Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Was a good sunny day and I decided to change my Spark Plugs. Got the Iridium IX plug from EBAY at a bargain ($68). During changing the plugs, the Air filter system got to be taken out. Some wiring was unplug to reach the spark plugs.

1st finding: The OLD Plugs were very worn out, glad I change them.

2nd finding: The plug nearest to the passenger has some old on it when I pull it out. IS there a problem?

3rd finding: Car was much smoother after the change.

4th finding: The Engine check light came on after the plugs changed. I guess I unplug something I shouldn't have. But car was fine to drive. How do I reset the warning?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/314955-changed-spark-plugs-today/
Share on other sites

  • Replies 42
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

That rear plug seal is know to weep oil, common problem. If it didnt have much on it I wouldnt worry too much as the seal isnt replaceable, mine was leaking badly and was full to the top. I removed the rocker cover and smeared a little silicone around the plug tube and it sealed fine, although I dont like silicone on the inside of the engine as it gets sucked up and blocks the oil pickup, just dont use much.

The replacement covers are around $300 each from memory and they may leak straight away.

Got the Iridium IX plug from EBAY at a bargain ($68).

1st finding: The OLD Plugs were very worn out, glad I change them.

Was that $US68 or did you find a local supplier?

Also you mentioned that your old plugs were very worn out. Any idea how many km's they did?

I am considering looking at mine but manual says that the OEM ones are good for 105k miles so have not bothered as my car is only just 57k km.

Was that $US68 or did you find a local supplier?

Also you mentioned that your old plugs were very worn out. Any idea how many km's they did?

I am considering looking at mine but manual says that the OEM ones are good for 105k miles so have not bothered as my car is only just 57k km.

It was from a US EBay seller (autodinamics) : http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/03-06-INFIN...sQ5fAccessories

Sorry, $68 is in Aussie $, not USD. Think you can get it even cheaper as Aussie $ is stronger now. You never know how much K's your import did as All the speedo reading are not correct. As advise from most of the guys here, once you get your car, it's better to do a full service on it. Change Oil/Filters, Change Gearbox/Diff oil, Plugs, I even Bleed the whole brake system. You never know how long the fluid is in the system. Like all brake oil, they absorb moisture. The Plugs I pull out was a NGK R plugs, the tip was badly worn till it's rounded. No wonder when my car idle, i can feel a cylinder didn't fire like the rest through my clutch.

Funny, today I notice, my engine check light is not there anymore. I don't know what I did, I didn't do anything at all. I even when to a midas service center yesterday to ask how much to reset it. I believe, the oil in the plugs seems to be a common problem with all our V's I heard.

Glad to hear your engine check light problem has been sorted.

Yes I too changed all oils and filters and pads rotors and fluid when I first got mine but didnt worry about plugs because of their extremely long service interval. The NGK R,s you took out sound like they were the OEM laser platinum ones. Hopefully the Iridium IX are just a bit better again ( if you can believe NGK's advertising hype).

I was hoping you would say that you got them from autodinamics as that has been the cheapest I can find.

How long did the order take to arrive?

Thanks for the info.

  • 2 weeks later...
Glad to hear your engine check light problem has been sorted.

Yes I too changed all oils and filters and pads rotors and fluid when I first got mine but didnt worry about plugs because of their extremely long service interval. The NGK R,s you took out sound like they were the OEM laser platinum ones. Hopefully the Iridium IX are just a bit better again ( if you can believe NGK's advertising hype).

I was hoping you would say that you got them from autodinamics as that has been the cheapest I can find.

How long did the order take to arrive?

Thanks for the info.

Hi Grae,

It only took about 10days to get the plugs. You get a free metal Iridium sticker too.

I did my plugs over the weekend. 5 of the wells were clean a whistle, but sure enough the hole closest to the passenger seat had a little oil in it.

I can't see how it would cause any issues.. it was a very small amount, perhaps 5 or 10ml, and it wouldn't be leaking into the combustion chamber, nor any exposed electrical components.

