Kerosene directly into the combustion chamber?

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berniedd

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Recently I noticed the CRV (60,000 miles) spark plug #1 had moist dark oil deposits at the ends of the threaded part. #2 had dark DRY glazed deposits in the same area. All 4 plugs had the normal tan colored deposits at the center and side electrodes. This started after I topped off the conventional oil with a quart of Shell fully synthetic oil. I don't think it's worn rings, given the engine mileage. I'm thinking stuck piston rings, and the synthetic oil was purely coincidental. I think I can rule out the valves as the engine had new valves and new stem seals installed not too long ago. When we removed the cyl head then, there was no sludge seen, and the camshaft and its actuators were normal-looking. At the time, the oil pan was dropped and cleaned too.

I can change my own oil, so I'm thinking why not free up the rings by pouring some kerosene down into the combustion chambers, let them soak overnight, and then change the oil? Comments?
 
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So you check you plugs every time you add top up oil?
Really? You keep that close of a watch on them that you know exactly when oil on the threads occurred?

I don't know what vehicle you have, but oil on threads is often from seepage fro a valve cover gasket -from the non combustion side.
If this was an internal oil issue, it would affect all the cylinders, which it is not.

Something in that cylinder would have to be different. Probably a valve guide, maybe the rings/lands/bore area.
If it is in the ring area, cleaning can help, for sure. Autop Rx or MMO in the oil will work. Not perfect, but will clean for sure.
 
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That cylinder see's gallons of fuel what is soaking it with kerosine going to do? It is not even as strong as gasoline. If you want to clean the rings put a darn solvent in their that has some strength. No seafoam isnot a strong solvent and niether is MMO both are worthless as a piston soak. B12,Lube COntrol,N131,Mola-Soak etc..... are all time proven things to free rings.
 
What brand of motor oil are you using in your CRV (given the fact that domestic blended motor oil commonly sold in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. are inferior to many imported oils, I would be curious about that part?

Also: have you check to see if your #1 spark plug tube insert (Valve cover-spark plug grommet) is hardened or leaking?

Also: have you performed wet/dry compression tests on all 4 cylinders to see if your compression is good? Lastly: what about oil consumption?
 
Mechtech2, I know it started when I topped off the oil because I'd changed the old plugs at that same time. The old plug electrodes had the expected normal color and didn't have any oil on the threads. The new plugs were NGK platinums that the auto supply guys told me were OK for the car, but were not in the manual's list of recommended replacements. So I took them out a few days ago to see if indeed they were ok to use. I KNOW they are OK to use, as the color at the plug tips and electrodes are what they should be. That's when I noticed the oil on the very ends of the plugs in #1 and #2. I shone a light into the piston tops and #2 piston top has a thin deposit of a glazy stuff on it. The other pistons tops look dry and didn't have this deposit. Definitely there's no oil seepage from the valve cover gaskets - I've looked very carefully at the barrels the plugs go into. Also, the deposits are on the very ends of the 2 plugs, and the threads in contact with the head are dry and clean. And, like mentioned above, I don't think adding the syn oil had anything to do with this recent problem. The deposits are merely the symptom, not the cause.

I've thought of using Auto-Rx or MMO but these are not readily available in this part of the world. Nor is B12, Lube COntrol, N131, or Mola-Soak.

The car does not consume oil. At the last oil change I used Shell Helix (rated 15W-50). I want to do a compression test, but I don't have the tester, and neither do the shops, even the high end ones, I've asked around. Once the holidays are over, I'm gearing to buy one for myself.

Finally, I thought of using kerosene because it is the usual key ingredient in many a motor flush. That's also what I used when years ago I did my own engine overhauls. Gasoline and carb cleaner are stronger solvents for sure, but tend to evaporate quickly. Hmmm, maybe I can first use kerosene for a few hours of soak, then follow up with lacquer thinner or carb cleaner, drain and replace the oil, then start her up ASAP before any deposits can recongeal.
 
I wouldn't use lacquer thinner myself. Carb is ok.

Kerosene as I understand it is a cosolvent in many flushes and FI cleaners. Even though it's the main ingredient the rest of the stuff in those bottles does all the real cleaning. But it's cheap and will do no harm so it's worth a shot.
 
Originally Posted By: berniedd
I'm thinking stuck piston rings, and the synthetic oil was purely coincidental. I think I can rule out the valves as the engine had new valves and new stem seals installed not too long ago. When we removed the cyl head then, there was no sludge seen, and the camshaft and its actuators were normal-looking. At the time, the oil pan was dropped and cleaned too.


