What do these spark plugs tell you?

[MC2]

Change my plugs today. One one of them, there's oil ALL over the plug and brownish caked/dried oil on the boot. I just got the car a couple weeks ago. The one that's totally black is the one closest to the oil filler, so I dont know if the guy spilled oil down the top. I've never seen oil get past the threads...

A couple others appear to have oil on the threads. Only one of them (cylinder closest to driver) seems to be entirely normal..

The tips look good, color is brownish gray.

oh, and i think i used too much dielectric grease reinstalling the plugs.. is it gonna be an issue? I'm pretty sure it's on the metal tips...

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/32331/Plugs/IMG_0500.jpg

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/32331/Plugs/IMG_0502.jpg

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/32331/Plugs/IMG_0504.jpg

[keltik]

They all look fairly worn but clean. The oil on the plug will deposit heavier the closer it is to the cylinder head as thats the hottest point on the outside of the plug. Oil probably came from a leaky valve cover if its a twin cam motor or somebody being a bit sloppy refilling the oil if its single cam.

Occasionally older plugs will have a little bit of leakage between the insulator and metal outer ring. But thats normally a grey/brown deposit on the ceramic.

[MC2]

oh damn it. i thought the new plugs were pre-gapped.. i just read that they aren't. :smt021

can i re-install them if i take them out? i think they have a crush washer on the end..

[keltik]

Ive never had a problem doing that. The crush washer has always re-sealed just fine for me

[MC2]

cool thanks.

[Piddster]

I wish I had pictures of the plugs from my beater wagon right when I got it. You could barely make out the groove in the electrode. And they were V-powers, lol.

[decke48]

ive had plug so worn so the electrode was retracted into the porcelain a good .28" im suprized the car ran as good as it did. i just wanted to do its first tune up at 100k