OIL!?!?!?!?!?

[sleepa]

i gotta 93 atx and a cpl days ago i noticed that one of my "plug caps" were loose so i pulled it out and there was oil all over it!!! i gotta friend with a 95' atx and his doesnt have oil on his!!!wut is wrong with mine????y is there oil in by my plugs??did i blow a gasket or something???PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr Anonymous]

S-E-A-R-C-H

This is a common problem for SHO's. Your plug well seals need to be replaced.

 

[Porod]

Sleepa- as SHOooo has implied with his post, this topic has been covered before. But anyway, here is what I know (and it is not much). The plug seals deteriorate with age and eventually can allow oil to leak in the plug wells, which will cause your car to run rather poorly. This is a routine maintanence thing, and should be done with the 60k. maintanence, but may have to be done before in your case (depending on mileage).
-where in Wisconsin are you?

 

[sleepa]

porod...im from medford, WI, i see ur from greenbay.....about wut do the plug well seals cost???and about how long 4 somebody to put them in???

 

[Mr Anonymous]

You'd be amazed just how much knowledge is contained within the forum's archives! Here are just two forum threads that I found in about 5 seconds utilizing the fantastic search function that contain the information you are looking for:

http://www.shoforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=17;t=003426

http://www.shoforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=17;t=002779

In case you are having trouble locating the 'search' link on the forum, you can also click here: SEARCH

 

[Jr's Sho]

Hey SHOooo, calm down. We don't want to run him off. He's still kinda new. I did the same thimg my first few posts too. But sleepa, I've had questions and went through some searching and found the answers without posting and having to wait on others to answer.

 

[sleepa]

yea shoooo settle down a bit man!!ive searched and ive found a few things but i needa ask 1 more question that i havent found!!would it be better for me to buy the video tape ($20) and follow the procedure and do it my self or would it be easier for me to take it to a local mechanic or ford dealer/shop??thanks

 

[projectSHO89]

would it be better for me to buy the video tape ($20) and follow the procedure and do it my self or would it be easier for me to take it to a local mechanic or ford dealer/shop??thanks

Give a man a fish, he eats for a day.
Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime....and spends every weekend fishing

Pick up a service manual, too while you're at it...

Steve

 

[Mr Anonymous]

I'm plenty calm... I'm always happy to help out, but it can become frustrating to try to help someone who has had the search feature pointed out to them on numerous occasions in other threads, yet doesn't use it. It's tough to help someone who can't help themselves.

With regard to your question concerning the work, if you are comfortable working on the engine, have the shop manual and a good collection of tools (plus a couple of specialty tools), the video is a great guide to getting you through the work. You should definitely avoid bringing it to a local mechanic, and even Ford, if at all possible. If you can locate a knowledgeable SHO mechanic nearby, that would be the best route. I'd even drive several hours to have someone who knows the SHO before bringing it to Ford or a 'regular' mechanic.

If you've never had an engine apart before, I personally wouldn't recommend doing your learning on the SHO. Doing it yourself is ultimately the most cost-effective and personally satisfying option.

The best thing you can do in the short term is do your best to get as much of the oil out of the plug wells as possible. There are countless ways to do it. I personally use a 3-step process: 1. take the spray head & pickup tube from a bottle of window cleaner and stick the tube in the well and spray the oil out into a container; 2. use compressed air with a rag wrapped around the nozzle to spray out the harder-to-get stuff as well as any dust, dirt, etc; 3. take a clean rag on a dowel and wipe up any remaining residue, especially on the plug end. It wouldn't hurt to clean the wire ends and dab a drop of dielectric grease on each connector.

If you're going to take the effort to remove the intake and the valve covers to replace the seals, it makes sense to set the valve lash while you're in there. You should also plan on new plugs & wires since the oil has obviously already affected their reliability. Done correctly, you shouldn't expect to have the top of the engine apart for another 60-100K miles, so it's worth doing it right & completely when given the opportunity.

 

[luigisho]

If you're just doing the seals you don't need the video for the 60k. It's not as complicated. Just get the fel pro seal set and take your time. It looks harder than it is. Get new intake (2) gaskets too.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

luigisho:
If you're just doing the seals you don't need the video for the 60k. It's not as complicated. Just get the fel pro seal set and take your time. It looks harder than it is. Get new intake (2) gaskets too.

Sure, but, I think if nothing else the video is a great help in removing/reinstalling the intake for the first time! Plus, I'm hoping if Mark makes enough $$$ on the videos that eventually he'll do an engine rebuild video since some of us are going to start needing them in the next few years!

<small>[ October 06, 2002, 08:29 PM: Message edited by: SHOooo ]</small>

 

[luigisho]

I'll go along with that logic!

 

[sleepa]

Thanks SHOooo for the help and everybody else. ill search for the 60 k video and see what happens i guess. ill give the squirt bottle thing this next weekend and see if i can get ALOT of the oil out of there..

 

[Jr's Sho]

I can second SHOooo on not taking your car to a shop. Either do it yourself or get an experienced Sho mechanic. If you don't already know, the part number for the valve cover and plug seal gasket set is on shotimes.com. Let us(or me) know if you plan on doing the job and we'll(or I'll) give you the steps to take. I replaced my plug seals a few months back with no problem. While your intake is off, you might want to check and replace your spark plugs as well.