All of this at 60,000 miles?????
shocked2.gif
What are you doing to that engine? I would stop the Helix 15w50 and switch to helix 5w40 or 10w30 and clean the entire PCV system.
 
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OK.
So it is narrowed down to an internal problem.
I lean towards valve guides or valve seals at this point.
Slightly thicker oil can help no matter what, without doing any mechanical repairs. A little incidental oil wetness is not a deal killer.

If the plugs are burning off the deposits, that's good. Things are under control.
 
PT1, I've checked the PCV and its hoses - all ok. PCV rattles when I shake it.

Maybe the engine doesn't want large amounts of fully synthetic 10W-40 (thinner) oil. This is the first time I've added a whole quart to my dino already in there. It was sort of an experiment; before this all I used was conventional oils. I'm the second owner of the car and I don't really know how often the PO changed his oil. By the way, 15w-50 grade oil is not unusual to use in this country with its very hot climate. Even the manual says it's OK. Shell Helix is not sold here in 5W40 grade and nobody sells a 30 weight.

Maybe things will improve at the soon to be next oil change.
 
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LOL! It just happens that you folks in SE Asia used to using relatively shear-unstable oil grades such as 15W40, that's all.

We here in NA typically use 5W20, 5W30 and 10W30 on all Hondas until they past their prime, mostly due to transmission/body rot issue and such, and engines are still strong/in good shape when they hit the junkyard.

Again, ricer cars need not apply.

Q.
19.gif
 
Originally Posted By: jmac
Wow, 15w40 is a shear unstable oil grade?
smirk2.gif



In those countries: 15W40 is not that shear stable afterall (one of them is the ENOC that our falcon poster exerienced in Kuwait.

What else? SINOPAC's diesel oil (most of them folks used them in their gasoline engines anyways),Hyrax?ETOC?Behran Oil? Hipro?

Also: it's been known sad fact that unless you purchase your brand name motor oil from reputable importers (brand names from Jpn, European or US), otherwise: half of the time motorists ended up getting counterfeitted brand name motor oils. Also: most of those local/domestic brand names such as Gulf, etc. sold there even though they claimed to be API SJ/SL/SM certified or diesel CJ certification which the label typically doesn't even come with ASTM certifications of any kind...makes you wonder how "truthful" these oils are (nobody knows until their motor starts to burn oil/sludge/carboned up).

Counterfitted brand name oils such as Toyota/Honda/Yamaha, etc. are known to be a big seller in those countries and nobody can tell if they are getting the real mcCoy:

http://thejakartaglobe.com/city/slick-operation-nets-illegal-motor-oil/278666

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_06/b3919001_mz001.htm

Q.
19.gif


BTW: jmac- you just don't know how lucky you are getting high quality automobile lubricants at an extremely reasonable price in US...
 
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Originally Posted By: berniedd
By the way, 15w-50 grade oil is not unusual to use in this country with its very hot climate.


Like Quest said, it's not an oil viscosity problem, it's an oil, quality problem. Official record high temp for your country is 108F. Than would only be a nice warm day in parts of the Southwestern US where 5w30 and even 5W-20 are used year round.
 
Thx XS650. I guess I'm not clear enough when I say that their 15W40 is shear-unstable (pun-intended).

Afterall: nobody is certain what they are getting is indeed what they are hoping to get so what makes one think that they are indeed getting highest possible quality motor oil lubricants?

15W40 doesn't really mean much in those countries. They will be equally surprised (*shocked*) to hear that we are using 0W30/5W20/5W30 here in NAmerica from Mexico border to Canada (thin as water?!) and engines still live past 300,000kms typical?!

Also: due to poor maintenance,counterfeit parts, high humidity/rusting issues and such, cars typically don't last that long in those SE Asian countries to begin with. So most engines get ditched before 100,000miles (typical, or approx. 5~7yrs).

Kudos to the original Poster who tries really hard to keep his CRV running at it's best. Unfortunately, in those countries, you just don't know what you ended up in your car: from injector clogging/gumming inferior gasoline (brand name imports such as Shell/Carltex, etc. typically costs more than that of Sinopac, China oil, Gulf, etc.) to karappy engine/maintenance parts to counterfeited brake pads and such....
 
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The build up gets to a point, baked in the grooves so hard that the only thing that will clean them is a piston groove scraper. those oil control rings are not going to free up.
 
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