1.33L (1NR-FE engine) oily spark plugs

[Motheo]

Halo Guys

My 2011 Toyota Auris has clocked 250 000km and i checked the plugs a week ago for condition as they will be due for a change in 3 months.

I noticed that the plugs are covered in oil especially Cylinder 3 & 4 are worse but the tips on all plugs are clean.

Note that the car still drives normally, does not smoke and no change in fuel consumption or power. 

Is it plug tube seals that are worn or what??

Advise please

[TonyHSD]

Lol, that’s a lots of oil, perhaps the seals in question are to blame. If they are easy fix and cheap I will replace them if they are difficult and involved a lots of work I just gonna drive like that, will clean as much as I can and use oil stop leak in the oil additive to help rejuvenate the seals and hopefully stop that mess. 👍 it’s an old car it can’t be perfect. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0031ROB36/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=ef9121443ed7d4a9625f855e0b2ac288&hsa_cr_id=8166161010402&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=8b81076a-774c-44ee-818f-a77771334dbf&pd_rd_w=txy3v&pd_rd_wg=Yl9D7&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_2_img

[nielshm]

That's strange. Is it possible that a garage has covered the plugs in oil before inserting them?

If oil should bypass the piston and get into the combustion chamber, the plugs would be black and covered in carbon. I find the plugs too white/hot, a more greyish color would be  right.

[Motheo]

8 minutes ago, nielshm said:

That's strange. Is it possible that a garage has covered the plugs in oil before inserting them?

If oil should bypass the piston and get into the combustion chamber, the plugs would be black and covered in carbon. I find the plugs too white/hot, a more greyish color would be  right.

I replaced the plugs at 175 000km.

I got this car at 159 000km and have been DIY services since then with no issues.

[Motheo]

22 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Lol, that’s a lots of oil, perhaps the seals in question are to blame. If they are easy fix and cheap I will replace them if they are difficult and involved a lots of work I just gonna drive like that, will clean as much as I can and use oil stop leak in the oil additive to help rejuvenate the seals and hopefully stop that mess. 👍 it’s an old car it can’t be perfect. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0031ROB36/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=ef9121443ed7d4a9625f855e0b2ac288&hsa_cr_id=8166161010402&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=8b81076a-774c-44ee-818f-a77771334dbf&pd_rd_w=txy3v&pd_rd_wg=Yl9D7&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_2_img

I doing some research and see if the seals are an easy fix and i can DIY.

Car has been reliable with no issues.

[TonyHSD]

7 minutes ago, Motheo said:

I doing some research and see if the seals are an easy fix and i can DIY.

Car has been reliable with no issues.

Any excessive oil consumption? Oily spark plugs can be as a result of oil control rings failure or pcv that can’t ventilate oil properly, best to check the pcv too and replace it if never been replaced before. If the car consume a lots of oil then you may have the answer and it won’t be cheap to repair, again if drives fine just clean, change plugs, add oil additive and drive as is until breaks down and repair is needed, you get all sorted in one go. 

[furtula]

Looks like some oil blow by as others mentioned. 

Could be accumulated over many many km's, so it looks ugly. 

I'd just wipe it for now, and check in a week, or month, might not be that bad as it looks now.

Don't be eager to fix a thing that might not be that broken.

[Stivino]

Oil in the spark plug wells is usually a sign that the "O" rings have deteriorated and are allowing oil to pass.

It's usually a cheapand easy fix.

It could be other things but that would be the firdt thing to check.

You might find a video on YouTube.

[Bernard Foy]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

Any excessive oil consumption? Oily spark plugs can be as a result of oil control rings failure or pcv that can’t ventilate oil properly, best to check the pcv too and replace it if never been replaced before. If the car consume a lots of oil then you may have the answer and it won’t be cheap to repair, again if drives fine just clean, change plugs, add oil additive and drive as is until breaks down and repair is needed, you get all sorted in one go. 

If it were mine then I would go with Tony’s advice, change the plugs use an oil additive. Check for oil consumption regularly and if it’s not an excessive user of oil then you have no worries if the car is performing as normal.

[flash22]

It just needs a valve cover gasket/cover (set) the plugs are dry the oil is from the spark plug wells (note. the end of the coils a soaked on 3 and 4)

the rubber gaskets go hard and crispy with age and mileage

Gasket

Toyota - 11213-47020

Victor Reinz - 71-54088-00

 

Valve cover - the spark plug tube seal is part of the valve cover - not sure if it supplied with the above gasket or not

11201-47072 - superseded by 11201-47073 - it's not cheap

 

If it was letting oil past the rings the plugs would be black not an ash colour to me, they look a bit HOT, but there was a change in plug spec on the 1NRFE

Edit. They are NGK and tend to be a cooler plug - OEM is Denso SC16HR11 (replaces the old SC20HR)

 

[roks]

I've had this issue with my old Corolla, oil in the plug wells, it was the rocker cover gasket.