That's not rust. Think about it for a second, how could water survive in an environment like a combustion chamber (ignition, fuel, extreme pressue)? If coolant was being introduced into the combustion chamber, the engine would be smoking and running really bad. Also, porcelean doesn't rust.

IMO, it looks like your engine may be running a little too cold and the A/F may be a little too rich. The rust/brown/tan color is actually good, but your plugs have a little too much color. Seeing that the motor is built, the number of causes are endless and the chances for something installed wrong/incorrectly have increased exponentially. The higher compression ratio is highly suspect. Did you reduce the plug gaps and go to a cooler plug when you built this motor? If not, you should do it.

 

I know that I was running rich for a while as my SAFC II was still set to my old settings for quite a while on these plugs.

I am a little confused by this? I always assumed that I should run maybe 1 step colder with this setup if colder at all. If you think that I am running too cold at the moment, wouldn't adding colder plugs just lower cylinder temps and increase this process.

By the way, I used to live up your way. I went to the Kansas City, MO Police Academy when I got out of the Marine Corps for a year. Love the area, but hated civilian life so I am now back in the Corps down in Texas.


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I have never seen plugs this color, unless they are extremely worn out. For, you should definately be running Iridum 1 step colders on this type of high compression setup. We have a bunch in stock if you need them.

 

Did you run octane booster of any kind. While that is not a color I have seen often I know a guy out here who ran some kind of octane booster that was red and ended up with red looking plugs...

 

Mia, I think you just reminded me of something when you mentioned the color red.

When we picked up all the parts from the machine shop, they told us to add some tranny fluid to the oil we were lubing the parts with during the assembly. Maybe we went overbored or shouldn't have listened to them at all?

Now that I think about it, that makes total sense as we put a lot, and I mean a lot of oil (oil/tranny fluid mix) on the rings and other piston areas.

This would explain how it got in my combustion chamber. Then it burned and turned a reddish brown color and ended up on my plugs.

If this is indeed the case, I should be able to pull my new plugs tonite or tomorrow and there should be nothing on them at all. The rest of the fluid should have burned off well within that first 1200 miles.

Thanks guys! I hope that is it.

Now just tell me why my VDC and Slip light wont shut off and we'll be good to go.

 

Heres what you should do, replace the plugs, change your oil and drive it for 3k miles until your next oil change. It should go away but if it doesnt you definitely have something in your oil or fuel because you have good compression in most of your cylinders and #5 isnt too bad with 183. Make sure you dont put anything in your gas either. Run premium pump gas and give us an update later.

Also, check underneath your oil cap. If you find water condensation then your head gasket might be blown. You can also check your coolant for oil.

BTW I've never seen plugs in that sort of condition, you deserve a prize.

 

I'm sure thats it. As for VDC and slip is the car lowered excessively? Could be scrubbing the rear tires if your toe is WAY out of alignment.

 

I just so happens that I am in the market for a prize!

 

I think the ATF could have definitley caused the color and soot on the plugs.

I recently moved to Atlanta, GA. It's not what I thought and the traffic is far worse than I had assumed. I will most likely move back to Kansas City within a year. The South is beautiful as is the weather, but there are just too many damn people here. You live and learn.

 

Yup I concur. That doesn't look like rust to me either. Well... it does kind of look like rust, but it's not. The more I thought about it the more I doubted the tips of your spark plugs could rust. I've never seen that happen before, and after looking at your pics, I still haven't. The tranny fluid could have a lot to do with the weird color, that and the combination of running colder plugs with a rich A:F is probably what fouled them.

If your A:F is ok now, and you have new plugs, you should be OK. I would get that thing tuned though.

 

Drumroll please: ***drumroll***

Done, you won a first prize trophy in the "My plugs are so nasty, even my dog won't look at them" contest.

Congrats

 

Man, that sure looks like octane booster. Octane 108 brand in particular gives your plugs a rusty color. You can rest easy though that its not rust (btw, porcelin doesn't rust)

 

Yes it does, I was running lots of octane booster in my Grand National and that is exactly what my plugs looked like.

 

good luck done12many. im sure that sounds like your problem.


get everything tuned and jump on a dyno soon!!



100% distilled water is find unless it gets below freezing

 

Rust color on sparkplug means your running on optimal f/a ratio. Black carbon means you're running rich while clean silver means you're running lean.

 

Only 17.5 years late to the party and he hasn't logged in for 13 years