white deposits on plugs

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Good morning,
I gave my brother in law a quick tune up last night after he complained about the engine in his 1992 Civic running rough.

I was able to change the plugs, wires and cap in the time allotted. As I often find, the screw holding the rotor on was stripped, so I'll have to give that another go when I have more time.

But, when I pulled the plugs, they had a heavy, crusty white deposit on them, all 4 of them. Clearly something is wrong...and the engine is drinking coolant now as well as oil...The plugs were replaced before I bought the car, as when I pulled them, they looked brandy new.

When we first got the car, I ran a UOA and found no coolant in the oil...but now I'm concerned again.

He's running Rotella 15w40 for now...but I'd be very suprised if that would lead to these deposits. I'm thinking he's burning coolant now. Could anyone confirm this?

Thanks,

Bogatyr
 
MarkC,
Heh, yeah, it's prolly running hot because he's not checking the coolant level...
rolleyes.gif

Bogatyr
 
Using coolent and white stuff on spark plugs sounds like coolent is geting into the combustion chamber. I'm not familiar with your engine but does it use a water cooled intake manifold?? Could also be a head gasket. ed
 
Are they the right heat range plugs? Does the coolant have oil in it?
 
One of the classic signs of a failing head gasket is air bubbling up through the coolant reservoir when the engine is running. If you see this, the head gasket is going to be the source of the problem.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Drew99GT:
Also, 15w-40.....................I know I'll catch flack from the heavy oil folks here, but I would NOT be running that oil in a little civic engine, especially in fall/winter in New York.

You won't catch any from me...get the Rotella out of there!!!
 
quote:

Originally posted by Bogatyr:
I then pull a plug after changing out the rotor that I never got to before and sure enough, there's gas in there...

Ok, are you saying that you (he) has a bad injector that's leaking fuel?

How much oil is your brothers car burning?

If he's not burning coolant, and developing a good spark, white deposits can usually be traced back to the engine oil...

[ November 16, 2004, 02:10 PM: Message edited by: Jelly ]
 
quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:

quote:

Originally posted by Drew99GT:
Also, 15w-40.....................I know I'll catch flack from the heavy oil folks here, but I would NOT be running that oil in a little civic engine, especially in fall/winter in New York.

You won't catch any from me...get the Rotella out of there!!!


This advice might be just on target. Doing some searching around, it seems that ash deposits are typically caused by the car burning additives in the fuel and/or oil. If the car's using oil, it might be best to switch to a high mileage oil instead of the diesel oil. If it's not, maybe your brother should switch gas stations for a while to see if that helps.

Check this link:

http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html
 
quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:

quote:

Originally posted by Bogatyr:
I then pull a plug after changing out the rotor that I never got to before and sure enough, there's gas in there...

Uh...gas in the rotor? ***!?! Granted that I haven't messed around with a lot of Honda's, but that can't be right!

How much oil is your brothers car burning?

If he's not burning coolant, and developing a good spark, white deposits can usually be traced back to the calcium, sulfur, barium, and zinc in engine oil...


Jelly, I thought the same thing, but I re-read it a few times and realized that he meant there's gas in the cylinder, therefore fuel delivery is OK.

quote:

I then pull a plug AFTER changing out the rotor

In other words, the plug was wet when he pulled it.
 
Jelly ..he meant on the plug that he pulled (or so I believe).
 -



Any of these??? 7 o'clock looks about what you're describing. So unless he's buying fuel from some lame outfit that is dumping junk on a perpetual basis in their tanks (or their supplier) ..then it points to oil ..probably from the valve guides.

I've seen some creative ways to cope with this on the cheap. I've seen some use a shorter plug that doesn't extend as far into the combustion chamber. This naturally has its side effects ..usually in starting ..but keeps the car more functional and usually is a false, but immediate savings over either getting the guides/seals fixed or replacing plugs every few weeks. Plus+4 may be one such shorter plug. They were 3/8" shorter than my spec'd plug.

Good luck!
 
quote:

Originally posted by Bogatyr:
and the engine is drinking coolant now as well as oil.

quote:

Originally posted by Bogatyr:
The coolant leak we had previously was one of the smaller hoses on the back of the engine...it's not losing or burning any coolant any more.

Ok, so you're no longer burning any coolant, just oil? And if Matt and I are interpreting your posts correctly, your fuel system is operating properly as well?

If you don't want to undertake mechanical repairs, I've been having good luck reducing consumption and blue smoke with Pennzoil HM 10w-40, but that still is most likely too thick for your vehicle and the temperatures in which it operates. Maybe try Pennzoil HM 10w-30 first? That'd still be a lot better than Rotella 15w-40 in the cold temps.
 
Wow, so little time and so many replies! Thanks!

The deposits on the plugs are like those pictured at the 7 o'clock position in that image.

I spent my lunch break trying to get her started without luck. Yes, there is fuel getting to the cylinders and there is spark. I'm having it towed into the shop we go to as I'm out of time and have to get back to work...

Roger on the Rotella. I've been trying to get him to change out his oil for a few weekends, but he hasn't gotten around to it...I did suggest the Pennzoil HM 10w30, which I've used and liked in the past.

I did put in a new coil, which improved the spark at the plugs, but not seemingly enough to get her started. At this point she's totally flooded and needs some time to air out...

Thanks again for the suggestions.
 
Bringing this up again...

My brother in law complained about the Civic running rough again over the weekend. Since this coincided with a change in temps we ran a few ounces of RedLine Si1 through the tank to no effect...hmm.

This morning, it wouldn't start. So I pull the plugs, which were replaced in July and now have about 4k miles on them. Most of the electrode is covered in a white crusty deposit again.

The coolant leak we had previously was one of the smaller hoses on the back of the engine...it's not losing or burning any coolant any more.

I then pull a plug after changing out the rotor that I never got to before and sure enough, there's gas in there...ok, hold that plug to the engine while cranking, there's a spark, but a weakish yellow one...not the blue that I'm used to seeing.

So, I'm going to swap in some new plugs at lunch to at least get him on the road again, assuming that this time it's not something amiss with the coil...I'm going to investigate another heat range plug as something just isn't right here. I'm not sure where these deposits are coming from...

Any idears?

Thanks,
Bogatyr
 
I was going to say that the deposits are not likely to be a head gasket failure if all 4 plugs have them. It'd be rare to have a headgasket blown around every cylinder
lol.gif
As far as the white deposits, I get them as well in my 94 Corolla. I'm fairly sure they're deposits from the brand of gasoline you use. Are you using the stock heat range plugs? I wouldn't yet move up to a hotter plug. The ignition is obiously weak. Troubleshoot that first. I'd imagine you've got a coil going south. Also, 15w-40.....................I know I'll catch flack from the heavy oil folks here, but I would NOT be running that oil in a little civic engine, especially in fall/winter in New York. The engine will probably smooth out a bit from just a change to a good 5w-30 oil.
 
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