Q: My valve gasket was done wrong so it leaked into spark plug wells. Then my battery died and the coils are now bad. What happened?
So I replaced the valve cover and valve cover gasket a year ago. Then I more recently noticed a shudder in the engine. Then the car was horribly misfiring and the check engine light came on. So i very quickly got my car home and turned it off. After cooling I checked the spark plugs only to find oil saturating them and the boots. There was also a leak from the valve cover near the gasket. The valve gasket or spark plug seals were not put on right in the first place it appears. Now my car won't start and the battery is dead and the coils are bad. Did the oil cause a short in the system and killed the battery and the coils?
My car has 178000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Hi A.S. Thanks for contacting us today. Typically, when oil leaks into the spark plug holes, it will create an electrical short and cause the plugs and wires to fail. The solution to this issue is to resolve the oil leaking issue completely, replacing the spark plugs and wires and verify ignition timing. As long as internal engine damage to cylinder head valves or other components did not occur, you should be fine.
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