I could post this in a separate thread, but it also fits here. My great saga of the '95 Trooper LS continues.
I made up a spread sheet with date, item-description and dollar-amount columns for every shop-order the Trooper has had since I bought it in 2002 -- including the initial used-car purchase price. I was trying to get a handle on TOC or total cost of ownership. The spreadsheet also informs me of the mileage on various mechanical components. I noted that the new spark-plugs were installed 47,000 miles ago, and decided to change them out for a "platinum upgrade" recommended by my new and very helpful mechanic/shop-owner. In our "exit interview" after ~$60 for the plugs and about the same for labor, he showed me the old plugs with the ceramic material speckled with orange-colored oil crud, and suggested that I should replace the valve-cover gaskets with a new kit. But the valve-cover gaskets were replaced 48,000 miles earlier. The old plugs were dry, healthy-looking with a slight rust color on the cathode and anode and no indication of carbon.
I suggested I could just torque the valve-cover bolts carefully in a criss-cross manner to the 8 lb-ft spec, and add some Blue Devil Stop-Leak. Apparently, if oil actually accumulated in the spark-plug wells, it could cause misfires. But so far, it hadn't. I really don't think there was much oil accumulated over that 48,000 miles.
I suspect he was just trying to sell me more service that could be deferred. Any opinions? The 24-year-old Trooper now seems to drive like something other-worldly. The new plugs definitely helped, but so did five tanks of gas (and counting) each treated with a small bottle of Lucas injector cleaner. Damn! What a ride! -- What a ride!
On closer inspection, I note that the valve-cover bolts are tricky to access, and wonder if I can get my torque-wrench in there with the right extensions to tweak those bolts.
Also, here is the appropriate
valve-cover gasket kit.
At issue here are the six circular gasket pieces that are supposed to keep oil out of those spark-plug wells. Does anyone know with any confidence if those six rings are made of the same gasket material as the two large gaskets? It would affect my expectations for using the Blue-Devil chemicals.