Oil on spark plug cylinder 1

[Ady_G 0]

My VR6 started to run a bit rough again, and the plug on cylinder 1 was really in a bad state. So I cleaned it with a spark plug cleaner and it runs fine again now.

 

Last summer about the same time of year it happened on bosch plugs, but at the 12 month service I had NGKs put in. It's taken 10 months and 5000 miles for it to get in the same state again.

 

I've heard of other people's VR6s fouling plugs on cylinders 1 and 6 and I was thinking some time in the future a head re-build might be in order, but as the car runs fine again now I probably wont be doing that for a bit. Unless anyone has found a better cure for this problem.

 

Heres an interesting Haynes style spark plug photo anyway of the dirtiest spark plug I've seen for a bit.

 

Cheers

 

Ady

 

p.s. oh yeah and the plastic HT lead removal tool is a bit naff, I defended them in the past, but it broke today so I'm going to get one of the metal ones.

[Heardy 0]

What grade of oil are you using? If you're using 10/40 try using a different grade of oil either 15/40 or higher, that might improve it, that's what i did with mine when it started to oil the plug's up.

I wouldn't worry about it really it's probably going to be expensive to sort out. :(

[Ady_G 0]

I'm using the VW Synta Quantum Silver 10w40 oil, which is what my local VW independant specialist uses. It takes 10 months or so the foul the plugs up so Im not too worried.

 

The car has done 120k miles and has a full service history so Im suprised it has any problems like this, I've had Vauxhalls with 150k on that never used any oil and the plugs could last 18k miles, even then they were only changed because it was recomended in the manual.

 

Ady

[vr6storm 0]

 

p.s. oh yeah and the plastic HT lead removal tool is a bit naff, I defended them in the past, but it broke today so I'm going to get one of the metal ones.

 

 

na na nana na told ya so :-P

[Ady_G 0]

How foolish of me, why did I ever think plastic would be better than metal :(

[dazzyvr6 0]

try using a different oil,my vr used a lot of quantum synta so i swapped to shell helix and its much much better now

[Ady_G 0]

It uses about a litre every 750 miles, which is a very rough estimate, but it's about what the handbook says which I think is 1 litre per 1000km. I originally used Castrol GTX Magnatec, but it drank that so the Synta stuff is better. I might give the Shell Helix a go though.

 

I was assuming I had worn valve stem seals on cylinder 1 and oil was eventually fouling up the plug, but I was going to wait till it gets worse before I have the head rebuilt.

 

Ady

[Scott 0]

Mine does the same mate - you will need a cylinder head overhaul after confirming the bores are ok by a compression test and leak down test.

 

Stealth will do the job for £1300 + VAT.

 

You will gradually notice that the car will smoke on overrun when it is hot....

 

I am doing mine next weekend with any luck :roll:

[Ady_G 0]

I might look into that sometime in the next year, I've only noticed the very occaisonal puff of greyish smoke though. The car runs fine otherwise though, so I'm a bit reluctant to fork out £1300 plus vat untill it gets worse.

 

You will need to let us know what it's like after a rebuilt head, I might be interested if the car feels loads quicker.

 

Cheers

 

Ady