Dirty plugs. What say ye?

[fullmetaljacket]

This is what I found in cylinders #1 and #3 after a few modest outings around town including a couple of full throttle bursts. But for the most part, was mostly low speed idling and street cruising. Not enough room in this city.
I might first have to lean out either my fuel mixture screws on the blocks or lean out my idle bleed jets by a step or two.

No A/F metering gauge on board.... YET!
12.5 compression.
SR aluminum heads, VP C12 fuel. NGK BCP7ES plugs. stock number #5030. 35 gap. MSD 6AL Ignition. Firecore CD coil. Firecore 8 mm wires.

Just changed my oil and installed new plugs as per ThumperDart suggestions. His carb is awesome throughout the pull and upstairs, but a little rich on the idle circuits. Trying to find time in between to tune with good mine shaft air now hovering over New York.

 

[blue_stocker]

Might be a good idea to do a leakdown and cranking compression test for starts. Is that oil fouling and particles on the electrode and ground strap? Open the gaps to .045" and check your plug heat range. It's hard to tell from a picture like that as you need to be able to look down INTO the plug well and see what the coloration is.

 

[Geoff 2]

Use a NGK 5 heat range, not 7....

 

[RemCharger]

Those are fairly new plugs? Looks like an oil control issue

 

[RemCharger]

Btw--- f#*k you guys and your mine shaft air

 

[dvw]

Looks like oil to me. Range 7 is little cold for street driving with lower compression ratio.
Doug

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Looks like oil to me. Range 7 is little cold for street driving with lower compression ratio.
Doug

So with a 12.5 pinch, I should perhaps use a 6 or even a 5 NGK? I guess I could try them and see what color the tower and electrodes show.
Just as a note, there are no signs of burning oil in the exhaust.

 

[Darter6]

Are you using fuel additive ?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Are you using fuel additive ?

Nope. Just straight VP. No pump gas.

 

[JC Boatguy]

I've had issues like that when I was sucking oil through the intake gaskets. Just a thought.

 

[RemCharger]

It's a dry intake I assume?

 

[dvw]

Call NGKs tech line. They will suggest the correct plug.
Doug

 

[fullmetaljacket]

It's a dry intake I assume?

dry as in No heat crossover? I never heard of that term. Manifold is an open plenum Edelbrock Victor. Mini tunnel ram as I call it.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Call NGKs tech line. They will suggest the correct plug.
Doug

Imma gonna call NGK and ask.

 

[Bee1971]

If it’s sucking oil like that it doesn’t matter what heat range plug you use

Let’s see a clean plug in one of the cylinders that is not one or three

Pictures of those clean plugs

Thanx

 

[fullmetaljacket]

If it’s sucking oil like that it doesn’t matter what heat range plug you use

Let’s see a clean plug in one of the cylinders that is not one or three

Pictures of those clean plugs

Thanx

I'm gonna remove the rest of the plugs this weekend and take pictures and notation on their conditions.
I've never had a manifold sucking the oil through the gaskets. Wouldn't that create some kind of vacuum leak after a while?
I've got two push in breathers on the valve covers. Manual brakes, manual steering, so no need for reserved vacuum to assist items. Distributor is locked.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

By the way guys, I have an aluminum lifter valley inspection plate and not the traditional closed thin tin valley pan from years back. If I pull the fold, what are your choices for the best manifold gaskets/sealers. There's lots of new stuff out there almost overnight, I can't keep up.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Me thinks yoos guys are over analyzing this plug. It has idle and cruise that is a little phat.To properly read a plug it needs to be after turning the ignition off at the top of 2nd gear. 3rd is ideal but those speeds are too much for most street romps. Then the plugs can be properly read.

 

[RemCharger]

dry as in No heat crossover? I never heard of that term. Manifold is an open plenum Edelbrock Victor. Mini tunnel ram as I call it.

I'm gonna remove the rest of the plugs this weekend and take pictures and notation on their conditions.
I've never had a manifold sucking the oil through the gaskets. Wouldn't that create some kind of vacuum leak after a while?
I've got two push in breathers on the valve covers. Manual brakes, manual steering, so no need for reserved vacuum to assist items. Distributor is locked.

By the way guys, I have an aluminum lifter valley inspection plate and not the traditional closed thin tin valley pan from years back. If I pull the fold, what are your choices for the best manifold gaskets/sealers. There's lots of new stuff out there almost overnight, I can't keep up.

View attachment 1722370

That's what I meant by dry. No physical connection to wet oil like a factory pan.
No where to suck oil other than the bolt holes

 

[Frank Mopar]

What size jets are you running? Power valve?