ticking, oil on spark plug

[trayday]

Ive posted a few times about ticking on my M45 before. about 10k miles ago i had a misfire on cylinder 8, dealer said it was the injector so i had it replaced then there was ticking, i replaced the spark plug and it had oil on it but fixed the problem. the other day while driving i stepped on the gas on a roll and the car shifted from 2nd to 1st and the tick/knock came back as it does after i drive it hard but usually goes away. its been about a week and its still there. today i replaced all plugs and found spark plug from cylinder 8 has oil again. i started the car and tick/knock is still there, i disconnected coil #8 and the tick went away. it ticks from idle to about 2k rpms but still has all the power as it should. problem could be?

[szh]

I don't know the answer for sure. Speculation: sticking valves? Carbon deposits or other gunk?

I'd recommend a session of BG-44K or equivalent before doing much else to the engine. Basically, add one 11oz can of BG-44K to a full tank - and go through the tank (take a long drive) and then do an oil change.

If that does not help, try one more can (but no more than that ... per 3000 miles). If that fails, I'd say another trip to the dealer may be needed - or certainly find a good technician who understands Nissan/Infiniti engines.

Sorry I can not be more helpful here!

Z

[trayday]

maybe, i just used a bottle of the Techron with less gallons than recommended last tank, put in half a tank today. Doesn't burn oil, always changed 3-3.5k miles, and i only use Chevron 91oct. would it be ok to use the BG?

[szh]

maybe, i just used a bottle of the Techron with less gallons than recommended last tank, put in half a tank today. Doesn't burn oil, always changed 3-3.5k miles, and i only use Chevron 91oct. would it be ok to use the BG?

The Techron (even the "concentrated" version - there are two types sold at Auto parts stores) is significantly weaker than BG-44K, although the type of fuel injector cleaner is apparently similar, according to old posts from experts here at NICO.

So, yes, I would still recommend at least one BG-44K session before you do much else to have the engine looked at. BTW, the Nissan/Infiniti parts department also has an equivalent product to BG-44K (although I don't really know if it as concentrated), but they don't advertise it for general availability - you have to have a friendly parts department to sell it to you.

If the BG-44K sessions (two max in any 3000 mile intervals) do not work, you can perhaps try a engine flush - from what I understand, this is a pressurized cleaning of the injector and valves.

BTW, please do be aware that I am speculating here. You may well have a problem with that cylinder that is well beyond my ability to say much about - I am just recommending some possible fixes that may work and mitigate more serious efforts to diagnose and cure.

Z

[trayday]

im currently have a bottle of the cleaner in my tank and will go for a drive once my R camber bolts come in. as im getting an alignment im going to get that engine flush and see if that works. ill keep you posted

[myother45isalesbaer]

Trying to help here, but a few questions I wish you would answer. Is the oil on the outside of the plug or does it look like internally that the plug part that is in the combustion chamber is oil fouled? It should look a light tan brown. If its black and oily looking it could be an internal engine issue. I don't understand what you mean by ticking. Is that an internal engine thing isolated to one cylinder? How loud is the ticking. Most engines have a very slight valve tick. Have you checked your oil level?

The way you drive should not make much of a difference. Injectors can go bad, but usually an injector cleaner is useless. Please better explain the ticking noise. It could be a bad valve, or not running a 91 octane or higher gas which will cause pre-ignition in these cars. Pre-ignition usually occurs in all cylinders and not just one. If it sounds like a snapping it could be a bad spark plug wire.

I don't understand why disconnecting a coil wire would make the noise go away. I would think it would shut the cylinder down as in no spark and make you have less power.

[trayday]

the oil looks like engine oil that is on the spark end of the plug. by ticking i mean it sounds like a loud valve tick or rod knock thats loud to be heard across the street. the oil level is always good, never had an oil burning issue and i always change 3-3.5k with a quart of lucas. I always run 91 octane from Chevron nothing else. Ive also swapped coil packs and the problem is still with cylinder 8, im thinking its a bad wrist pin or piston wring and that the noise goes away when the oil pressure builds up and fills the gaps with oil which is 2k rpms. any ideas how many hours an engine swap would take at a shop?

