passenger side lean driver side rich ???

rispoli_23

Member
Jul 7, 2008
182
0
16
i changed my plugs last night and started with the driver side and every plug was soaked but it didnt smell like gas, then i changed my passanger side and every plug was gray .... now im just confused ... i did was my engine bay about 2 ours before i changed them and it did cut out on the way home but how can water get throught the threads and on only 1 side .... any suggestions


thanks
 
  • Sponsors (?)


check EGR for leaks will cause false lean condition

I give up? What MY?

Check the EGR tube and the vacuum lines to/from the DPFE sensor. The vacuum lines are bad about drying out and leaking. This will allow air to enter the exhaust and make the Driver's side O2 sensor THINK the mixture is LEAN. The PCM will respond by adding fuel.

Since the lean condition is false, the result is a rich mixture on just the driver's side.

For verification, compare the LTFT value between Bank 1 (right) and Bank 2 (left).

Also, while you are at it, perform a through inspection for vacuum leaks. Remember, even the TINIEST vacuum leak will cause problems.

Clean the MAF. Use cleaner designed for the job.
 
thanks guys, so u dont think that water seaped into the plugs from washing the engine it did cut out the whole way home after i washed it ..... and whats the best way to check for leaks without a tester i hate lookig for vac leaks lol .... my car does have 80k on it do u think the 02 senors could be bad and reading wrong even though i dont get a check engine light

thanks for any help guys
 
IMO, it is not possible for water to seep all the way through the spark plug theads without it also being possible for exhaust/combustion byproducts to escape.

Do you hear the sound of escaping gases on the driver's side? Did you see evidence of combustion byproducts on the old spark plugs?

If you have water standing in the spark plug wells, it can cause a misfire by grounding out the ignition. Further, if allowed to continue, this will damage the boot such that even when dry, the misfire will still occur. Note, for COP applications it is possible to buy just the boot. Much cheaper than than the entire COP.

I am presuming that since the plugs were changed, there is no more water in the wells. Further, I assumed that the problem continued after the spark plugs were changed.

If there truely is water on the all of the driver's side plugs (from the inside), it has to be getting into the intake via the intake gasket or some other defect. If true, I would expect the car to run like total CRAP. The vacuum leak would have to be huge.

Since you seam to think this is an O2 problem, change it out as generally around 100k miles, the O2 sensors do tend to have slower response time.

The best way to check for vacuum leaks is with a smoke tester. However, this is out of the price range for most home mechanices.

The next best is a propane based leak detector.

Then comes good old visual.

Some ppl may suggest spraying carb and choke cleaner (or brake clean). IMO this is a bad idea because of the very real possibility of gasket damage. This will have you trading one problem for another.
 
thanks and im not presuming its the 02 just curious and the car does not miss and it only cut out right after i sprayed water on the engine it did it about 10 miles and then quit ... i drove the car to work this morning and it seemed to run fine when i get home im going to pull a few plugs out and check them and look for vac leaks , also i did just have a new intake put on about 2 months ago but if its getting that wet would i have noticed by now ???