oil in the plug holes

[Limey]

Hi,

I was at our annual Alpine spares meet last week and an old hand did comment that the heads with spark plug 'tube' inserts are prone to leaking and the oil gathering around the base of the plug but had no suggested cure.

All the best

Oliver

 

[RootesRacer]

i don't know when the change was made, but the late series 5 cars had heads with out the round plug holes .the openings were square .

yes, later alloy heads omitted the spark plug tube.

These are the only heads I have kept over the years since I hate leaks and the smell that goes with them.

 

[bernd_st]

yes, later alloy heads omitted the spark plug tube.

These are the only heads I have kept over the years since I hate leaks and the smell that goes with them.

It´s stated in Chris Mc Govern´s Alpine book that the oil moves up & collects from leaking leaking tappet covers into spark plug tubes.

Appearantly a well known problem even at 1978...

Bernd

 

[65beam]

oil leaks were and always will be a part of living with british cars. it's nothing major ,so every time you check the oil you take a shop towel and wipe it out until next time . i have a tag that says that old sunbeams don't leak oil,they are just marking their territory.plus the oil keeps the plugs from rusting.

 

[wframe]

I've always considered the oil leaks to be more of a feature than a problem. If you drive your car regularily, it keeps a nice coating on the underside of the car so they shouldn't rust!

 

[jumpinjan]

Appearantly a well known problem even at 1978...

I noticed this in my series I back in 1972, so it goes way back. It does help lube the spark plug threads.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

British cars don't leak they perspire.

 

[themole]

I am using a head from a '69.
An Arrow I believe.

No oil leaks in the spark plug hole.

tm

 

[wframe]

British cars don't leak they perspire.

I only wish I perspired oil the way my Sunbeam does ... I'd be a rich man!

 

[StefanD]

Is there a solution/fix to this problem that anyone knows of? I have a couple weepy spark plug tubes.

 

[RootesRacer]

Is there a solution/fix to this problem that anyone knows of? I have a couple weepy spark plug tubes.

You could have the head cleaned and degreased, and coated with epoxy on the internal surfaces.

This is about as good of solution there is.

 

[StefanD]

Its the word 'internal' that I was hoping I would not see.

 

[serIIalpine]

Does anyone actually know how these things are attached???

Do they screw in? Pressed in? Do you need a left handed smoke changer to get them out??

Does anyone actually know?

Thanks in advance.

 

[RootesRacer]

They are pressed in.

I actually have a bag of NOS "sparking plug tubes" as they are called.

 

[serIIalpine]

Are theyactually open to the inside of the head?

 

[RootesRacer]

Are theyactually open to the inside of the head?

Yup.

Its a casting issue, presumably to allow the core sand to be extracted.

Something they got right on the late SV and later AM4 heads.

 

[serIIalpine]

So a bead of epoxy around the outer lip would presumably stop the leak?

For my own edification how would one remove one?

Thanks

 

[RootesRacer]

So a bead of epoxy around the outer lip would presumably stop the leak?

For my own edification how would one remove one?

Thanks

You really cant get around the whole tube on the inside.

The best you could do is put a bunch of epoxy inside and rotate the head
around to be sure you have coverage.

You cant see around the tube so you have to have faith what you did is right.

Never tried to remove a tube, but f I had to, I'd carefully split the tube and collapse it. If you booger the head where the tube presses in, you'll never seal that sucker again.

 

[alpine_64]

They are pressed in.

I actually have a bag of NOS "sparking plug tubes" as they are called.

Were they the ones from ebay from about 4 years ago.. always wonder who got them and if they worked out how to replace them.

 

[puff4]

OK, so here's a set from my parts bin. Strangely enough, I seem to have 5 of them in a bag - not sure why 5 and not 4, but there you are.