lophix

iTrader: (3)

Sorry for the weird heading; couldn't figure out what to name it. Anyways, my car has 176k+ and climbing fast cos i drive to school in kansas from houston about 8 times a year. So far all i've done is had my tranny rebuilt, y-pipe, cat conv. (thanx dallas,mike), r & pin., tierods, sound. My main worry now is my engine. The second to the last time i changed my plugs(3months ago), i noticed oil on one plug. The second time (about 2weeks ago) I noticed heavy oil on that same one and slight oil on the second one. I went ahead and cleaned the plug holes as best i could and put new plugs in. I also changed from plat. 2s to regular ngks.I havent checked it again since I got back to kansas 2weeks ago. Am I looking at an engine rebuild? Also, sporadically, my temperature would rise when idling, and when i start moving, it would go back down. Never when moving. Might be the thermostat or sumpth. I will have to get the radiator flushed.
Third, if i try taking off at low rpms, say 900/1krpms (with clutch fully let out) and blip the gas a lil i feel a sort of crack/strain under my foot that seems like it's coming from somewhere "in there" like around the y pipe area. That happens once in awhile tho, but kinda scares me a lil all the same. Finally, i was told that the "lower arm control bushing" (or sumpth along those lines) is wearing and should be changed before i can get a perfectly straight steering wheel with absolutely no drifting to the right as it does slightly now. True or False.


Thanks for all the info. I had to ask these after seeing the amt of miles kingrye has on his car!!!! I want that many too!!!

paganinimaster

i don't know if the cracking thing your talking about was the same as mine, but my lower control arm bushings were pretty much gone for awhile and everytime i would change gears the whole car would jerk to one side or the other due to the worn bushings. I got some new bushings which were really hard to find but my dad finally got some after calling around to a few places. They really help my whole steering/alignment is 100% better. Hope that helps a little.

SecretAsianMan

With 176K on your engine and oil starting to foul your plugs, you may want to do a compression check to get a better idea of the wear condition of the engine. As a temporary measure, you could consider switching to a higher viscosity engine oil as a means to reduce the oil blow-by. You say there is heavy oil on the plugs, are you sure it's oil rather than just sooty carbon black?

Regarding the temperature issue, it could be caused by a faulty thermostat, misadjusted engine timing, or a failure of the electric fan or temperature sensor. It can also happen if the coolant level is low. I guess there's also the possibility that you have a gauge problem but probably not if everything is normal when you are moving. Does this problem occur with the air conditioner on or off or both?

--SAM

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Yup. Compression test is recommended.

How does your oil look? Normal or like a chocolate milkshake? Milkshake=coolant in the oil = head gasket leak.

How does your coolant look? Any oily globs in the radiator?

lophix

iTrader: (3)

thanks for the replies.
I was told that the bushing was out so hopefully, replacing that will fix the alignment.
Concerning the plugs, two actually have oil on them, one with more than the other. How do I go about getting a compression check?
My oil's pretty dark now, and i'm at about 1.5k miles into the last oil change. The coolant level is perfect, and it looks clear of any globs.
How do i go about a compression check?

SecretAsianMan

You can either take it to a mechanic or make the measurements yourself.

It's an easy task but you'll need a compression gauge. Most auto supply stores sell them. They vary in price from real cheap to very expensive.

They generally come with instructions and tips on diagnosing whether you have worn rings or leaky valves. Basically you screw the guage or adapter hose into the spark plug hole to make the measurement. Some have a rubber cone you press into the spark plug opening but I prefer the threaded adapter fitting. Some of the gauges have a valve that holds the pressure reading until reset, that's also a nice feature.

--SAM

lophix

iTrader: (3)

aiight kool. will do today thanks for the feedback