Spark Plug Tube Oil Leak Repair - Toyota I4 5SFE Camry, RAV4, Solara, etc. 

Thanks - this is brilliant. Just changed the plugs on my Camry and two came up swimming in oil -- I didn't know what to think before I saw this video. Well done!

Cant thank you enough for posting this video. I bought a $400 camry with a really bad misfire and found the plug wire stuck around the spark plug and was arching on the inside of plug tube. Made my job so much easier to get it off being able to grab it with some needle nose.

Thanks for the video, this explains why my sister's Celica has an oily plug. Keep up the great work.

Thanks for the valuable information! I replaced the valve cover gasket along with resealing the spark plug tubes. Cylinder #1 put up a fight at first-after that the rest was cake👍

I actually used an instructional thread from you on Google on how to drain and replace the power steering fluid on a 4th generation Camry I like how you show the pictures and steps on how to perform the procedure, I actually actually already performed that procedure on 2 different 1998 Toyota camrys, the first one unfortunately I got in a accident and the car was totally ruined but I bought me another last year and performed the same procedure to perfection.

Thank you so much! Also thank you for specifying what type of sealant you used for the spark plug tubes. It really helped out.

First video I've seen how to remove oil from spark plugs by removing the spark plug tubes... Congrats

Nice Work! You make it look easy!

Thank you sir for another detailed video. Recently did a tune up on my 97 Camry and the spark plug were saturated with engine oil. Will be doing this task soon 👍

This has really sorted my problems, one plug used to have oil

Ah! This is the problem in my back plug on my 2.7l 4cyl, 04 Tacoma with 280K on it. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Much appriciated. 👍

Thank you for this, I really appreciate seeing knowledgeable folks like you taking the time to help the rest of us out

Thanks for posting this video. I had a mechanic chane my valve cover gasket couple of years ago. He didn't mention one of my spark plugs leaking plus recently oil leaks showed up behind valve cover. I just changed valve cover gasket and noticed cylinder 4 plug tube is leaking badly. I followed your technique and it worked nicely. It took me awhile to clean up old gaskets mess but I think it was worth it. Now I have to wait for 24 hours for Permatex optimum grey gasket parts to cure itself. Thanks again.

This was better than Scotty K’s RU-vid video on this subject matter. Thanks!

Saving this just for future reference. Good video.

I lIKE THIS VIDEO IT MAKES SENSE TO ME AS i AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE! THANK YOU AND PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD VIDS

When he showed how to take out the spark plug tube with the nuts I subscribed liked and saved😂🤘🔥

Thank you. i'm not a mechanic by profession but I prefer to work on my own car. this is helpful.

Brilliant! Thx for providing this solution. I had the end of the spark plug wire break while on the end of the spark plug. I may have to do this to get it off if I can't get it off any other way.

Great video 👍

Wow....have issue. Now i know and will do what you did. Thank you sir. A+

Looks simple enough. My number 1 spark plug when I removed it, was dripping with oil, not burnt buy fresh dripping oil.

Well done video and expertise... Thanks

Thank you for this video. Very helpful.

Thanks man I have the same problem on my rav4

Thank you so much for this. We have an 04 Tacoma and this is exactly the issue I'm having with it. Rather save a few bucks than get taken for a ride financially.

Great video. Beautiful explanation. Here is my crazy idea. No need to remove the valve cover, if you are not planning a big repair. Use internal pipe wrenches to unscrew the spark plug tubes. Available at Lowes, Homedepot and other stores. No need to clean the tread on the head. Leave it as is. Wipe off the oil from the spark plug tubes and apply teflon tape. And here is an improved crazy idea. No need to buy internal pipe wrenches. The inside diameter of the spark plug tubes is 23.5 mm. I just have an old rusty BMX that I took apart yesterday. The steering bar post engages with the inside surface of the front fork central pipe (ID=22 mm) with cast iron nut under 45 degrees, that practically works as internal pipe wrench. The split nut has a range from 22 mm to 28 mm. I will try it tomorrow, but I am pretty sure it will work. The bottom thread of the spark plug tubes is very fine, and has to be handled gently. Tighten the long bolt of the steering bar post little by little to avoid deformation of the tubes. The good news, it is covered with oil all the time, and it will come out easily. If I screw up something will post again tomorrow.

nice video sir. thanks for sharing

Nice job, dude! Thank you for this! I'm currently having the same issue, but now I can get this done! I just need to get a 30mm socket and wrench.

Sweet! Brilliant mind

Very informative video on how to re-seal the tubes BUT the grommets he removed around the 2:00 are also a fail point. They are there to prevent oil being splashed by the cams going down into the tubes. Make sure to replace those as well.

This helped me out quite a bit! Thanks you! YT Thumbs up!!

Damm the inside of the motor is clean!

