I just recently installed a new carb, plugs and wires. I was driving my car around so I could check my plugs to see how it was running and when I pulled number 5 the plug had a light coating of oil on it. I have never noticed it before and when I was pulling my old plugs plugs out to install my new ones the number 5 plug wasn't wet then. Does anyone have a idea on what could have went wrong in that short amount of time.

 

Broke a ring?

- Eric

 

Is your spark plug wire seating properly at both ends? Is that plug firing, I've gotten cracked ones out of the box, or cracked it by accident when installing do to proximity of headers.

 

Was it running rough at all? A plug that is not firing will be very wet.

 

Its not smoking that I can tell so a bad plug may be the cause. It was running a lil bit rough but I thought it may be from the carb being out of adjustment. If I broke a ring would the be any other way tell without going into the motor or haveing a compression test done?

 

I'd replace the plug and make sure your wiring is connected tight. Then make sure it's firing. Especially when the plug you pulled out originally looked good.

 

I had something similar once on a Corvair. I swapped the wet plug for a normal one on the other bank of cylinders and drove around for a few miles. Checked both plugs and discovered, with a great sigh of relieve, it was a spark plug issue and not something with the cylinder. Must have been one bad plug even though it looked perfect.

 

That's what I'm hoping for. I put another one in there and I'm gonna drive it around some tomorrow and see what's gonna happen. I really hope there is nothing wrong.

 

If #5 was "normal" when originally removed, then it's probably a bad plug, bad wire, or bad connection for #5. New doesn't automatically mean that it's good. You can check the plug in a pressure tester or swap with another cylinder. You can check the wire with a VOM. You can visually (manually) check the connection. It's most likely an external problem.