Oil on spark plug

I was changing my spark plugs and wires today and on the spark plug closest to the drivers side of the car I found a lot of oil on the plug. Should I be worried about this? Is this a problem thats gonna cost a lot to fix?

Thanks
Regan

on the electrode of the plug, or on the top where the wires connect to it?

The oil was on the electrode and the threads. It was not on the top of the plug though. The reason I ask is because the other 3 plugs did not have oil on them like this one did.

its been a while since my auto class, but iirc that indicates faulty piston ring?

intake valve seals, piston ring, if it were anything else they would all have oil or at least more than one.

do a compression test.
simple takes about 10 minutes

Is this something that would cost a lot to have fixed? Thanks for the help.

do a compression test

then i'll tell suggest what do do next

but yeha maybe money

The problem is I have never done a compression test. How do I go about doing one? Any tutorials on how to do one? I will do a search on the net since Im sure I can find something. Is it all pretty much universal for how to do one?

yes, its universal.

straight forward instructions: remove the spark plug and screw in the compression tester. start cranking the motor (disconnect your fuel pump first). when the needle stops going up (or after about 10 cranks usually) thats your compression for that cylinder.

you want the pressure to be about the same accross all 4 cylinders. i forget what 4g64 specs are, i'll post back in a few minutes after i find out.

I have a compression tester if you want to borrow it. Or I bet you could rent one from AutoZone as well.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(peanotation)</div><div class='quotemain'>yes, its universal. Â*

straight forward instructions: remove the spark plug and screw in the compression tester. start cranking the motor (disconnect your fuel pump first). when the needle stops going up (or after about 10 cranks usually) thats your compression for that cylinder. Â*

you want the pressure to be about the same accross all 4 cylinders. i forget what 4g64 specs are, i'll post back in a few minutes after i find out.</div>
on 7g sohc's its easier to disconnect the wiring harness from the distributor.
or just pull the engine/ecu fuse from the fuse/relay box under the hood.


yeah the tool literally screws in right where the spark plugs go.

its just a pressure gauge.
you will need someone to crank the motor while you read the gauge.

Thanks for the help guys. I think I remember watching my dad do a compression test on one of his cars back when I was young. Looks like I'll go pick up the guage from the auto parts store when I get a chance. Thanks for the offer Seth98. I just looked at the other 3 sparkplughs and they had a tiny amount of oil on them. Is that normal?

eh spark plugs should be dry. Replacing a valve seal is a PITA while the head is still on the car unless you have the expensive Miller tool.

theres nothing wrong with your internals. count on it.

Manybrews you have been correct when dealing with all my other questions so I will take your word on this. You don't know how good that is the hear that nothing is wrong. The main reason for me even changing the wires and plugs is because my engine shakes really hard like its going to jump out of the car when I first start it on cold mornings. It also shakes a lot when I am sitting at a stop light. If I put it into nuetral the shaking stops. What could be causing this? My check engine light came on, but then it shut off in the time it took me to get to the dealership.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(UAL Tripple 7)</div><div class='quotemain'>Manybrews you have been correct when dealing with all my other questions so I will take your word on this. You don't know how good that is the hear that nothing is wrong. The main reason for me even changing the wires and plugs is because my engine shakes really hard like its going to jump out of the car when I first start it on cold mornings. It also shakes a lot when I am sitting at a stop light. If I put it into nuetral the shaking stops. What could be causing this? My check engine light came on, but then it shut off in the time it took me to get to the dealership.</div>

first, how many miles on your car?
second, is it a 4 or 6 cylinder?
third, have you cleaned your throttle body lately?
and finally, if your check engine light was on but went off, there is still a code stored in the PCM (unless you unhooked the battery for some reason).

Many I have a 4cyl. with 131,000 miles on it. I cleaned the TB over the summer, but I might try that again. I have not disconnected the battery since the light came on. I'll take it to the dealer to have them read the code. Thanks for the help.