Oil in sparkplug area

**biketsai** · 10-30-2008 05:23 PM

Went to change the plugs on my friends 98.5 A4 1.8t because he was misfiring. VAG com says he is misfiring in cylinders 1/2 and so we check those out and find tons of oil sitting on top of the spark plug and its basically drenched. We are guessing its a valve cover gasket. Any ideas? He is going to go buy the gasket set right now, can anyone point me in the right direction with DIY's as well?

**b5s4tt** · 10-30-2008 05:46 PM

most likely, i could be wrong though. in my e36 bmw i was told this was normal to some extent..

**ILoveT** · 10-30-2008 05:56 PM

You need a new valve cover gasket.

CAKE!

**GetBoosted84** · 10-31-2008 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by ILoveT

You need a new valve cover gasket.

I had the same issue. It was the valve cover gasket and a bad coil pack. Swap the coil packs to see if the misfiring switches cylinders and you're without a doubt going to need a new valve cover gasket.

As far as replacing it goes, it's really simple. Just take out the coil packs, unbolt all the top valve cover bolts, remove the hard line from the left side for the PCV valve. Then pull the cover straight off, clean the surface, replace the gasket and bolt everything back up.

I used some high temp rtv sealant in the corners too just because its a good idea to avoid leaks. Should be a quick job. Probably looking at a half an hour.

**317ssayzarc** · 10-31-2008 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by b5s4tt

most likely, i could be wrong though. in my e36 bmw i was told this was normal to some extent..

You have no idea how many bmw inline 6 valve cover gaskets Ive done... Its very common...

And to the OP, valve cover gasket, easy as hell

**317ssayzarc** · 10-31-2008 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by GetBoosted84

I used some high temp rtv sealant in the corners too just because its a good idea to avoid leaks. Should be a quick job. Probably looking at a half an hour.

I dont reccomend rtv on the vc gasket... You dont want anything to dry or adhere there... I use blue hylomar if anything...

**Seerlah** · 10-31-2008 11:24 AM

^Yeah, man. I was told by mechanic that you don't even need to use any type of sealant if you use a gasket set. The rubber gasket set is good enough to stop any leakage, and the sealant can seep into the engine after you tighten down the valve cover. I used sealant when I did mine, and my mechanic did not like the way the sealant is dried there. Just his advice.

**GetBoosted84** · 10-31-2008 12:14 PM

I've always used sealant of some sort on my cars after pulling the valve cover and haven't had any issues thus far. Been doing it for some years now.

I guess it all boils down to personal preference. Whatever floats your boat, thats the way to go.

**317ssayzarc** · 10-31-2008 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by GetBoosted84

I've always used sealant of some sort on my cars after pulling the valve cover and haven't had any issues thus far. Been doing it for some years now.

I guess it all boils down to personal preference. Whatever floats your boat, thats the way to go.

Word...