I was checking to make sure that the plugs were tight. Everything was tight and clean, except that there were maybe 4 drops of oil at the bottom of the rearmost sparkplug well. There was no splattering and no other residue. Has anyone else notice this, and how the hell did it get there. I have never noticed any oil usage, even during break-in.

I plan on taking it to the dealer to at least pull all the plugs and and scope that cylinder see if that one is having problems.

Also, has anyone tried the Bosch Platinum 4 plugs?

 

I had the same expereince a couple of months back and posted on this forum about it. It would seem that the oil is some form of lubrication (or anti-locktite) that Honda use to prevent the plugs seizing in the threads. Nothing to worry about.

 

S2WOOOW,
I had the same problem on the same plug and posted a few months ago too. I don't think it was anti-sieze, because it looked just like engine oil to me. Somebody suggested that it might be from leakage around the valve cover 'O' rings. So, I torqued down on the valve cover bolts.

I haven't checked my plugs since then, but like you I plan on checking them again because of pdippell's post on his plug problem. By the way it's 693 miles from Monterey to my house and Tanq and I were back in Phoenix between 6 and 7 PM on Tuesday.

 

Yeah, I pulled the plug out, and it's definitely engine oil (I also pulled the forward most plug and it was clean). I will check the valve cover torques next. That is incouraging. I was trying to figure out how it would get in there, other than through the actual cylinder. I figured that if it was through the cylinder, I would have been burning quit a bit of oil.

Home by dinner? That's ripping. You must have missed LA traffic and had a tailwind. It was great hanging out with you and Tanq and the Irvine group last weekend. Hope to see you at a track event again.

 

Mine too in #4 only, it comes from the seal around the top of the tube the sparkplug's in. Tighten valve cover won't help I don't think. Mine has been doing it since new, I wasn't sweating it. If it bothers you, the replacement of the seal is not too hard to do.

 

...and I checked the valve cover and it was fine.

 

Its the O-Rings around each of the spark plug cylinders. Take it to the dealer and show them. No biggie, they will replace it under warranty....BTW, be very careful if you are tightening the valve cover bolts. The Valve cover studs are very soft and if you over torque them you can snap the stud....(did that on my Civic a while back. Ooops! )

Peace

 

What's the trick to getting the #4 sparkplug housing out? <To check for the oil and proper plug torque.> In my 02, it is bound down tight by the wiring harness and I don't see any release tabs. Thanks for your advice on the correct way to get at the one closest to the firewall.

Bob

 

Assuming that the 00s and 02s are the same, the release tab is on the left (toward the driver side) of the plug. I was trying to force it until I looked at the #1 plug and saw the tab.

 

inane comment on almost 8 yr old thread = FAIL.