Oil on Spark Plugs

brokeassgoat · Feb 18, 2018

2005 offroad. so, I finally got around to changing my sparkplugs. I got the top of the engine off, everything going great. then went to pull the plugs, and when I pulled the socket out, it had a bit of oil on it. The tip of the plug was dry "the spark end". oil was only on the top where the coilpack plugs together. only 2 plugs had this problem. a friend of mine says its the valve cover gaskets. anybody 2nd that? also....what with Nissan. u have to pull the engine apart to do plugs and the coilpack gromets on the valve covers are not replaceable, so now I have to buy a new valve cover. Nissan sure knows how to squeeze their customers of $$$

Snowtrout · Feb 18, 2018

Valve cover gasket leak.

Surf and Snow · Feb 18, 2018

Valve cover gasket. Bad spark plug tube o-rings.

Also FYI you can change the plugs in under an hour if you just leave the plenum on and just use swivels and extensions.

brokeassgoat · Feb 19, 2018

thanks guys. hopefully tomorrow I can get the valve cover. the passenger side seems to be the hardest to track down. everybody has the driver side in stock. then, once its all back together, it should run a lot better. my Nissan was at 130k and I don't think the plugs have ever been changed. I was having a p0303code /cylinder 3 issue/ when I had it read, so after new plugs and coilpacks, and a new valve cover and gasket set, it should be good to go. hopefully I don't have a injector problem. I will just put it back together and see what happens. thnx again

pso · Feb 22, 2018

I have some oil leaking around the plugs too and was checking into replacing the valve covers. The last time I was at O'Reilly's, I checked on the price for the gaskets that go around the outside of the valve cover. They found a set of 6 seals that look like they go around the plugs for $22 which is less than the price of one valve cover.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...pro-spark-plug-tube-seal/es72481/4307044/2006/nissan/xterra?q=spark+plug+gasket

Other people have posted here that the seals are molded into the valve cover and not replaceable separate from the valve cover. I was considering pulling the valve covers and seeing if the seals around the plug can be removed. I would then either buy the seal kit from O'Reilly's or buy the valve covers from Courtesy Parts.

OBXterra · Feb 23, 2018

The O-rings are not designed to be replaced (Thanks Nissan!) requiring you change the valve cover. :O

9Fruits · Feb 23, 2018

Yeah oil on the plugs isn't from the valve cover gaskets in our case, it is from the spark plug seals which are built-in to the valve cover itself and cannot be replaced individually, as stated above. Fortunately the covers are only $35-$40 apiece. If you don't replace the covers you will get oil on your new plugs. Definitely recommend replacing the valve cover gaskets as well while you have it apart.

pso · Feb 23, 2018

This is what I thought. That is why it is puzzling to find the gaskets at O'Reillys.

Oil on Spark Plugs

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