fouled plugs....what would cause this? there was no oil on the outside of the motor.

would it be vavle seats ,maybe?

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/211000-211999/211984_127_full.jpg



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1978z28 80% orignal 2nd owner 80,000miles.
355, forged speed pro pistons,stage I connecting rods,all balanced.
1.94,1.60 GM heads,ported and polished,bowl blended,gasket matched.
XE268 comp cam w/ 1.6 rockers,.500 lift.
edlebrock 600 carb,EPS Performer intake,3:73 rear,4-speed
booger's all orignal 1978z (http://camaroz28.cardomain.com/id/booger78z28)

Don't think the worst yet. I've had brand new plugs fail and start to foul on an otherwise perfectly good working engine.

http://www.4secondsflat.com/Spark_plug_reading.html

well, they look like they are oil soaked.

Insufficient burn from an ignition problem can also make a plug look like that. What does your car sound like, does it sound like it's missing?

i got that same problem but they all still fire. the problaem might be worn valve guide seals. if this happens you well see a puff of blue smoke coming out the tall pipe when you first start the car.

the heads have been re-worked less than 2000 miles ago.

car does smoke "a little" when i first start up, but that is it.but it's not blue,it's barely white enough to see it.

i got a hotter plug this time ,hoping this will help.

Is there any coloration on the center electrode porcelain? Like only on one side of it?

I had plugs doing that on a 350. Couple of cans of engine restore later problem was fixed. Oh yeah, I still added a can inbetween oil changes after that. Just a suggestion.

Fixin' a 77Z,78Z and a 80Z. I must be crazy!

Perhaps a wee bit o' gasoline fouling them out???

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Damon:
Is there any coloration on the center electrode porcelain? Like only on one side of it?</font>


one side of the elcetrode looks good, the other side is pretty foul lookin.

Just a though but define "heads have been reworked". Knurling the valve guides is a short term fix that only drilling and replacing the guides can fix.

If the plug's center electrode is fouled on one side and the threads are oil-soaked it's almost for certain that the oil is coming in through the intake valve. Guides, guide seals, oil leaking past the rocker stud threads, leaky intake gasket, sucking oil through the PCV system, etc.

If you know exactly which cylinder the plug came out of you can confirm this. Put a mark on the OUTSIDE porcelain with a Sharpie on the same side that the inside lectrode is fouled. Screw it back into the plug hole it came out of and tighten as usual. I'll bet dollars to donuts that the line you drew on the porcelain points directly at the intake valve of that cylinder.


[This message has been edited by Damon (edited March 05, 2005).]

thanks guys~~~all the plugs look this way.

im pretty sure it is the guides or seats.

i had the heads worked, just dont remeber if i got new guides or not?

Sometimes after reworking the heads, you increase compression, if your oil rings are worn you could be pumping a little oil.