[psmitty95]

So I just finished swapping all 6 plugs and all the bank 2 injectors. Although I don't know too much on the topic, injector 4 and all the plugs don't look normal to me. Cylinder 4 and 5 were my main misfire culprits and the cyl 4 injector didn't even have a decoupling ring on it . Is that why it's so black?

Plugs only have 3k miles on them so I definitely don't think the black on the threads is normal...

My other question is in regards to coding the injectors... I typed in the correct numbers but then INPA would change them after pressing ok. Is this normal? For example cylinder 4 was 56.3 and 2.31 but INPA changed it to 56.3 and 2.29 . Any help is greatly appreciated

















Forgot to mention order of the pics for plugs is 1-6 and injectors is 4-6

[3000GT MR]

I'd get new seals on the injectors then try again. The plus are probably like that from shitty cylinder pressure and mixture.

[n54door]

The charred inector is missing the coupler, which is causing the exhaust to escape and coat the injector body with carbon sut. You will lose cylinder pressure as well.

[joec500]

Yes it's normal for INPA to change your numbers as demonstrated in the DIY video that someone made.

Also the reason you have been misfiring is most likely because of that missing decoupling piece. I wouldn't be surprised if the misfire in cylinder 4 caused a chain reaction of sorts to throw off neighboring cylinders. I would replace the plug on that cylinder 4 as well, but you can try to see if the original plug is OK first.

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by 3000GT MR

I'd get new seals on the injectors then try again. The plus are probably like that from shitty cylinder pressure and mixture.

All 3 of those injectors are now the brand new part numbers

Originally Posted by n54door

The charred inector is missing the coupler, which is causing the exhaust to escape and coat the injector body with carbon sut. You will lose cylinder pressure as well.

Yea i noticed it was missing the coupler... Good news is now a new one is on and instaled properly

Originally Posted by joec500

Yes it's normal for INPA to change your numbers as demonstrated in the DIY video that someone made.

Also the reason you have been misfiring is most likely because of that missing decoupling piece. I wouldn't be surprised if the misfire in cylinder 4 caused a chain reaction of sorts to throw off neighboring cylinders. I would replace the plug on that cylinder 4 as well, but you can try to see if the original plug is OK first.

Yea when I pulled it out I thought that maybe the coupler was causing my misfires too. Either way hopefully now they're all gone. What about the plugs? Doesn't look normal to me for only 3k miles... I think my valve cover gasket might be shot. I also noticed that in 6k miles my oil level in the nav system is showing half...

[3000GT MR]

Once you get your injectors squared away and back to how they are suppose to be. Clean the spark plugs with carb cleaner until they look close to new and reinstall them to proper torque since the crush gasket is less effective. And pull them in another 2-3k miles. I bet they'll look normal after

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by 3000GT MR

Once you get your injectors squared away and back to how they are suppose to be. Clean the spark plugs with carb cleaner until they look close to new and reinstall them to proper torque since the crush gasket is less effective. And pull them in another 2-3k miles. I bet they'll look normal after

Well I swapped bank 2 injectors and all 6 plugs today. I don't necessarily think it's injectors though since bank 1 have been fine (as far as I know) and the bank 1 old plugs were still black

[3000GT MR]

Try torqueing the plugs that crush gasket doesn't look crushed from the pictures. Still looks rounded. I bet you didn't have them tight enough

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by 3000GT MR

Try torqueing the plugs that crush gasket doesn't look crushed from the pictures. Still looks rounded. I bet you didn't have them tight enough

Hmm I torqued them to right around 20 ft lb's... I should do more?

[JamesM3M5]

If the injector seal bore is damaged from the missing decoupler, you may need a new head. It will not seal properly and you will get high load misfires.

Plug torque is 1/2 turn on the NGKs when new (ring not crushed yet) or 18 lb-ft max.

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by JamesM3M5

If the injector seal bore is damaged from the missing decoupler, you may need a new head. It will not seal properly and you will get high load misfires.

Plug torque is 1/2 turn on the NGKs when new (ring not crushed yet) or 18 lb-ft max.

Ok I have been using my shitty torque wrench and did it to somewhere in the range of 20.

If I need a new head i'm not going to be happy.. Especially since the dealer did cylinder 4 with the previous owner during the recall. I assume it's been this way since i've owned the car though and I haven't really had that much of an issue. Last year cylinder 3 misfire then replaced that injector and good. Then this year cyl 4 and 5 so I did all bank 2. Even while misfiring a few weeks ago I put out 391awhp/462awtq. I definitely don't want to buy a new head...

[3000GT MR]

Torque them snug plus about 3/4 turn or until tight. The more i look at the pictures the more those gaskets don't look crushed as if they were torqued properly.

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by 3000GT MR

Torque them snug plus about 3/4 turn or until tight. The more i look at the pictures the more those gaskets don't look crushed as if they were torqued properly.

So you think tomorrow I should go in and re-tighten the new ones? The torque wrench I use is cheap (pictured below) and I had a friend watching it and telling me when I got to around 20 ft lb

[3000GT MR]

That's up to you whether or not you think its right. I'm just saying the reason why the threads look so black is because they look improperly torqued. If you did them the same id recheck them. You can feel the gasket crush and the torque increase when you do it by hand.