[myother45isalesbaer]

Wow! Sorry to hear about your problem. If its oil on the internal spark plug end I would agree its an internal engine problem. Since the car does not burn oil my best OP it is not a piston ring. There is usually one for oil and several others to keep compression. If all the other spark plugs look good and its only one cylinder my best guess is its not crank shaft or piston related. I would think from what you have stated its in the valve train on that one cylinder. Valve raps can happen for many reasons and valve seals can go bad. I hope its not an oil ring on the piston. I have had valve raps on mine and usually its down a quart. Once the oil pressure comes up it goes away. But having said all that, I am guessing now based on what you have posted.

Sorry I can't help more. I have no idea what an engine swap would take. Perhaps others on this site do. I would like to know what the final solution to this problem is. Please let us know. Question...what weight and type of oil are you using. I found my old 2004 hates anything except old fashion dino oil at 5w30. Best of luck to you getting this problem fixed.

[trayday]

if the valves are connected to the cam it would still tick if i disconnected the coil since they are still moving wouldnt they? A shop has quoted 20 hrs for a replacement. the oil i was using is Penzoil 5w30 syntec with 1 qt of lucas.

1. if i can find a place for an cheap engine swap i might do that but so far none.
2. buy a prelude or integra for cheap as a daily driver and park the M45 in the garage and deal with it later.
3. once my business loan is approved that the bank is currently working on, trade the M45 in at night when no mechs are on duty to look the car over, possibly get a 300C SRT8 or another luxury 4dr with a V8? ideas or suggestions? M35?

[myother45isalesbaer]

Personally, my Infinti runs great. But I have read too many posts where engine issues are a major problem. I probably will not buy another Infiniti. I would be looking at Lexus or maybe an american car. Infiniti's are getting too difficult to deal with, just like BMW's and Mercedes. They are selling a high priced car but have lost the quality in building them in my OP. Honda's still have a great rep and as a daily driver your picks look good to me.

I like your idea of trading at night. I have done that before myself. Put some 50W in it so no one can hear the knocks. I hate to say I did this with an old sports car, but I did. Got a pretty decent buck for the car. I sold it "as is". The block was cracked, but for the first half hour of running it you could not hear the knocks nor would it over heat.

Good luck my friend. Dump the car before you get into that Infiniti hole of throwing good money after bad.

[myother45isalesbaer]

Personally, my Infinti runs great. But I have read too many posts where engine issues are a major problem. I probably will not buy another Infiniti. I would be looking at Lexus or maybe an american car. Infiniti's are getting too difficult to deal with, just like BMW's and Mercedes. They are selling a high priced car but have lost the quality in building them in my OP. Honda's still have a great rep and as a daily driver your picks look good to me.

I like your idea of trading at night. I have done that before myself. Put some 50W in it so no one can hear the knocks. I hate to say I did this with an old sports car, but I did. Got a pretty decent buck for the car. I sold it "as is". The block was cracked, but for the first half hour of running it you could not hear the knocks nor would it over heat.

Good luck my friend. Dump the car before you get into that Infiniti hole of throwing good money after bad.

[trayday]

so i found a solution, i found an engine/transmission M45 08 with 6k miles registered and wrecked as a movie prop for $2300 or $1700 for just the engine, installed for $500 with a 3 month warranty. Its cheaper than sales tax on another vehicle and the new payments.

[myother45isalesbaer]

Good deal. Sounds like a good price too. Best of luck with the new engine.

[M-Pilot]

so i found a solution, i found an engine/transmission M45 08 with 6k miles registered and wrecked as a movie prop for $2300 or $1700 for just the engine, installed for $500 with a 3 month warranty. Its cheaper than sales tax on another vehicle and the new payments.

Wonder what movie they wrecked a M45...

[trayday]

i was thinking also with the low miles but he said its real clean so ill check it out first, only thing its about 2 hrs away

[myother45isalesbaer]

i was thinking also with the low miles but he said its real clean so ill check it out first, only thing its about 2 hrs away

Are you sure this deal is legit? Something doesn't sound right. For your sake I hope its a honest, clean transaction.

[trayday]

Update! Yesterday i went to N LA and picked up my car with the new engine and runs like new all for 1700 +500 for installation in just a few days, and I was able to keep the old engine and parts that were taken off so I can now have some headers fabricated and mess with the plenum. The engine came from a movie shoot from Paramount Pictures and was taken out before the wreck. Before I bought the engine the owner said two guys come interested in the engine and transmission asking questions but didn't buy, turned out to be 2 under covers. All together, very happy

[myother45isalesbaer]

Great news. Glad to hear it. Enjoy the "new" car!