I, unfortunately, just learned that I have oil leaking into one of my pistons. Which, in turn is fouling my spark plug. I was told that I could just swap that plug out whenever the truck started driving poorly, or I could rebuild or buy a new engine. For now, my plan is to replace the plug. My question is this, I was told that I could get a spark plug defouler and that would remedy the issue, other than causing a bit of smoke. The problem is, I can't seem to find one that fits my 2011 4wd Crew cab 5.3 Chevy Silverado. Has anybody else found a solution for this? Any help would be appreciated it.

 

How much oil are you losing? How much are you adding and how often? If it's not too bad you can try a hotter plug. You really need to fix the problem because it will get worse. You might just need a valve job and not a new engine.

 

I don't know if you would call it a defouler, but from what I recall, it was just a threaded extension that placed the plug a little higher in the combustion chamber and that helped keep the deposits to a lower level.
As you know this is a temporary measure and the real cause should be determined and if possible ($$ included),,should be corrected. There are a few reasons for oil fouling to be limited to one cyl and the cost to repair may not be as high as you think.

 

I was told by my mechanic that it has something to do with a poor design by GM engines for the years 08-11. Some sort of fuel management system that involved using risers on the pistons to save fuel. I am by no means an expert, but seems to be a general consensus that either the engine would have to be rebuilt or replaced. And yes, I understand that the problem will eventually get worse, but my current financial situation ( building a house), will not allow me to purchase a new vehicle. The extension, defouler, etc seems to be a good part time fix until I am able to get into a new vehicle. It's a shame too, because otherwise, I've kept the truck in great shape. Only 115k miles too :/