Help diagnosing problem
07-25-2009, 06:21 PM
#2
Racer
first one is most likely not firing at all - missing due to oil fouling, the seconf one is still firing but burining lots of oil - sootly deposit, from incomplete burn
- I'm not a mecahanic but stayed a Holiday Inn once
BG
- I'm not a mecahanic but stayed a Holiday Inn once
BG
07-25-2009, 07:32 PM
#3
RL Technical Advisor
Both are severely fouled: the top one looks oil fouled and the bottom appears fuel fouled but a sniff test will be the difference and thats something I cannot do from here,.... 
One thing I call tell you is to quit using those horrible Bosch platinum plugs. Nothing worse and almost everything is FAR better. Put in Bosch or NGK coppers and that will help your situation.
After that, you need to see whether you have ignition issues, injector problems, or perhaps broken rings/worn guides.
One thing I call tell you is to quit using those horrible Bosch platinum plugs. Nothing worse and almost everything is FAR better. Put in Bosch or NGK coppers and that will help your situation.
After that, you need to see whether you have ignition issues, injector problems, or perhaps broken rings/worn guides.
07-26-2009, 01:32 AM
#5
RL Technical Advisor
Fuel fouled plugs demand a thorough check of ignition wires, plug connectors, cap & rotor, and deal with leaking fuel injectors.
Oil fouled plugs usually indicate a bigger issue: worn out guides and/or broken rings. If you are consuming more than 1 qt/800 miles, its time to take it apart and fix it before it gets more expensive to resolve.
Oil fouled plugs usually indicate a bigger issue: worn out guides and/or broken rings. If you are consuming more than 1 qt/800 miles, its time to take it apart and fix it before it gets more expensive to resolve.
07-26-2009, 09:25 AM
#6
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Thanks for your help Steve did a comp. check and numbers weren't good I figured this would happen and the way the motor went was such a way there would not be much damage other than the rings and P/C's so I found out my motor couldn't take the turbo as is but boy it was fun for those few (200) miles I drove it. Now I pull the motor and see what happened and go through the motor. It is a 2.7 so I dont know what my options are for making it tough enough for a turbo app. so I can have some more fun while I look for a better platform for this but I will look around I have plenty of 2.7 parts on hand to play with.
07-26-2009, 09:37 AM
#7
Why does it get more expensive to resolve?
I am starting to use oil (don't know the numbers because I keep tracking it and changing it, and I haven't been able to figure it out... but I'm using more than 1qrt/800 miles).
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07-26-2009, 10:06 AM
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He talking about in my case it gets more expensive because the motor was about to come apart on me I probably have broken rings and if I had tried to drive it that way a piston would have come apart. In your case I think he means when you have high oil consumption then there are things in the motor starting to wear ie valve guides,rings (which I am sure I have none left) and such but I wasnt using oil I only had 200-250 miles on it but the dipstick was right were I filled it to.
07-26-2009, 01:18 PM
#10
He talking about in my case it gets more expensive because the motor was about to come apart on me I probably have broken rings and if I had tried to drive it that way a piston would have come apart. In your case I think he means when you have high oil consumption then there are things in the motor starting to wear ie valve guides,rings (which I am sure I have none left) and such but I wasnt using oil I only had 200-250 miles on it but the dipstick was right were I filled it to.
I think I'll pull my plugs tomorrow.
07-26-2009, 02:35 PM
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07-26-2009, 02:38 PM
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Got it. I've been worried about valve guides going on mine since I've got one of the worst years for that and it's got 125K miles. Wasn't using any oil until recently. I can't easily track my oil consumption so it's hard for me to judge the state of things.
I think I'll pull my plugs tomorrow.
I think I'll pull my plugs tomorrow.
07-26-2009, 02:48 PM
#13
RL Technical Advisor
Valve jobs are relatively inexpensive compared to ring replacement or worse.
Excessive oil consumption leaves heavy carbon deposits that not only raises the compression ratio, but leaves hot spots that trigger detonation and pre-ignition.
IMHO, its FAR cheaper to deal with this proactively, rather than wait until a problem occurs.
07-26-2009, 07:07 PM
#14
Nope, I've got an 87 3.2L. I was mistaken - it's the fuel lines that were particularly bad that year (which I found out when mine ruptured and sprayed gas all over my hot, running engine).
Steve: Thanks for the explanation. It's been frustrating because I can't evaluate my oil consumption accurately. I've been getting worried and wondering how to determine what needs to be done. I'll talk to my mechanic in more detail about it.
Steve: Thanks for the explanation. It's been frustrating because I can't evaluate my oil consumption accurately. I've been getting worried and wondering how to determine what needs to be done. I'll talk to my mechanic in more detail about it.
