Oil on Spark plug

[Scottymon]

:( I thought all was going well, she's just passed 150k, so no youngster, but recently she's been misfiring under WOT.

Scanned today, no error codes at all.

Pulled the plugs, plug 1 very oily and quite loose to unscrew, others fine. 
Replaced them all and took for a fairish drive, fuel consumption WAY better and engine smoother.
Re-scanned no errors.

But, that oil on plug1 has me concerned about gasket / seals etc.

What should I Do next?  Just monitor it?

[shail]

If you're handy with a bit of DIY it's not a big job to replace the valve cover gasket, which I assume is the issue.  All accessible from the top of the engine bay.

Gasket isnt that expensive , probably around £20.   You may also need some suitable gasket seal applied where needed.

[Scottymon]

Cheers mate, I'll keep tabs on it for the time being, as soon as it misfires again, I'll order a gasket and follow this:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Volkswagen_Golf_GTI_Mk_V/53-ENGINE-Valve_Cover_Gasket_Replacement/53-ENGINE-Valve_Cover_Gasket_Replacement.htm

Unless I'm missing anything.

[shail]

Guide looks good but not sure it gives you the torque figures for the bolts.  They are usually very low, and have a very specific bolt down order.  Over tighten them and you'll have leaks.

Also get more info on cleaning the surfaces than on the pelican guide.   On my mk4 I used a new razor blade at a shallow angle to clean. 

[dazza]

I replaced the gasket twice and it was still leaking the rubber on the bolts were fooked, so when the engine was hot it would leak. Replaced the bolts and problem solved.