Oil In Spark Plug Hole

[GT-Rr32]

Hi guys

just changed the plugs on our 350gt and noticed oils in the rear drivers side spark plug hole.

Car is and was running fine. Is this a problem?

Thanks

[T4NK]

This is a common fault with the VQ do a search you will find the info you need in other posts i read up on this a while ago.

[pv35gt8]

If there is only a small amount of oil in there, then dont worry too much.

If there is a lot of oil in there, you will have to replace the rocker cover. It will be leaking past the seal on top of the spark plug tube and can only be replaced with a new rocker cover, others have tried just to replace that seal and havn't won.

[GT-Rr32]

Another common problem....

Thanks for your advice guys!

[sonicii]

Is a leaking rocker cover gasket really that common to V35s alone? don't all cars do this after a certain age/km? At least every car I have owned has at some stage.

[GT-Rr32]

If it was only a simply cheap gasket it would be understandable but to fix it you need to buy a new valve cover and gasket which is $250+ just for parts.

My rb26 in my GTR never leaked .....

[Daleo]

As others have said; this is a common fult with VQ's. It's also a pain that the plug sealing O rings are not replaceable like most of these style of rocker covers.

As the spark plug replacement interval is 80,000km it has likely taken quite some time to fill up.

Mine had a decent amount in the passengers side rear plug when I changed my plugs, but 13,000km later, mine is still dry; so maybe replace the plugs and monitor the leak before dropping decent dollars on a new rocker cover.

I found VQ35 rocker covers cheaper than $250 on Ebay from a Nissan dealer in the States, so that might be worth checking. The reason I didn't buy them is because they are slightly different to the VQ25det rocker covers that I needed; I had expected they would all be identical.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Daleo

[sonicii]

ok.. so the 'VQ problem' is the fact the whole cover needs to be replaced, not that it leaks at some point? as every car I have ever owned has had a rocker cover gasket leak at some point, but is generally fixed with just a rocker cover gasket.

[scotty nm35]

As has been said, the seal around the plug tube goes hard and leaks. It is not able to be replaced as its molded into the rocker cover. Time for a new cover, or you can try removing the cover and sealing it with a little silicone if you are strapped for cash, just make sure its dry before you run the engine as it wont take much to block vital oil pathways.