Coolant in #3 spark plug well

I dismantled much of the engine AGAIN
Did notice a heater hose leak hiding low down near the firewall. I also had put some leak dye in the oil (goes without sayin, but I’ll say it anyway) prior to dismantle & then ran the truck for a bit. I can see a speck of the dye at the base of the leaking heater hose. So I open the radiator. Figured I’d see if there’s anything like oil afloat. The radiator starts draining & I hear it trickling. I put the cap back on real quick & now the #3 spark plug well is filled with coolant. Spark plug in. gasket? Hose? Worse?

 

let me add these to the story. Head gasket? Between #3 & #1. Closer to 3. Nope. Pretty much under 3. Weird though, I don’t have any head gasket symptoms.

 

If you have coolant in the chamber then you most likely have a blown head gasket or cracked head. Does your truck have excessive white smoke/steam that comes out the exhaust(sometimes it only during cold start)? There are a few ways to confirm that.

 

Weird thoug

No. Just the usual. Not excessive.

 

Spark plug in huh?…..How in the world did that happen? Just suck it out with a dry vac or turkey baser or blow some air into it with every covered of course.

 

Boy that was a lucky break, if that had happen while running or more likely startup, that could of hydro locked the engine in the blink of an eye destroying it....
........bet there is a crack in head around or between the valves........
everybody needs a hobby.....idle hands you know.

 

I did a quick internet search and coolant in the spark plug hole can be caused by several things, such as a leaking intake manifold.

 

Wondering if when I did the intake manifold gasket, if it moved when I put the cover on. If that could cause a leak from one port to another? & for some reason 3 was the weakest link? I did have the spark plug out of #1 & it didn't touch that.

 

Grrrr.... I looked it up on my phone & kept getting coolant in spark plugs, but not one plug & the answers weren't very helpful. Seemed like the results were all forum stuff & many just cleaning the well, popping a new plug in & calling it a day. Thank you....

 

My likin your post was only for part of it.... It was indeed a lucky break.

 

Yeah I bet these replacement heads are good selling inventory for the suppliers......bet they got em in box ready for ups to pick em up in the morning...
Same with the denso radiators....just waiting on a mailing label......

 

So if/when I take the cover off tomorrow, are there any signs that I should look for as to whether it's deeper than just the gasket? I doubt there are any tests I can do with it dismantled. Is a compression test advisable? Or we pretty much already know the results will be not so good.

 

It makes zero sense that a leak filled up the plug well unless there is a coolant passage crack in the head and it is so close to the plug well that it is leaking into it when under pressure. I do not believe it would be a head gasket issue but more a head issue, possibly from a poor casting. I seriously doubt that coolant would fill the plug well if NOT under pressure.

What I would do is leave the coil off that plug well, the plug in place, fill the cooling system, and pressurize the cooling system to it's normal pressure and then let it sit 1/2 hour and see if that plug well fills up, if so, you have a coolant passage leak in the head which will need replacement.

 

Yep, this is a wierd one here......I would do a wet and dry compression test before you take anything apart......for shits and gigles if nothing else......

Wonder if you can use a water hose w/rubber grommet and force water back the other way....

 

You said you've dismantled much of the engine again. You've been working on the engine and this new problem came up? If so, what were the old problems that might be related to this? Or you've been driving it? In rereading the thread, it seems that you've been driving it.

I looked up a little more. I'm an amateur, and I can't picture things, but you have to figure out where the coolant is coming from. There could be internal or external leaks. An external leak would be coolant dripping into the spark plug tube from the outside. Internal leaks happen when the cooling system has a leak somewhere inside the engine- passages.

That's a lot of coolant in there. If the engine was running, then the cooling system is pressurized, which pushes coolant out a leak (while running and afterward). If that happened with the cooling system unpressurized, then that seems like a big leak, which should mean it'd be easier to find. Some auto parts stores loan out radiator pressure test kits.

The following thread said that spark plug tubes can leak. There's also an interesting head gasket test (text posted below).

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/is-liquid-in-the-spark-plug-tube-the-kiss-of-death.588921/

Again, I don't have a good understanding, but it seems that coolant would have to be coming from a crack in the head in the spark plug area, if a cracked head is the problem.


Text:

The 2.2l spark plug tubes are known to leak.
They can be resealed buy removing the valve cover and then unscrew each tube and reseal its threads.

So no, not a sign of bigger problems.

You can do a simple glove test on the engine to check for cracked head or gasket issue.
Cold engine
Disconnect all spark plug wires, we want a no start.
Remove rad cap
remove overflow hose from rad cap opening.
Place latex glove over rad cap opening and seal it in place with rubber band.
Use your finger to block overflow or vacuum cap, or short hose with bolt in it or .....
Crank engine

If glove starts to bounce up and down then you have a cracked head or head gasket leak.
If it just lays there you don't.

If it does bounce you can remove 1 spark plug at a time and crank the engine, when it stops bouncing then the last spark plug removed was the cylinder with the leak.

 

There has to be a crack in the head. there's no other way for coolant to get in to the tube of a 5v head. do a leak down test with the coolant about a quart low.

 

example images. you'll probably have to get a wire wheel or cone to clean up the carbon to see the crack. as you can see there's not much meat in the walls between the ports and plug hole.

 

I had done a major cleaning & gasket replacement last June. Intake, valve, injectors.... My idle was high & has been. I have been chasing that ever since. I have been driving it. I had not noticed any coolant leaks. I have not had to add any, nor do I see it has any oil in it. My temp numbers are all good. No excessive white smoke. I have a rough idle, however it's also high indicating vacuum issues. Also much internal pressure I am guessing, because I keep getting oil leaks. I also have fuel in the oil. Definitely running rich.

& as far as old problems related to this, none. I mean no coolant ending up "out of place", nor anything ending up in the coolant.

Soooo.... Changed out the FPR since the hose smelled like fuel. That helped my trims. PCV valve. Many tests, mAF, etc. Cleaned stuff up AGAIN, throttle body, etc.
Figured maybe I needed to look at the injectors even though they were new. So back in I went, hoping to find answers this way.

So, to finally answer your question, yes, I am dismantled, just to valve covers (intake manifold cover is still in place). I figured I'd check valve clearances since I had never done this before, so I just so happen to have the loaner compression tester handy.

I had not seen any coolant in the well when I pulled the coil. It only happened after I dismantled & then took the cap off the radiator. I did have to change the front upper hose, so I have had the system opened, however I would have drained 1st. Regardless, no coolant in well from doing that hose.

I have had a somewhat rough idle, but nothing major. Certainly not running like a cylinder had gone down. The high idle was what was more troubling.

Not sure if I can do that test being dismantled. Also, if I remove the cap, my guess is I'll get more coolant in the plug well, although at some point I imagine the bottom of the well will become the higher point.

 

So I was surprised to find out I could do a compression test while dismantled. Can I do a leak down whilst dismantled as well?

 

I should add, no coolant leaks I noticed. I have had a fun fluid year. Removed the LPV & put in a manual one & a Tundra brake swap. So lots & lots of brake fluid. & just when I thought I had the lines all set, there would be a leak. So there was that. & my axle seals & whilst I realize gear oil is in an odor category all of its own, it's still a drip or two or many & then add in oil & trying to decipher, brake from gear from oil & now lets add in coolant.... viscosity is different, but then if they run into each other on their downward journey to my garage floor. Oh, & let's not forget fuel in the oil.... & never mind that one swipe at some gear oil to check it for smell & from there on out everything smells like gear oil. Thank goodness ATF & PSF are red.

Anyway, it never occurred to me to do a leak dye test for the coolant because I did not realize there was a potential issue.