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Spark Plugs after 110k miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Alloosh, Aug 26, 2012.

  1. Alloosh

    Alloosh Junior Member

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    Hi folks,

    So after 8 months of owning my prius I started to take care of it , so the easiest thing to do was to change the spark plugs, it was an easy job , the only hard part was the last coil connector.

    As you can see in the attached pic , the second has some oil on it from the outside and the last one is rusty, I was a bit scared to see the oil on the plug but after some search it seems to be a minor issue.

    I don't know much about spark plugs , so do they look normal to you?
     

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    #1 Alloosh, Aug 26, 2012
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The oil is OK. The rust shows you that water has dripped down into the spark plug well. Usually that happens because water drips down from the center seam of the cowl above the engine. Or, maybe someone steam cleaned the engine and got the valve cover wet.

    It would be good if you could prevent water from getting on the engine valve cover, now that you have installed new plugs.

    Your photos do not show the porcelain insulator surrounding the center electrode on the firing end of the spark plug. The insulator should be an off-white or very light brown color and should not have wet oil or gasoline deposits.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Aug 26, 2012
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  3. Alloosh

    Alloosh Junior Member

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    Thanks Patrick , it seems that my plugs have some deposits on the insulator , the attached insulator shows the insulator of one of the plugs
     

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    #3 Alloosh, Aug 27, 2012
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Well, that photo needs more lighting, but it does appear that the ground electrode has an unusual amount of deposits.

    It is possible that very cheap fuel was used by the prior owner. It would be interesting to see what your engine's pistons and valves look like.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Aug 27, 2012
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  5. Alloosh

    Alloosh Junior Member

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    You are right , I also hear a fuel injector noise coming from the engine , I live in Jordan ,and although I fill it with Octane 90 , it seems that the fuel quality is not up to the standard.

    Is there any possible recommendation to clean the injectors or do some maintenance to prevent any future effects.
     
    #5 Alloosh, Aug 27, 2012
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    #6 Patrick Wong, Aug 27, 2012
  7. 2004priusgal

    2004priusgal Junior Member

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    #7 2004priusgal, Jul 13, 2019
  8. 2004priusgal

    2004priusgal Junior Member

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    at 160000 mi, my 2004 had similar rust issue....
     

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    #8 2004priusgal, Jul 13, 2019
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Water had gotten into the spark plug well that the rusty plug came out of. That can cause engine misfire.
     
    #9 Patrick Wong, Jul 13, 2019
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  10. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Oil on the outside of the plug is not oK

    You have a leaking valve cover gasket the oil is getting
    Past the old gasket and into the spark plug well
    Eventually it will get so high it will short out the cop or at the least it will throw a misfire
    Very common on cars with 4 cylinder motors
    So common I had a valve cover gasket ready to go when I changed the plugs
    I borescoped my plug wells before removal of plug and sure enough one cylinder had about an inch of oil in it
     
    #10 edthefox5, Jul 13, 2019
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