Don't think i'm gonna bother fixing this, unless somebody can enlighten me of a good reason to?

Just find some additional info regarding this for the non mechanical minded. Seems to be easily fixed would be good to see how much this would cost though?

http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl023i.htm

Seals aren't replaceable. New cover required. $$$

Hi Grae,

It only took about 10days to get the plugs. You get a free metal Iridium sticker too.

Thanks mate

Mine also took about 10 days and I put them in last weekend. Not a quick job but was lucky to have all dry tubes and no oil leaks.

What I did find though was plugs from both rear cylinders had the pointed ends of centre electrodes worn totally away givng a gap of about 2mm. Never had misfires even at red line gear changes so the coil packs must pack a real punch to still fire them with that gap and a very rounded stub of the centre electrode remaining. All other plugs ( cyls 1,3,2 and 4) were intact with standard looking wear and carbon build up especially on the curved ground electrode underside directly above centre electrode.

Engine seems smoother but subjectively less powerful though this may be just my imagination. Will get a better idea next month when I get a few 1/4 mile times and compare them to decembers numbers on the old plugs.

Makes you wonder about the advantages that a plenum spacer may give to our engines in evening out inlet flow to front and rear cylinders! Has anyone else had this problem/ condition when changing their plugs?

I did my plugs over the weekend. 5 of the wells were clean a whistle, but sure enough the hole closest to the passenger seat had a little oil in it.

I can't see how it would cause any issues.. it was a very small amount, perhaps 5 or 10ml, and it wouldn't be leaking into the combustion chamber, nor any exposed electrical components.

Don't think i'm gonna bother fixing this, unless somebody can enlighten me of a good reason to?

Your going to have to fix it eventually so I say why not do it now. Just sent an email to my local nissan dealer to see how much it would cost to replace valve covers and gaskets. Just trying to see how much I would be out of pocket if I import a V35 and it comes with this issue.

  • 6 months later...

Well I just changed my plugs today as well. First attempt. Took me an hour and fifteen. Like most of you , I found a bit of oil on the plug closest to the passengers side. Might try the silicone fix when I have time later.

The old plugs were extremely worn and black as charcoal. The tips are all rounded. Guess my car's done more than what the odo says. Glad I changed them. The check engine light doesn't turn on. I made sure all the plugs were correctly plugged in.

Car's definitely runs a lot smoother now on idle and run. The performance gain is very noticeable. Maybe because of how worn out the old plugs were.

Part cost : $65

I just did my plugs today as well and guess what....I found about 30ml of oil in the tube nearest the passanger. Just the same as the others here. I sucked it out, cleaned it up and put it all back together.

Car has done 107k and the plugs were in need of a change. It is running noticeable better now and I expect the fuel economy to improve as well but I am reluctant to leave this rocker cover problem for too long so I'll get a quote for the work from the local nissan dealer...gulp! I'll keep you posted.

I just did my plugs today as well and guess what....I found about 30ml of oil in the tube nearest the passanger. Just the same as the others here. I sucked it out, cleaned it up and put it all back together.

Car has done 107k and the plugs were in need of a change. It is running noticeable better now and I expect the fuel economy to improve as well but I am reluctant to leave this rocker cover problem for too long so I'll get a quote for the work from the local nissan dealer...gulp! I'll keep you posted.

