Ice in plug wells?!!

[racenutz]

Earler this week my SHO started having the SHO charastic miss under 3000 RPM. So I decided to change the wires, plugs & valve cover seals. Today while I was changing the back row of plugs I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the spark plug socket on all the way, when I looked in the wells with a mirror I could see some kind of residue on the plugs so I carefully tapped the socket onto the plug. When I pulled the socket out it was filled with ice & after I got the plug out it had a 1/4" solid ring of Ice on it.

Anyone else ever run into this problem?

 

[betterman]

Has you engine ever been pressure washed or sprayed with a hose. Other than that I would see no reason for there being water in the wells.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

i agree, has it been snowing alot by you though? perhaps some road water crept up in there while you were driving. thats all i got here.

 

[racenutz]

My thoughts are:

I bought the car 2 weeks ago from the dealer who I'd bet they washed the engine. I live in Iowa & we haven't had a day above freezing since then. My guess is that since the plug wires were original with 135K on them they weren't sealing and were letting condensation in the well. Since frozen water expands it eventually pushed the plug wire off the plug.

 

[sdpatt]

The only way to get water in the rear bank plug wells is with a running or pressurized water supply. You are lucky if the ice didn't crack the plug well when it expanded.

 

[projectSHO89]

There's a couple of reasons for ice in the plugwell:

1) It's freaking cold and the water froze!

2) Either the spark plugs or the wires are the wrong height, preventing a proper seal.

3) The engine was power washed and water was forced past seals.

Pick #1 and either #2 and/or # 3 as your reasons.

Steve

 

[Sho-N-Go]

How in the world would it crack the plug well? The water would just rise and freeze since it is not a closed container.

 

[sdpatt]

Why does an open glass break when the water freezes? Because the ice expands in all directions.

 

[revhardSHO]

yup it would crack no matter what...cover or not.

 

[GTOSHO]

I agree, likely the water came from washing the engine. Don't freak on the idea that you may have cracked your wells. The metal is a lot stronger and less brittle than the glass example and ice would likely expand upward as the expansion forces would not be great enough to fail the walls.