Oil in spark plug wells bf130

[c-level]

I was on my way back yesterday and noticed the engine suddenly acted like there was missing or one cylinder not working correctly. I shut the engine down and noticed that one of the spark plug wires had wiggled out and was pretty wet from engine oil. I popped the wire back in and it ran fine.

I had this problem on a honda civic I used to have and replaced the valve cover gasket. I thought I remember that it could also be the spark plug gasket, which I think was a PITA to remove because you had to remove the cam assembly. Could that be the culprit? Or is it possible that it might be something much worse like a crack in the head?

 

[hondadude]

I would go for the spark plug gasket first. #3 http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Outboard%20Engine/2003/BF130A3%20LA%20/CYLINDER%20HEAD%20COVER/parts.html You just have to pull the valve cover to pop them out from the back of it.

The part number has changed to 12342-RYE-004.

Mike

 

[c-level]

You are always so helpful Mike, many thanks, I'll order that part first.

 

[c-level]

Mike I forgot to ask, should I also order the gasket since I'll be opening it up? 12391-ZW5-010

 

[c-level]

Wow am I screwed. I got the valve cover popped open enough that I could reach the seals. The seals are completely baked onto the valve cover, when I tried to pull them out they tore completely around the opening and left the rubber inside the metal groove. Is there a trick to popping those seals out that I'm missing?

 

[c-level]

I also noticed theres a little flange that sticks out, almost like a pressed to fit washer. Does that pop out or is it an actual part of a flange of the valve cover?

 

[c-level]

Ahh figured it out. I did a lot of reading up on similar acura/honda engines and the spark plug tube seals are not entirely made of rubber. There is a reinforced piece of wire in them as well as a metal ring on the inside, it's all one piece. Once you take the valve cover off you can use either a seal puller or very carefully take a screwdriver and work your way around them and they will pop out one by one without coming out in a billion pieces, it took all of a few minutes.

 

[chawk_man]

Glad you found the solution. I'e never had to do that, but it's good to know. Thanks for th post. Let us know if that fixes the problem.

 

[hondadude]

Sorry I did not get back to you sooner. You should be able to reuse the gasket as long as it is still flexible. You should use some sealer (like rtv) where it make sharp corners at the top and bottom. You should see evidence of the old sealant (probably grey - Hondabond 4).

The seals should fix your problem. Be sure to change the spark plugs if you are having any running issues.

Mike

 

[c-level]

No problem Mike and thanks too chawk! I'll try to post up pix of the gasket tomorrow when it's light out in case someone down the road also has the same questions. I pulled the plugs today and they looked good, I'm sure the tube seal will stop the leak!

btw do you folks recommend using any lube or antiseize on the spark plug threads? I've heard different opinions.

 

[chawk_man]

I pull and lube the plug threads at every 200 hours, which is typically every nine months or so for me. I use an anti-seize grease, but I had folks at a reputable Honda shop tell me they use regular marine grease.

The Honda maintenance schedule for my 225 is to change the plugs every 400 hours. However, if you research this forum you will find that folks who don't use their engines very often have had some serious problems removing their plugs. The stainless steel plug base tends to seize into the aluminum head.

 

[c-level]

Here's the pictures of the spark plug seals. The second picture is hard to see but there is a metal ring that is inside the actual seal, it's coated with the rubber and you won't see it normally. Because mine were pretty brittle they broke apart leaving the ring and it took me a while to figure out that the ring wasn't part of the valve cover. I popped mine out using a flat head screwdriver and carefully going all around the ring but I'd recommend that you use a seal puller.

That ring pops right out and will take all of the seal with it. When you first start pulling at it, it will rip very easily and leaves a lot of fragments in the hole, I was thinking it was going to take me a million years to get that stuff out but it came right out once you pop the metal ring out.