[JDrago1926]

All your cylinders look leaky to me, I would say 3-6 injectors are 100% bad based off your plugs. Black = leaky

[3000GT MR]

Originally Posted by 3000GT MR

That's up to you whether or not you think its right. I'm just saying the reason why the threads look so black is because they look improperly torqued. If you did them the same id recheck them. You can feel the gasket crush and the torque increase when you do it by hand.

The washer should look like a regular flat washer if done correctly. The ones on your picture still look rounded like a oring

[GreaseMonkey]

I don't know if it matters, but the number 6 spark plug looks gunked up above the washer, did you have any oil or anything in the spark plug well?

When I spoke with you last week I was looking at one bad injector, turns out I had both #5 and #6 leaking, which caused a problem with my #4 as well. Just keep in mind that any one faulty piece can affect others down the line. Ended up replacing all of the bank 2 injectors and the spark plugs that were damaged.

Also, I've been using a torque wrench from Harbor Freight (cheap I know) but so far has served me well. It is the type that clicks/breaks tension when you've reached the desired torque. Good luck!

[HermanL]

^ I recently swapped out my spark plugs and cyl 6 spark plug was literary flooded with oil and all of my spark plugs have black thread sections just like yours. i am pretty sure my valve cover gasket is completely gone, I am going to change it out this weekend and I think it is a good idea to check out the valve cover gasket

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by psmitty95

So you think tomorrow I should go in and re-tighten the new ones? The torque wrench I use is cheap (pictured below) and I had a friend watching it and telling me when I got to around 20 ft lb

Historically those are not too accurate. Pick yourself up a nice torque wrench. I you take care of it and maintain it properly it can last forever.

I personally just give spark plugs a good snug. Tighten normally by hand then a quick snug. "Snug" is so broad. I've been wrenching on motors since I was probably 12 so it's second nature to me. If you are unsure just get the proper torque wrench.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by HermanL

^ I recently swapped out my spark plugs and cyl 6 spark plug was literary flooded with oil and all of my spark plugs have black thread sections just like yours. i am pretty sure my valve cover gasket is completely gone, I am going to change it out this weekend and I think it is a good idea to check out the valve cover gasket

That sounds like textbook VC gasket issues.

[dfjaws]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Historically those are not too accurate. Pick yourself up a nice torque wrench. I you take care of it and maintain it properly it can last forever.

I personally just give spark plugs a good snug. Tighten normally by hand then a quick snug. "Snug" is so broad. I've been wrenching on motors since I was probably 12 so it's second nature to me. If you are unsure just get the proper torque wrench.

I agree. Deflection torque wrenches are awful. Get a nice micrometer one (most accurate) or if you MUST have a visual indicator of sorts, look for a good dial indicating wrench.

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

That sounds like textbook VC gasket issues.

Yea i've been thinking I have VC gasket issues because i've gone down half of my oil in 6k miles... Also saw white smoke yesterday although I haven't seen any more

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=887463

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Historically those are not too accurate. Pick yourself up a nice torque wrench. I you take care of it and maintain it properly it can last forever.

I personally just give spark plugs a good snug. Tighten normally by hand then a quick snug. "Snug" is so broad. I've been wrenching on motors since I was probably 12 so it's second nature to me. If you are unsure just get the proper torque wrench.

I definitely had them snug cause I tightened with a normal wrench then used the torque wrench to get to what looked like 20. I'm going to order a nicer torque wrench today and re-do them next weekend. Is 20 the proper torque setting?

Originally Posted by HermanL

^ I recently swapped out my spark plugs and cyl 6 spark plug was literary flooded with oil and all of my spark plugs have black thread sections just like yours. i am pretty sure my valve cover gasket is completely gone, I am going to change it out this weekend and I think it is a good idea to check out the valve cover gasket

Yea I think my valve cover gasket might be gone too... Look at my reply to the guy two posts above this quote

Originally Posted by GreaseMonkey

I don't know if it matters, but the number 6 spark plug looks gunked up above the washer, did you have any oil or anything in the spark plug well?

When I spoke with you last week I was looking at one bad injector, turns out I had both #5 and #6 leaking, which caused a problem with my #4 as well. Just keep in mind that any one faulty piece can affect others down the line. Ended up replacing all of the bank 2 injectors and the spark plugs that were damaged.

Also, I've been using a torque wrench from Harbor Freight (cheap I know) but so far has served me well. It is the type that clicks/breaks tension when you've reached the desired torque. Good luck!

Yea i'm going to order a new wrench later today. I definitely think it can sometimes be a chain reaction as my cylinder 5 injector was brand new 2 months ago but still got misfire codes. My guess is that the cyl 4 was causing those codes.

Originally Posted by 3000GT MR

The washer should look like a regular flat washer if done correctly. The ones on your picture still look rounded like a oring

I guess i'll re-tighten them once I get the type or wrench that clicks. I don't want to over-tighten them though, isn't 20 the proper setting?

Originally Posted by JDrago1926

All your cylinders look leaky to me, I would say 3-6 injectors are 100% bad based off your plugs. Black = leaky

Yea they definitely don't look good but I don't think the black is leaky injector... I'm starting to think its my valve cover gasket