Oil above spark plugs

1994 - 4 cylinder Honda Accord - 310K

I changed the spark plugs 11,000 miles ago after
I replaced the head gasket. Lately, I seem to be getting
a rough idle that turns into a very slight vibration at higher
rpms. I thought that maybe I had solved the problem by
doing the "Italian Tuneup" (driving the "snot" out of it),
but it stills exhibits the same problem. The vacuum hoses,
rotor, and distributor all checked out fine. I haven't cleaned the
throttle plate or idle air control valve yet.

I figured I would check out the spark plugs first. The plugs
looked fine, they were not fouled and still gapped correctly.
However, when I pulled the two outside plugs, the wells that
they came out of were both filled about halfway with oil. The
oil did not appear to get past the "rubber boot" of the spark
plug wire, but it appeared that something wasn't correct. I
have sometimes in the past check the oil, and found that it would
be low one day, and normal the next. I often wondered if the oil
was "migrating" above the engine somehow. Can someone shed some
light on what might be happening here.

Would it do any harm to try an oil additive like Seafoam?


Thanks,

Gary

 

oil leak needs new rocker cover "b" gaskets. rough running maybe a
balance shaft timing issue since you've had the belts off.

forget oil additives.

 

When I put the belts back on, I remember wondering
if I had properly adjusted the tension on the timing belt.
I think I was having a hard time accessing a bolt. Could this
cause a rough idle ("dieseling") and a very slight vibration
at higher rpm's?

 

This has been a common one in the past few days...

See here:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/oilyplugs/index.html

 

a little, yes. when the belt flops about, the timing flutters and that
leads to roughness. you can see that if you use a timing light and
check the ignition timing - it leaps about. but i suspect the balance
shaft is the main culprit. need to get back in there and check.

the timing belt is easy enough to tension - google this group - i've
posted it several times. check that first, then ask again if you have a
problem.

 

GK wrote:

Minor nit, dieseling is not a rough idle - it refers to a spark engine
continuing to run after the ignition is shut off:

Dieseling in spark-ignition engines

A gasoline (spark ignition) engine can sometimes act as a compression
ignition engine under abnormal circumstances, a phenomenon typically
described as pinging or pinking (during normal running) or dieseling
(when the engine continues to run after the electrical ignition system
is shut off). This is usually caused by hot carbon deposits within the
combustion chamber that act as would a glow plug within a diesel or
model aircraft engine. Excessive heat can also be caused by improper
ignition timing and/or fuel/air ratio which in turn overheats the
exposed portions of the spark plug within the combustion chamber.
Finally, high-compression engines that require high-octane fuel may
knock when a lower-octane fuel is used.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_engine#Dieseling__in_spark-ignition_engines