1997Stang

Hey guys, i took my o/r x pipe off today to swap a stock one on for inspection and i found oil in the x pipe. So to see if it was a big problem or not i checked the spark plugs to make sure their wasnt oil on them and sure enough there was. Oil on the spark plugs means bad piston rings doesn't it? How expensive of a job am i looking at here?

Thanks,
Mike

antiv6

was the oil on the tip of the plug or just on the threads?

mfj

Not necessarily. Take your intake off, and see if you see any oil on the inside of the throttle body... Could just be getting blow by, and the oil may be entering from your pcv fresh air return line, and into the intake...

livefast1

not sure on cobras, but alot of ohc import engines the problem is the o ring seal on the valve covers for the spark plug tubes. the oil sits on top of the plugs but drenches the plugs when you pull them out. do you have smoke on start up?

sonicsaleen

that could be a possibility

mfj

Yup. My tube seals went out on my valve covers...

high_up1

that would explain the oil on the plugs for sure but not the oil in the pipes. I'd check for a way for the oil to be getting into the combustion chamber. Could be rings, could be valve seals, could be PCV, could be a ton of other things. you can check the rings with a leakdown test. that would be easy.