For sure this is the problem I hava thank you

Had a tuf time pullng off the valve cover. But finally got it. Had to rig a mini ratchet strap to suspend the leftside cover with the wires and pry on the rightside with a narrow screwdriver. My issue is the gasket backside oil leak

Thanks for making this video. Its helped got a stuck plug socket out.

Thanks for video. I thought my vehicle had a head gasket problem.

Honda on the 1988-91 Civics went with O-Rings under the rocker and cam carriage to keep the oil out of the spark plug wells. It's all work as non-metal items age and break-down with time.

Thanks for showing good technique. That technique is also used to remove studs. In most cars, there are no threads on the spark-plug tubes. There is a tool for that job called spark-plug tube remover, but it cost some fortune. I am thinking about a part on a bicycle called "stem" (holds handlebar and fork together) can do the job or not, since it is about the same size.

Buen video amigo gracias, me he subscrito a su canal...

First syphon oil from the plug tube with a syringe before using air might be less of a mess. Thank you, I was wondering about this very thing.

Thank ❤️

Any ideas on how to clean out the oil without an air compressor or a suction machine?

Great tutorial, thanks a lot. How do you differentiate where the oil is coming from in the tubes , tube threads or the spark tube seals

Had the same problem of number 3 and 4. Make sure to put the wires back correct too or else you will get misfires.

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Will need to do exactly the same thing on a 1999 Camry 4 cylinder. Would Permatex ultra black also work? Seems ultra black is more flexible while ultra grey is high torque. Not clear to me if one type is better than the other. Would be great to hear your thoughts on that. Thanks again.

Hold up... you mean that's all that holds this valve cover in place is the spark plug tubes and those 30 or 31 or 32mm nuts? Additionally.. if I get a p0300 with p0304 is it possible that this show will help me with it, especially if I see oil on the spark plug threads? Because I checked all my plug boots and they're still dry as a whistle

03 Infinity G35; its difficult/really time consuming to get to tube. Are there any after market pour in sealers that would help? Engine run great.

Before removing the tube, replace your gaskets or cover gaskets with the full kit, then oh while the cover is off brake clean inside the tube let it sit there for a bit the wrap a towel around it and spray some shop air in there get it nice and dried out probably replace the boot which typically you can do with most coil packs, because the oil in that boot is saturated you're never going to get it out of there. You would never really have to unscrew the spark plugs from the Block because that's not where the leaks coming from.

Ok, one more question. The threads that hold the tube in place (that the tube screws into) seems clean and you didn't clean that area beside removing the oil. Was there any residual gasket material that needs to be cleaned out? If so, what would you recommend for cleaning, a wire brush? A toothbrush? A rag? Thanks

after 301,000 miles double nutting was ineffective. the tube is thin, aluminum, and the threads are easily damaged. a vice grip chain wrench is the perfect tool. no scrapes or marring. no drama.

Hey I was changing my spark plugs on my 2000 Toyota Camry 2.2 and the metal connection piece on the boot came out of the boot and a got stuck on the spark plug. Long story short, I got some ceramic in the cyclinder and tried everything to get it out, it was very small crushed up pieces. But ever since then I have been getting low oil pressure at idle when hot, do you think that could have been caused by the ceramics from the spark plug. I changed the the timing belt, water pump all the seals, thanks to your videos, and I also changed the oil pump and cleaned out the oil pickup tube. I also did the valve cover gasket and spark plug tubes as you have shown. Im asking you because I can’t figure out why I’m having low oil pressure at idle, I put a gauge and it doesn’t register at idle, it is correct at 2000 rpm and I also change the oil pressure sender and checked the wire for it, it looks good. You seem to know a lot about this vehicle and I appreciate your videos on them, I love my 2000 Camry and know it can last a long time. I hope it’s not engine wear or something, let me know what you think, thanks!

Thanks for the video, appears I am having the same problem with my 2001 camry. However, I did a compression test on the cylinders and 3 of them read zero psi, and the other only had 50psi. There is no coolant in the oil. Could a bad seal on the plugs cause compression to be that poor?

Oil gets into those tubes from above from bad gaskets. If you're having troubles unstring the tube and the block, it's because it's in there good and tight and there's no oil leak in there from the bottom come kind of impossible really unless it came loose and if that was the case you just hand loose in it.

How did you one to the conclusion that this was the issue? I have a 1990 Toyota Corolla with tube 3 bubbling up with oil from beneath the spark plug. Could this be related?

Any problems with removing the sparkplugs and draining the oil out through the oilpan? .... would this take the oil out of the tube?... I'm planning on new sparkplugs, new wires, gasket and pcv valve, etc. .. car is new to me with 207k miles and a history of neglect... runs good but leaks oil and has some smoke out the tailpipe....mileage could be better 20ish around town ...

Hi thank, because of oil leak made this leak spark plugs dead or not? is it still working and fine after cleaning the plugs?

Do you have to replace the week spark plugs wire the first one you pulled out?

