[julian924s]

Hi - hope someone can offer some help / advice. Got a 2001 Puma Black with 31.5k on the clock and was just changing the spark plugs myself. Upon removing the plug from the far right hand side if you are stood facing the front of the car - ie. the battery is on your right hand side, the threads of the plug were dripping with oil when it was removed?

The other three plugs are bone dry and there is absolutely no oil leaking from the plug hole itself - has anyone ever come across this before? The plugs removed are all the standard Motorcraft items as per the handbook and so are the replacement plugs. The only other work I've done is give it an oil / oil filter change the other day and took it up the road before topping up the oil which is at the MAX mark. The car is kept garaged on a flat surface, not on a steep hill or anything like that if it might make a difference.

Thanks - J.

[3Ddunk]

It could be your camshaft cover gasket that has failed, but its cheap and easy to replace.

This post has been edited by 3Ddunk: 17 July 2008 - 05:11 PM

[eldoodarino]

but its cheap and easy to replace.

well, sort of... it's quite fiddly i thought...

when sitting the cover back down the gasget flops around all over the place and very easily comes out of the grooves.... plus the area around the cam wheels is a bit out of sight when it's down so it's hard to see precisly if you have got it spot on.... but with a little patience it's perfectly do'able for a DIY'er...




finis code for the Gasget is 1031031

This post has been edited by eldoodarino: 17 July 2008 - 05:24 PM

[julian924s]

Are right ok thanks, probably should have said all the plugs removed and new ones added were correctly tightened and car runs just fine. Just popped all the new ones in and taken it for a quick drive and all seems fine. Removed the plug and although there's not as much oil on as last time you can still see it compared with absolutely nothing on the others. No oil on the tip of the plug it's just on the threaded section.

J.

[pumapilot]

As your in Leeds then take it to Tony @ Pumaspeed.

[happy-kat]

if you are into DIY there is an article in the Wiki on how to change the gasket yourself
if it leaks it leaks into the top of the spark plug wells, so the oil will appear on the thread rather than the tip when mine leaked. Also the leak may not be uniform and only have oil on the side/place where the gasket has failed.
Typical cause if having the cam belt changed and not getting a new gasket fitted.

[Fawcett]

Mine was the same, mine was due to me filling the oil up and missing the hole so all the oil sat where the spark plugs are.