I had a chat with my uncle who is working in Nissan as a Mechanic. He reckon try tightening the valve cover, if not the seals have to be change.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Who did you have do the installation? I actually know someone who is VERY familiar with the AVS gear. The main point of contact though would be your installer.   Where are you based in NZ?
    • Look, realistically, those are some fairly chunky connectors and wires so it is a reasonably fair bet that that loom was involved in the redirection of the fuel pump and/or ECU/ignition power for the immobiliser. It's also fair to be that the new immobiliser is essentially the same thing as the old one, and so it probably needs the same stuff done to make it do what it has to do. Given that you are talking about a car that no-one else here is familiar with (I mean your exact car) and an alarm that I've never heard of before and so probably not many others are familiar with, and that some wire monkey has been messing with it out of our sight, it seems reasonable that the wire monkey should be fixing this.
    • Wheel alignment immediately. Not "when I get around to it". And further to what Duncan said - you cannot just put camber arms on and shorten them. You will introduce bump steer far in excess of what the car had with stock arms. You need adjustable tension arms and they need to be shortened also. The simplest approach is to shorten them the same % as the stock ones. This will not be correct or optimal, but it will be better than any other guess. The correct way to set the lengths of both arms is to use a properly built/set up bump steer gauge and trial and error the adjustments until you hit the camber you need and want and have minimum bump steer in the range of motion that the wheel is expected to travel. And what Duncan said about toe is also very true. And you cannot change the camber arm without also affecting toe. So when you have adjustable arms on the back of a Skyline, the car either needs to go to a talented wheel aligner (not your local tyre shop dropout), or you need to be able to do this stuff yourself at home. Guess which approach I have taken? I have built my own gear for camber, toe and bump steer measurement and I do all this on the flattest bit of concrete I have, with some shims under the tyres on one side to level the car.
    • Thought I would get some advice from others on this situation.    Relevant info: R33 GTS25t Link G4x ECU Walbro 255LPH w/ OEM FP Relay (No relay mod) Scenario: I accidentally messed up my old AVS S5 (rev.1) at the start of the year and the cars been immobilised. Also the siren BBU has completely failed; so I decided to upgrade it.  I got a newer AVS S5 (rev.2?) installed on Friday. The guy removed the old one and its immobilisers. Tried to start it; the car cranks but doesnt start.  The new one was installed and all the alarm functions seem to be working as they should; still wouldn't start Went to bed; got up on Friday morning and decided to have a look into the no start problem. Found the car completely dead.  Charged the battery; plugged it back in and found the brake lights were stuck on.  Unplugging the brake pedal switch the lights turn off. Plug it back in and theyre stuck on again. I tested the switch (continuity test and resistance); all looks good (0-1kohm).  On talking to AVS; found its because of the rubber stopper on the brake pedal; sure enough the middle of it is missing so have ordered a new one. One of those wear items; which was confusing what was going on However when I try unplugging the STOP Light fuses (under the dash and under the hood) the brake light still stays on. Should those fuses not cut the brake light circuit?  I then checked the ECU; FP Speed Error.  Testing the pump again; I can hear the relay clicking every time I switch it to ON. I unplugged the pump and put the multimeter across the plug. No continuity; im seeing 0.6V (ECU signal?) and when it switches the relay I think its like 20mA or 200mA). Not seeing 12.4V / 7-9A. As far as I know; the Fuel Pump was wired through one of the immobiliser relays on the old alarm.  He pulled some thick gauged harness out with the old alarm wiring; which looks to me like it was to bridge connections into the immobilisers? Before it got immobilised it was running just fine.  Im at a loss to why the FP is getting no voltage; I thought maybe the FP was faulty (even though I havent even done 50km on the new pump) but no voltage at the harness plug.  Questions: Could it be he didnt reconnect the fuel pump when testing it after the old alarm removal (before installing the new alarm)?  Is this a case of bridging to the brake lights instead of the fuel pump circuit? It's a bit beyond me as I dont do a lot with electrical; so have tried my best to diagnose what I think seems to make sense.  Seeking advice if theres for sure an issue with the alarm install to get him back here; or if I do infact, need an auto electrician to diagnose it. 
    • Then, shorten them by 1cm, drop the car back down and have a visual look (or even better, use a spirit level across the wheel to see if you have less camber than before. You still want something like 1.5 for road use. Alternatively, if you have adjustable rear ride height (I assume you do if you have extreme camber wear), raise the suspension back to standard height until you can get it all aligned properly. Finally, keep in mind that wear on the inside of the tyre can be for incorrect toe, not just camber
×
×
  • Create New...