Oil on spark plug wires

[RootedTree]

i changed out my spark plugs today. when i removed the plugs i noticed that two of them (when standing in front of the car looking at the motor the first set right and left, i think they are the 1 and 2 cylinders) had oil on them. the #1 had so much oil that it was coming out of the opening where the wire goes.

after searching online some people have suggested that its a valve cover gasket problem. has anyone ever had this issue before? is it something i should be worried about? is it something i can fix myself? thanks

[decke48]

could cause some misfires if oil gets in to the inside of the boot and start grounding to the block
it not hard to do. a valve cover kit runs for around $50

[dplacencia]

Change your valve cover gaskets. I do them all the time at work for that same problem. It's not a hard job to do. :wink:

[RootedTree]

alright sweet. ill probably get this done next weekend. thanks for the help

[RootedTree]

alright so i looked up how to do this on my haynes manual. one thing i didnt get was whether or not it was necessary to drain the engine oil? im sure this is a pretty obvious question for someone who knows anything about motors (which is not me, something i hope to change this summer by finding a motor project something like an old ATV fix or something)? thanks

[AJM]

I wouldn't bother drianing it. You might loose a little...just fill up the quater quart you might loose.

[decke48]

just do it when the engine is cold so all the oil drains back into the sump. and youll have no oil lost. can do it hot but you might loose some oil

[rougeben83]

it's not just the valve cover gasket, perse. It's the sparkplug gasket that is usually changed WITH the valve cover gasket. Make note of that when you do that side as you need 1x valve cover gasket, 2x sparkplug gasket, 5x bolt gaskets (there's little rubber washers that goes with each bolt that secures the gasket).

I used this DIY when I did mine

http://www.rs25.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51254