are completely shot, but then it would drain oil into the cylinder from up top and eventually drip down into crank case, right? And my oil is staying there.

Matter of fact, what would cause the oil to remain in the combustion chamber and not drip down, melted piston rings maybe???

 

[03slow6]

That was my thinking behind valvetrain. If rings were bad or whatever shouldnt oil slowly seep down and not just stay there?

 

[thomas91169]

Perform a leakdown test. That will tell you where its coming from.

 

[shanezt]

is it possible the oil was in the spark plug tube (causing the misfire)n and when you removed the spark plug the oil drained into the cylinder? not sure on Toyota but our valve covers have separate spark plug tube seals that can leak

 

[MG0h3]

^^^^^^^^^^this is possible.

Not sure if your model is like this, but the valve covers seal around the tube on some models. I have seen the spark plug bore have some oil in it, but nowhere near enough to fill a cylinder. Are you sure that just the spark plug bore didnt have the oil in it, and not the cylinder?

If your cylinders are full of oil, you would be hydrolocked and it would have been pumping smoke out like crazy before dying.

A valve seal will not allow this amount of oil to leak into the cylinders. You typically get some smoke obviously and the backs of the valves get coked up.

 

[333arod333]

is it possible the oil was in the spark plug tube (causing the misfire)n and when you removed the spark plug the oil drained into the cylinder? not sure on Toyota but our valve covers have separate spark plug tube seals that can leak

^^^^^^^^^^this is possible.

Not sure if your model is like this, but the valve covers seal around the tube on some models. I have seen the spark plug bore have some oil in it, but nowhere near enough to fill a cylinder. Are you sure that just the spark plug bore didnt have the oil in it, and not the cylinder?

If your cylinders are full of oil, you would be hydrolocked and it would have been pumping smoke out like crazy before dying.

A valve seal will not allow this amount of oil to leak into the cylinders. You typically get some smoke obviously and the backs of the valves get coked up.

Yeah, I think this is it the next move. It is a 2JZ, so its overhead cam, so a lot of these things have the spark plug seal in the valve cover or as part of the valve cover gasket. I remember our cars have this from when I rebuilt my engine. So those seals could have gone bad and are inundating the combustion chamber and/or the spark plug channel.

Thanks SVT! I'll report what happens...

 

[thomas91169]

Grandma about to get 2JZ swap........

FWIW my buddy just got a IS300 and says those 2JZ-GE are cheap and readily available if you need to throw a new one in, its probably cheaper to just get a full motor than rebuild it.

 

[OhIIICobra]

I'd probably swap out the valve cover gaskets before going worst case scenario. If both valve cover gaskets are shot it will leak into various cylinders causing misfires. Even a sloppy oil change (repeated sloppy oil changes) on that car can cause problems.

 

[MG0h3]

if the spark plug boot was soaked, Id have to assume that is where the oil was. That bore being full to the top still wont fill the cylinder, unless you are at TDC maybe.

 

[nxhappy]

I would also say valve cover gasket from the top .

 

[rotor_powerd]

Oil will leak down through the rings if it's just sitting in the cylinder. Sounds like it's leaking from above.

 

[03cobra#694]

Don't let Granny loan her car out.

 

[Svt4ever22]

Pics of Granny

 

[Swetrid]

It may need a variable cam timing solenoid, they are known to stick and cause a entire bank misfire.

 

[kevinatfms]

It may need a variable cam timing solenoid, they are known to stick and cause a entire bank misfire.

Its an inline 6. No banks on this one.

More than likely a valve guide leaking or the plug well seal went bad. I know Toyotas were notorious for leaking valve guides in the 4 and v6 motors but ive never heard of this problem on the i-6 stuff.

 

[333arod333]

Ok, so I took a look and the valve covers don't have anything to do with the spark plugs or seals/guides. The plugs are in the middle of the engine and the valve covers are on the sides, literally only covering the tops of the cams. So there is no part of the valve cover or gasket that contacts the plugs. So with the spark plugs being in the middle of the head, is there some kind of seal in there that could have gone bad?

 

[rotor_powerd]

Are the valve covers leaking towards the inside and letting oil leak down into the plugs?

 

[Russo]

umm, the motor is an inline 6, i don't think there are more than one valve cover or gasket..