An Update...

Thur 040908

Remember my earlier post (24th August) abt my ole junk's suspected ageing condition? Oil-fouled spark plugs? Possibly due2 "severe" wear of its engine?
Well, I was told by 2 reliable sources...a mechanic that I met at a car spare parts shop & my own SIL...that it was probably caused by just leakage of engine oil into the engine via the oil seals of the valve stems in the cylinder head. And, since those oil seals had never ever been changed before at my ole junk's age, it could be the culprit. Therefore, it would be advisable to check that out before investing unwisely in an overhaul or change of engine attempt!

Furthermore, both added that it is now possible to replace those oil seals right on the engine without any cylinder head removal! And, the whole process could be easily finished within the day itself! Now, that's music to my ears! Don't think me could be separated from my ole junk any longer than that...

Estimated cost? Abt RM200 or so. Affordable, right? Esp if & when compared to the cost of an engine overhaul? At least 10Xthat. RM2k+?

And so, being not loaded these days, that advice was, in my best interest, not to be ignored. Preferably the first choice to be considered!
And so it was to be. Me called up the mechanic who made the suggestion but unfortunately, he was not contactable. His workshop responded not too favourably, too. Well, he lost a good-paying job. I was also reminded that me am the "paymaster"...a lesson taken from a page in "The History of my Life"! No guilt in making my decision...

My next choice was a Proton/Eon Franchise workshop that I do send my ole junk to from time2time. A call was made & it was confirmed that they could also do the same procedure ie with a special tool to compress the valve springs in-situ, namely without removing the whole cylinder head (as it was done in the old days...).

So, me made an appointment to send my ole junk there after their lunch break as it was almost their lunchtime then. So sorry but feel that me would bore you with all the technical details of the procedures that were carried out when the mechanics came back to work after lunch.

Anyway, to cut a long story short...after confirming that the oil-fouled plugs were probably caused by worn or hardened valve stem oil seals, their replacement, with original parts, was carried out & completed after abt 3 hours. Altogether 12 pcs. Yup, my ole junk was a 12-valve engine model. As a precautionary measure, I also requested for a rocker cover gasket change when the mechanic was abt to close everything up.

The final bill came to RM326.87. More than the estimates but partly due to my extra request above...and my being billed (kinda the norm, huh?) for adjustment of the valve tappets separately when that process is part of the assembly procedure. Otherwise it would have been abt RM200 something...heheh...

Well, me happier now. My ole junk is purring now. Me checked the spark plugs this morning. They were CLEAN!! NO more oil fouling! $$ worthwhile spent. Nice feeling.

Now, there is that intermittent knocking sound from time2time...coming from the back...