malibuguy 14 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 With everyone having oil induced misfire issues I decided to investigate hers wednesday night since it has 22k on it now. Its never low on oil, but I pulled the plugs out and #4 is definitely burning some oil. So I acquired a Mishimoto catch can yesterday and installed it. New factory iridium plugs come in today that will go in tonight. She does say it occasionally lacks power so im hoping this will solve that. I would attach pictures but they too 'big' Link to post Share on other sites
njresler 14 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Where are the plugs at on this car? I've looked and of course there is stuff all in the way. I'm guessing they are in back and under the plastic stuff. But I am not seeing them any help or pics? Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Underneith the stec cover Link to post Share on other sites
Greg_E 211 Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Very interested in what you find! Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Tys-spark18 1 Link to post Share on other sites
njresler 14 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I had my injectors changed last Monday due to power loss/hesitation. My car is running great so far. I had it in for the a/c fix and mentioned the issue so they ran some tests and said the injectors weren't functioning properly. I guess they were correct b/c it seems to have solved the issue. Link to post Share on other sites
njresler 14 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I need to pull my plugs and take a look for any unusual fouling. Link to post Share on other sites
Greg_E 211 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I would have plugged the pcv connection on the intake and just put a filter on the catch can to vent the gases. Are these plugs iridium? The electrodes certainly have the same shape. Link to post Share on other sites
njresler 14 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 In the U.S. I think they are iridium and good for 100k miles. Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Yes they are iridium. But at $6 a plug I just replaced them all no biggie Link to post Share on other sites
NoSprak 17 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I'm not entirely convinced that iridium plugs are all they have cracked up to be. My car (not a spark) came with Iridium plugs. I noticed that on some hills I was having to shift it down a gear. It had 36000 miles on it. Just for fun, I decided to change the spark plugs. Instantly got the power back that the car had lost before ... really surprising. I have never been a huge fan of 100K mile plugs. Especially in engines with aluminum heads. Change early, change often. Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 well...700 miles later i had to do the oil change...so i checked the catch can the catch can was already 1/2 way fucking full!! And it is leaking around the base a little bit....but it was 1/2 full...my turbo tercel, with almost 300k & gets fed an additional atmosphere of boost only fills the can with about a shot glass worth. So i went to do a leakdown test...but it figures the plugs are a smaller thread then whats normal so i could not perform leakdown or a compression test. Number 4 was clean as a whistle tho which is a good sign now. I want her to trade the fucker in...that is unacceptable amount of oil to be blowing out Link to post Share on other sites
Greg_E 211 Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 If you are using that much, that will be a warranty issue. Maybe get it documented and an oil consumption test going so you can get a new motor and then trade the gremlin box towards something else. You could then trade it with a clear conscience. Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 My good buddy works at the dealer we bought it from. He is one of the main techs and is the only guy I trust touching her car. I keep him up to date of whats going on. He informed me GM told him 1 quart every 2k is considered ok. And they have been having alot of issues with rings not sealing. I dont know if that was directed to Sparks or all GMs in general. Im tempted into running a drain line from the catch can back into the crankcase so I dont have to dump the can back into the motor every 2 weeks Link to post Share on other sites
Greg_E 211 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 The newer low friction (low spring force) rings are an industry wide issue, it only takes a very small flaw in the groove to mess them up. The more strange part is why the cars will go for 20,000+ miles and then start having issues? Is the oil in the can clean or all black? My car now blackens the oil in 1000- miles, before it started consuming the oil it would remain dark amber all the way to the end of the change interval. The blackness suggests increased blow by which my be increasing the airflow within the block which is causing the oil to blow out the PCV and get burned. The carbon buildup from burning the oil could make the ring/cylinder worse and or cause pre-ignition (ping). Also, I've compression checked some pretty oval and scored cylinders, they often check out just fine. A leakdown test works better to see how much gas is getting past the rings, I would check at top of stroke and bottom of stroke. Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Well it was at the end of a 7500 mile oil change and the oil looked great an smelled fine. I thought about getting an oil analysis done next time. Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 Well...checked it out after a week from the oil change...~300 miles. Catch can had about a little less then a shot glass worth of oil. That oil was not super clean looking. However the oil on the dipstick is still pretty clear. Im hoping this works out as a real fix for the apparent design flaw in which makes these cars consume oil Link to post Share on other sites
walt2137 1 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 (edited) My good buddy works at the dealer we bought it from. He is one of the main techs and is the only guy I trust touching her car. I keep him up to date of whats going on. He informed me GM told him 1 quart every 2k is considered ok. And they have been having alot of issues with rings not sealing. I dont know if that was directed to Sparks or all GMs in general. Im tempted into running a drain line from the catch can back into the crankcase so I dont have to dump the can back into the motor every 2 weeks I think it all of the small GM engines, I had a 2010 Equinox that we used as a toad with a oil use issue and got the same run around so I bought a 2011 Ford Edge fantastic toad but I got the hots for a F150 sure miss my Edge. So far we are enjoying the Spark. I hope they have it fixed on the 2014. Edited August 27, 2014 by walt2137 Link to post Share on other sites
gitsum 16 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Could the problem be caused by excess crankcase pressure? I changed the oil on my Spark at 500 miles and then every 5000 up to the current 34,000+ mileage. I always fill the oil up to the second dot on the dipstick, never all the way to the top of the second set of hash marks. I ride small motorcycles and scooters and it is common for them to blow excess oil through the crankcase vent tube if filling all they way to the top level on the dipstick. I also believe that a small high revving auto engine can be prone to cavitation of the crankshaft in the oil pan at high rpm's. This results in foaming of the oil causing a reduction of lubrication in the top end. That being said, my Spark is running perfectly, no oil consumption and excellent power and fuel economy. Link to post Share on other sites
malibuguy 14 Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Ive thought about that. In theory they would have made sure the oil level is below the crank to prevent cavitation and save gas mileage due to windage Link to post Share on other sites
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