2003 evo 8
130k miles

the motor is all original from what i know but it has had cams installed at one point
HKS 264's


my issue started when it started breaking up WOT so i changed plugs but when i looked at the first plug near the cam gears, it has oil on the spark area. to the point where it has turned black.

after changing the plugs the issue came back a month or two later. my guess is the valve cover gasket along with the spark plug gaskets need to be changed?

some shops started telling me my head needed a rebuild and so forth.

compression test was done and 150 across all 4 cyl
no leak down yet.

any input would be nice thank you

 

Are you sure it's oil build up on your spark plug? Is it possible you're plugs are gunk build up from running rich? When I changed my spark plugs I would say they look dark and dirty but I wouldn't say they are gunk like. I'm naturally assuming you know which kind of spark plugs to get for a evo

 

Could be gaskets, also make sure the valve cover bolts are fastened tight

 

I'd start with the easy/cheap option first and get a new valve cover gasket w/ the spark plug gaskets as well. Oil could easily be getting past the gasket causing your issue.

 

Where is the oil on the plug? can you snap a picture? If oil is on the electrode then you could have some serious issues however is the oil is on the insulator then its just your valve cover tube seal that's leaking. Fingers crossed it is that as that is a simple cheap fix.