Wet Spark Plugs

[SHAWNGS300]

Hey Guys,

I tried to change my spark plugs on my 1998 gs300 (125k miles), when i took them out they were wet on the bottom half with engine oil.

-Is this normal?

- If it is not normal, does any one know what is the cause?

-If/how soon and how much to repair?

-Also i have a problem with the car not starting intermitently cranks but won't turn over, could the wet spark plugs be the problem?

:(

[GuyTelefunken]

I would venture to say that your valve seals are probably starting to wear. The valve seals keep the oil from running down the valve stems into each cylinder. It's fairly common to some extent as engines wear, regardless of the manufacturer. Have you noticed if you are using any oil between changes? That is to say if you check your oil level right before you change the oil, after several thousand miles, it should not be much lower than when you filled it. My car uses about 1.5 quarts of oil per 4000 miles. Since there are no oil leaks, I have to assume that my seals are leaking as well. Also as an engine wears, the piston rings can wear as well. They are metal as opposed to the rubber valve seals so they tend to wear less and are usually not a problem.

Funny you mention the intermittent starting problem. I also have a similar problem from time to time. Though I didn't notice any oil on the plugs when I changed them. But that was two years ago.

Overall, if you do need to replace the seals, it takes about 10.5 hours at the Lexus dealer. Parts are about a few hundred dollars for all the gaskets and things that wear and should be replaced at the same time.

[SHAWNGS300]

Thanks, i will check into that and leave a reply post.