I was changing my spark plugs on my 03 max and noticed that in spark plug valve 4 the stem from the valve cover had oil on its tip, although no oil was pooling within the valve itself. I then removed the spark plug and the tip was also very oily. What is the problem here and what can I do to fix it? The car runs fine with only 61,000 miles and no engine check light. Will the spark plug continue to perform efficiently or can it lead to any other problems?

 

Do you mean cylinder #4? I was not aware that sparkplugs had their own valves. haha

Anyway, you may have a bad valve stem seal. And no, your plugs will not work well covered in oil. Also look at piston rings as a possibility.

Any of you guys think this could be the result of precat material being sucked back into the 3.5's cylinders eg. (oil consumption problems 3.5's seem to have)?

 

I'm assuming that you mean oil was on the top of the plug.. in that case, the valve cover seal is probably leaking around the metal tube that goes down to the spark plug.

Travis

 

This belongs in the 5th generation forum.

 

agreed

 

about how much will it cost to get this leak fixed? how serious is this issue?

 

this is a common problem. replace the whole rear valve cover cause nissan doesnt sell the seal speratly.

 

they do sell the seal separately. I bought mine last year before I replaced the motor.

 

The original poster has a 3.5.


Edit: Just looked it up in FAST to be absolutely certain and there is no seperate part number for the seals with the 3.5.

 

yes i do have a 3.5.. and oil was pooling around the top of the spark plug. if this is a bad valve stem seal problem it seems pretty simply to replace, but what exactly do u mean by replacing the WHOLE rear valve cover as opposed to just replacing only the cover for that cylinder with the leak? im assuming that if this is a piston ring problem, then it is much more serious. anyone have any estimates on replacing these parts?

 

1. The seal that's leaking is NOT the valve stem seal.
2. If it was the valve stem seal it certainly would not be simple to replace, since it requires removal of the cams and lifters.
3. It's not a piston ring problem either. No blue smoke, no care.
4. What's leaking is the seal that goes around the spark plug tube and keeps oil out.
5. This seal is an integral part of the valve cover and cannot be replaced separately.

 

k sorry for the misread.

 

yes so you need to get a new rear valve cover to fix the problem.

 

where is the best place for me 2 get this part? is it worth going to nissan or can i buy it elsewhere (websites, etc) for cheaper?

 

you could always call daveb or find a used one but then you dont know if the seals are good or not.

 

QUESTION: U guys recommend changing my coil pack for that cylinder as well or it not necessary?

 

bump.....I just got done replacing my plugs at almost 65K and there was oil on the tip of one of my plugs. I removed the rubber cover on the coil pack and used a q-tip to clean it as best as possible. I looked down in the plug cyclinder and there wasnt any oil in there besides a few drips from when I actually pulled the plug out. I cleaned up the coil pack as best as possible trying to get all the oil off of it as I could. I did not replace my gasket because I am meeting up with Don from NextGear to run stock #'s for my stock Maxima here shortly and did not want to just throw away $30 bucks for a gasket that would be used for less than 10 days. Anyhow, I went for a test drive after I re-installed everything and all went well. It did seem to have a bit more response than before. Before the plug change, I noticed that when I pressed on the accelerator while I was crusing in 3rd and 4th with my foot OFF the accelerator, there would be a mild hisitation before the car actually accelerated. Which would have been caused from oil all over 1 of the 6 plugs, I think. What should I do. Also, what would you all recommend using to clean the chambers of the manifold? Thanks in advance.

 

Definately valve cover o rings. I did all of them on my motor along with new valve cover gaskets when I installed my variable intake this last winter. That really sucks that 3.5 requires a whole new cover though...

 

same thing happen to my car I plan on replacing valve cover, valve cover gasket and coil packs asap..

 

Get an 04 valve cover if you want to save big bucks. $30 vs. $90.

 

Isn't that great how they charge a lot less for the parts for cars that are still under warranty which you would not have to pay for anyway.

I purchased a complete engine gasket set last fall when I built re-built my VQ35

VQ35 gasket set - A33B $246.96
VQ35 gasket set - A34 $157.00

 

My guess is that the A34 parts are manufactured here in the U.S., and the A33 parts were man. in Japan, even though technically they are the SAME parts. Costs are higher when they are manufactured overseas.

 

i'll take it homie it me up at vq35altima@yahoo.com

 

Sorry if I was misleading.. I meant that the dealer sells the 04 valve covers for cheap.. vs. the 02-03 valve covers which are MUCH more expensive.

 

ok bro got ya... thanks for the info

 

ok back to my question. how do you relocate the knock sensor in a 03 max. any body know. I would search but the damn search button dont work