After deciding (at the end of the season) that my A4 was not running as proper as she may have at one time, I did some poking around with my no contact thermometer and discovered that the #4 plug/cylinder (closest to the trannie) was not firing. A visual examination shows that the #1-3 plugs have soot and discoloration from use where as the #4 looks basically brand new, no carbon or discoloration at all but there is presence of fuel (nose test)
The other thing is that I do notice a small trace of either oil or gas in the exhaust water when running
Is this a worn head gasket? A stuck valve? Bad ring? Poor point contact? Bad luck?
What is the easy way to test for spark? I have limited tools, a mutimeter and a bag of hammers...
Would running the engine on only 3 tubes damage the 4th?
I'm going down today and see if switching the plugs around has any effect. I will also see if I can have a peek at the valves from the plug receptacles as well. The boat hauls out in a week which might be a better time to pull the head and check the gasket.
There is no sign of water contamination in the oil. Oil pressure sits at 50 at idle and drops to 40-45 when run at higher RPM. Water is 135 and seems to never ever change. The boat was built in '67 and I have to assume this A4 is original to the boat and I have no history on the engine, this is my 4th year with the boat.
If any of you bright folks have any ideas please let me know..
Cheers
The other thing is that I do notice a small trace of either oil or gas in the exhaust water when running
Is this a worn head gasket? A stuck valve? Bad ring? Poor point contact? Bad luck?
What is the easy way to test for spark? I have limited tools, a mutimeter and a bag of hammers...
Would running the engine on only 3 tubes damage the 4th?
I'm going down today and see if switching the plugs around has any effect. I will also see if I can have a peek at the valves from the plug receptacles as well. The boat hauls out in a week which might be a better time to pull the head and check the gasket.
There is no sign of water contamination in the oil. Oil pressure sits at 50 at idle and drops to 40-45 when run at higher RPM. Water is 135 and seems to never ever change. The boat was built in '67 and I have to assume this A4 is original to the boat and I have no history on the engine, this is my 4th year with the boat.
If any of you bright folks have any ideas please let me know..
Cheers
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