sputtering, oil on plug #4

[adamhawj]

This morning starting up my car, i noticed that my car was sputtering a little bit. Its not really bad but you can tell its sputtering and the idles going up and down a little bit as well. So i checked my plugs an when i got to plug #4 i noticed there was oil on the tread( but there wasnt any on the tip). So i thought it could be the o-ring seal but when i stuck my finger in the hole there wasnt any oil. So as i was standing there and figuring what going on here, smoke started coming out of plug #4, its not a lot of smoke but its light/whispy smoke( that went away after about 5-10 secs). Does anyone know whats going on here? Do i have a blown head gasket?

this is a 96 gsr
also the color of the plugs are black

update:

I changed the spark plugs to some new ones and that didnt solve the sputtering/fluctuating idle. I also notice it ONLY sputters/fluctuates between 1-1.5k.

[viet_83]

Originally Posted by adamhawj

This morning starting up my car, i noticed that my car was sputtering a little bit. Its not really bad but you can tell its sputtering and the idles going up and down a little bit as well. So i checked my plugs an when i got to plug #4 i noticed there was oil on the tread( but there wasnt any on the tip). So i thought it could be the o-ring seal but when i stuck my finger in the hole there wasnt any oil. So as i was standing there and figuring what going on here, smoke started coming out of plug #4, its not a lot of smoke but its light/whispy smoke( that went away after about 5-10 secs). Does anyone know whats going on here? Do i have a blown head gasket?

this is a 96 gsr
also the color of the plugs are black

update:

I changed the spark plugs to some new ones and that didnt solve the sputtering/fluctuating idle. I also notice it ONLY sputters/fluctuates between 1-1.5k.

hmm.. i didn't know it should happen like that cuz it actually happen to me now after i read ur.. can u run the compression test for me and see wat all of ur 4 cylinder wall said?? it should run + or - 20 difference of 200.

[adamhawj]

anyone??

[adamhawj]

This is how my spark plug looks like, it is pure black in real life...

....it never looked like that before about a month ago, it was dark brown and w/ the white coating at the top, which is normal condition according to this site...

spark plug

...so comparing my spark plug to this site, it looks like my spark plugs are Dry Foul now.

What causes Dry Foul?

*edit* Im also getting REALLY GOOD gas milage. Im half way on my tank and i've gone 170miles!! I almost always get only 120 at the most when i get to half tank and get 220-240miles on full tank tops.

[jon]

oil on the plug is just a leaky plug seal, if u take off your valve cover there is seals around all 4 plugs nothin to worry about there

[Curufin]

If it is a leaky seal, then removing the plug from the head would also of allowed a small bit of oil to drip down into the cylinder.. the smoke you speak of could be that oil hitting a really hot spot somewhere in that cylinder, and then consequentially vaporizing.... Due to the fact that you said it was very light and didnt last long at all, would lead me to believe something along those lines..