oil in sparkplug holes?

Got a cloud of oil smoke in my cabin today after a tight left turn, pulled over and found little puddles of oil in the spark plug indentations in the head on the right side. My mom's Camry has this and it runs okay, but why does it occur and how can one fix it? My dad thinks it's a slightly loose plug that's letting oil from the cylinder through, but that would mean there's oil all the way up in the top of the combustion chamber which would mean I'm burning oil, which I don't believe I am, so....

Ash

Have you recently changed your oil or added anymore to the engine? If so, you might have spilled some and let it run down to the plugs. If you know you arent burning oil that would be my guess.

I got that when my oil cap would let oil spray out the side and run down the valve cover.

I did change oil last weekend, but I'm pretty sure I didn't spill any...and wouldn't it have manifested itself before now? I'll check my oil cap tomorrow too. When it happened, I was on my way home and was gonna be late for work, so I haven't really looked at it yet. Hopefully something simple will show up tomorrow.

Ash

Open the hood use some degreaser and spray off the plug side and then see if the problem persists.

c

could be seeping from the valvecover gasket also.

i'd say its either coming from the valve cover gasket, or leaking out between the oil cap and the valve cover

yeah, double check that valve cover gasket.

I had a little bit of oil on the back two spark plugs on the passenger side, but I figured it's just coming from a teeny leak in the valve cover gasket. No biggie.

I agree with the valve cover gasket, especially since you just did the oil change. Just let it burn off.

Yep, all bolts on the valve cover were loose. Tightened 'em down a little and drove down to Colorado Springs and back (about 200 miles today) and no more leakage. The littlest things....

Ash

Praise the lord for the little things, its the big ones that blow!(by)