Q/A... How come the PCV valve isn't being replace along with valve cover and tube seals? I am no Pro..I do work on cars frequently but not everyday as you.

How tight should I screw in the tube? Is there a torque spec.? Snug? Very snug? Also, how did you determine which gasket shmoo to use? I looked at a few and the Ultra black stuff claims to be "oil resistant". Would that be better, or are are all pretty similar ad most of them are rated to go up to 600' F?

Have you seen this issue but coolant filling the tube instead of oil? My 96 rav4 has this issue and I was set on a cracked head. Didn’t know these tubes leaked.. now I’m thinking maybe it’s just a bad head gasket that happens to be blown in the same cylinder as a leaking tube..

Great video! Thank you so much for posting. I have one question, do you know the torque spec on the valve cover nuts? I tightened mine to 17lbs per suggestion I read in a forum but it still leaks from under the valve cover. Thanks again!

What year is this Toyota you're working on? I saw a mechanic replace the spark plug tube seals that are pressed into the valve cover on a v6 Honda. Don't Camrys have tube seals too. My camry is an 03, 4 cylinder. It's got the oil around the plugs and coils.

I’m assuming you can also change the head gasket while doing this ?

In this case, does the coil pack have to be replaced or can it just be cleaned?

What are you just unscrew the spark plug and then wipe the threads out and the opening out then wipe the spark plug or just replace it if needed? Why would you spray break clean into. Never heard of that but I like the idea to remove the tube that's pretty cool I've seen plumbers do that with it hard to unscrew bathtub hot and cold.

I have this same problem on my camry and i am going to try this.

Thank you so much!

I have a question: are spark plug tubes of Mitsubishi Lancer, can also be removed for repair?

Dam I have to do this on my v6 solara. 😣😤

can i use gray rtv for valve cover as well?

Great video! One question, can you use Permatex Ultra Black, or does it have to be Permatex Ultra Gray? When applying to the threads on the well tube, Thank you in advance.

does changing the valve cover GASKET solve this problem?..i wish i saw ur video before i did the job

Its always that one that has oil down it. Sometimes its spill from the filler cap.

I worked on my Honda Pilot 2 years ago. I replaced valves cover gaskets, spark plugs tube seal and spark plugs. Now I'm getting misfires...the spark plugs and ignition coil pack on cylinder 4 and 5 were soaked with oil... any recommendations on how to approach or fix this problems ! Thanks...

Tried it but my tube is stuck in there real good....i saw you do the 3rd tube like it really needs alot of force..im afraid to break something..maybe i need to be more forceful?

Thank-you! You said 32 mm socket and wrench in the vid, but your link below says 30 mm???????? Please specify?

What size wrench did you need for the tube?

Is there an easier way to remove the metal cylinder tube. My 30mm wrench started to strip the upside down hex.... I bought a longer PVC tube to put over the wrench and will try tomorrow. Just wondering if you have any suggestions.

What size tool wrench is that ? And socket

Thank you for posting this. I was just going to tighten up my 30mm nuts b/c I noticed an oil leak from the back of the cover (I believe thats how it got there, I'm changing my own oil from now on). I just did the valve cover gasket 2 years ago and they were dry. I pulled the first plug and it is covered in oil. Now, I know I'm going to have to do the whole thing over plus this. Is it safe to put an oily tube back on the plug until I get a new gasket set and recheck my tool list? (I think the reason for the leak is i didn't torque them to the full 17ft/lbs).

!! HELP !! I'm trying to release tension on the tube but the 2 nuts seem to keep moving and I feel like I'm stripping the top thread. This is on a 2.0 3SFE rav4 1999 engine

Would a can of electronic duster compressed air work for this if you do not have access to an air compressor?

Where can I order new ones from 1999 Toyota Camry LE

Do you any idea how much a mechanic would charge to do this on a 98 Honda CR-V?

I can't remove the tube, it is really tight in there, any other ideas?

Do you have to drain the oil on you car before taking off the valve cover?

You have to take the tube out and fix it by putting more fix it but us all like Honda's even the Dodges that have that you got to take the valve cover off and on like the those right there it's leaking out the top of the tube going down in it cuz the top where it meets the valve cover is where it leaks on even the Hondas

I have this issue but the tubes are like not moving at all..

Most people only change the top spark plug tube gasket..i see why mine is still leaking

Is there any drying time required for the gasket goo?

Do you take the spark plugs out for this job?

There is a torque spec for that tube, and you should be using it and telling us what it is.

I have the same issue with my 2001 Toyota Camry I got scared couple days ago cause my oil was very low and this is the issue the oil not going down staying up

Just tighten the tube by feel? No torque?

I imagine teflon would have been good here too right

What if you have antifreez and oil in the spark well?

Am I right in assuming that the engine was cold?

Why the gray rtv and not the black?

At 3:31 is that brake cleaner?