Coolant on top of spark plugs

suprajim · 03-24-2010, 01:54 AM

So, Friday I had finally got around to changing my leaky valve cover gaskets on my 92 Turbo. I took it out for a test drive afterward and blew out the heater control valve(the plastic pipe broke off inside the hose coming off the back of the head). When the pipe broke off, coolant shot everywhere in the engine bay. I was only around the corner so I got it home very quickly. The temp gauge didn't even start rising. I wiped down the engine a bit and let it sit to cool off/evaporate any remaining water/coolant. Today, I had replaced the heater valve, refilled the coolant, and started burping the system. It seemed like everything was running fine for about 20 minutes and the air was gone. Then, the engine started to lope. I turned off the car and pulled the #1 plug wire and it was almost completely full of coolant. I pulled the other plugs and it was the same story on each. So, I took a turkey baster and sucked all of the coolant out that I could and shoved some paper shop towels in each of the cylinders.

Would it be ok to pull the #3 cylinder head gasket (between valve covers) and reuse this? I just bought it and really don't want to replace it again or go to the oil plug gaskets. Can I just put a little RTV around the bolts? I figure pulling this would be the easiest way to get in there and dry everything off.

Should I worry about the little bit of coolant right around the plug if I pull it and clean it off? Or should I leave as is and hope that I don't need to pull the plugs?

Just to ease my concerns, is there anything else that could have caused this? I hadn't experienced any coolant loss lately and the oil was fine when I changed it with the valve cover gaskets. I don't recall taking any coolant hoses off when changing the gaskets either.

cre · 03-24-2010, 02:38 AM

Yeah, the #3 gasket can be reused, but I'd start by checking the coolant path running through the throttle body and ISCV. Not too uncommon to leak there and more common than the coolant plugs beneath the #3 cover leaking.

When dealing with coolant that's spilled down there I remove as much as possible (I use a small electric pump with some 1/8" rubber tubing) then try to soak up some more with paper towels... then, I pull the plugs and let it enter the cylinder; There's really very little left at this point and it'll evaporate readily enough. The only concern here is if the area around the spark plugs is full of dirt and grime.... in that case, I'd probably keep adding hot water and pumping it back out for a little bit to get as much crap as is possible back out.

If the plug wires are new the boots should keep small amounts of liquid out, but I prefer to be sure everything's dry so I can tell if the leak has actually been fixed and also to avoid getting all paranoid about something else being wrong if it's still shorting out.

suprajim · 03-24-2010, 02:56 AM

OK, sounds good. I live in an apartment so unfortunately I don't have access to a shop vac or anything like that to suck it out. So I will remove the #3 gasket and do the best I can with the paper towels. I just wanted to be sure that letting that little bit of water/coolant in the cylinder wouldn't screw anything up. I had cleaned up the area pretty well when I changed that #3 gasket recently so there shouldn't really be any "junk" floating around in there. Thanks cre.

suprajim · 03-24-2010, 03:49 AM

I have another somewhat related question. I noticed that the last 14mm allen bolt (closest to firewall) holding down the #3 gasket has a threaded hole in it. Am I possibly missing something? Is there supposed to be a bolt in this hole?

Edit: OK, so I see in this photo there is a bolt (and possibly a washer?) in that hole. What is this for and should I worry that mine is missing?

03-24-2010, 02:38 AM	#2
cre Toyota Racing Development Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 5,038	Yeah, the #3 gasket can be reused, but I'd start by checking the coolant path running through the throttle body and ISCV. Not too uncommon to leak there and more common than the coolant plugs beneath the #3 cover leaking. When dealing with coolant that's spilled down there I remove as much as possible (I use a small electric pump with some 1/8" rubber tubing) then try to soak up some more with paper towels... then, I pull the plugs and let it enter the cylinder; There's really very little left at this point and it'll evaporate readily enough. The only concern here is if the area around the spark plugs is full of dirt and grime.... in that case, I'd probably keep adding hot water and pumping it back out for a little bit to get as much crap as is possible back out. If the plug wires are new the boots should keep small amounts of liquid out, but I prefer to be sure everything's dry so I can tell if the leak has actually been fixed and also to avoid getting all paranoid about something else being wrong if it's still shorting out. __________________ If something breaks or you need to contact a member of the administration please post HERE. Unless it's a private or administration matter please post it on the forum. It benefits no one else if car related questions aren't posted for future users and takes away from the time I'm able to spend helping on the rest of the forum. If you're so inclined I'm always more than happy to accept tips via PayPal. Tip Jar --->

03-24-2010, 03:49 AM	#4
suprajim Intake Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 36	I have another somewhat related question. I noticed that the last 14mm allen bolt (closest to firewall) holding down the #3 gasket has a threaded hole in it. Am I possibly missing something? Is there supposed to be a bolt in this hole? Edit: OK, so I see in this photo there is a bolt (and possibly a washer?) in that hole. What is this for and should I worry that mine is missing? Attached Thumbnails __________________ 1992 Supra 7MGTE A/T w/Sunroof Super Red/Shadow Gray Last edited by suprajim; 03-24-2010 at 04:03 AM.

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03-24-2010, 01:54 AM	#1
suprajim Intake Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 36	Coolant on top of spark plugs So, Friday I had finally got around to changing my leaky valve cover gaskets on my 92 Turbo. I took it out for a test drive afterward and blew out the heater control valve(the plastic pipe broke off inside the hose coming off the back of the head). When the pipe broke off, coolant shot everywhere in the engine bay. I was only around the corner so I got it home very quickly. The temp gauge didn't even start rising. I wiped down the engine a bit and let it sit to cool off/evaporate any remaining water/coolant. Today, I had replaced the heater valve, refilled the coolant, and started burping the system. It seemed like everything was running fine for about 20 minutes and the air was gone. Then, the engine started to lope. I turned off the car and pulled the #1 plug wire and it was almost completely full of coolant. I pulled the other plugs and it was the same story on each. So, I took a turkey baster and sucked all of the coolant out that I could and shoved some paper shop towels in each of the cylinders. Would it be ok to pull the #3 cylinder head gasket (between valve covers) and reuse this? I just bought it and really don't want to replace it again or go to the oil plug gaskets. Can I just put a little RTV around the bolts? I figure pulling this would be the easiest way to get in there and dry everything off. Should I worry about the little bit of coolant right around the plug if I pull it and clean it off? Or should I leave as is and hope that I don't need to pull the plugs? Just to ease my concerns, is there anything else that could have caused this? I hadn't experienced any coolant loss lately and the oil was fine when I changed it with the valve cover gaskets. I don't recall taking any coolant hoses off when changing the gaskets either. __________________ 1992 Supra 7MGTE A/T w/Sunroof Super Red/Shadow Gray

03-24-2010, 02:56 AM	#3
suprajim Intake Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 36	OK, sounds good. I live in an apartment so unfortunately I don't have access to a shop vac or anything like that to suck it out. So I will remove the #3 gasket and do the best I can with the paper towels. I just wanted to be sure that letting that little bit of water/coolant in the cylinder wouldn't screw anything up. I had cleaned up the area pretty well when I changed that #3 gasket recently so there shouldn't really be any "junk" floating around in there. Thanks cre. __________________ 1992 Supra 7MGTE A/T w/Sunroof Super Red/Shadow Gray