Oil-Fouled Spark Plugs – What Are The Causes And Fixes?

Many years have passed since car owners have used spark plugs in their engines.

A faulty or damaged spark plug is not something that will get noticed immediately. It can cause a lot of damage. 

If you have an insight into what to look out for, you can avoid huge repair bills in the future.

In this article, we will look at what causes oil to accumulate in your spark plugs and what you can do to prevent it from damaging your engine.

What Causes an Oil-fouled Spark Plug?

A good seal is needed between the cylinder head and the top of the piston rings. The oil will collect inside the chamber if there isn’t a good seal.

When the spark plug is on, the oil ignites. The poor acceleration is caused by the excess back pressure in the combustion chamber caused by the oil burning.

Before it can ignite, this back pressure burns off gasoline.

Special fuel systems are installed on cars with high-performance engines because of the lack of power due to the missing explosion.

This is similar to an engine with carbon build-up on its rings. The car will get better gas mileage because of the carbon build-up not burning as much.

Lower gas mileage is caused by the igniting and burning of the oil in the spark plug. If your car is having trouble starting in cold weather, it could be an early sign of a faulty ring.

Your car should be inspected by a mechanic to make sure the rings aren’t stuck and the engine isn’t scared.

If there is a burnt oily smell inside your engine, then you have this problem because removing carbon buildup by changing the oil can cure it.

Signs of an Oil-Fouled Spark Plug

Hard starts when the engine doesn’t warm up, the exhaust smoke is wet, and there is no power.

Timing advance being needed for every start-up during winter weather and not being needed in summer or better yet, being needed constantly throughout the year is one more difficult symptom to diagnose.

You can smell oil and oil smell when you inspect the spark plugs.

Are Oil-Fouled Spark Plugs Dangerous?

The amount of oil that is produced through combustion causes back pressure in the exhaust but doesn’t create enough pressure to blow a hole in the exhaust system.

If you don’t have enough power, you should see a mechanic as soon as possible, as this could be a sign of severe engine damage.

Is It Possible That Oil Ruin Spark Plugs?

Oil can get into the porcelain area of your spark plug and cause it to short out. Your car must be towed for service in this situation.

How Often Does an Oil-Fouled Spark Plug Happen?

The spark plug on a car’s engine will develop an oil-fouled spark plug with excessive carbon build-up. This build-up happens within 50k miles, which is low mileage for most cars.

Some engines can make it to 100k miles before the problem develops. The faster you drive your car, the faster it will age.

Extra clearance between the cylinder wall and the pistons may cause oil to be poured into the combustion chamber.

This could be a problem with your timing chains, check this video and see if you have a problem.

How Do You Stop Oil Fouling on Spark Plugs?

Changing your oil more often is one of the best ways to keep spark plugs free of oil. By the time you notice a problem, it has been too late.

If you drive in winter or off-road conditions, you should change your oil every 3,500 miles.

If you wait too long to change your oil, it will start drying out the oil and the rings won’t seal properly, causing an unburned mixture to get into your exhaust system.

There is a product called WYNNS that is designed to clean carbon buildup in engines.

I can’t vouch for it as I haven’t used it myself, but you may want to look into that product if you have this problem.

If the valve seals are damaged, you will need to replace them, and you need to get an original valve seal to prevent oils from entering the chamber.

Which Cars Are More Prone to Oil-fouled Spark Plugs than Others?

The air/fuel mixture is taken in through a venturi while the straight atmospheric side fuel injection takes place. The end of the venturi has a blast pipe on it.

The air meter is an instrument used in conjunction with the internal combustion engine to mix and deliver fuel.

It works by dividing fuel by the amount of air flowing into the cylinders. The downdraft type or the updraft type can be found on the carburetor.

In stationary engines and nearly all automobiles, the updraft is used. The air/fuel mixture is taken in through a venturi, after the straight atmospheric side fuel injection.

The end of the venturi has a blast pipe on it. The air meter is an instrument used in conjunction with the internal combustion engine to mix and deliver fuel.

It works by measuring the amount of fuel and air flowing into the cylinders. The downdraft type or the updraft type can be found on the carburetor.