2001 V70 T5 Rough Start in Morning

[kcodyjr]

Crankcase pressure doesn't last a fraction of a second when you shut the engine off, unless the PCV system is completely plugged and no broken vacuum lines. You could try cracking the oil fill cap when you park it, and pop the dipstick, to eliminate that possibility.

That is definitely a fouled plug, the question is, what kind of fouling. Kinda looks like oil. Is that stuff caked on or is it wet?

Also, is that chunks missing from the spark plug, or is it just the crud reflecting the light funny? If it is, you have a detonation issue, and should not be driving the car until you resolve it.

[stringmonkey]

Did the oil fill cap thing a few weeks ago and that didn't change anything.

My thoughts when I saw that plug was it was oily and was more sludgy than anything I think. That was a couple months ago so I can't remember that clearly.

Definitely not chunks missing though. Just kinda a low res photo that looks wonky.

Parked the car more level again last night and it was a much "smoother" rough idle this morning if that makes sense. I'm just going to continue to monitor and see if I can determine the length of time it needs to sit for this to repeat, see if the angle of parking changes anything, etc.

Since I did notice the coolant a bit low (and being a close system that shouldn't disappear) is it at all advisable to toss in a little stop leak? Not sure how sensitive these engines might be to that stuff.I've never had success with that before until this summer on a '75 Bronco of ours that had a coolant leak we couldn't remedy.

[kcodyjr]

I'm thinking leaky valve stem seals are allowing oil to drip down into the cylinder as it sits, which then has to burn off at startup.

Then, you park it on a different incline, and oil doesn't pool over the valves the same way, and less/none gets into the cylinder.

As someone recently pointed out, if you've got leaky valve stems, you've probably got multiple leaky valve stems. The diagnostic is to pull off the intake manifold and inspect the intake valve stems. If there's oil on the shafts, you need a head job.

Re: coolant, no, until it starts becoming a problematic amount of leaking. For now, worry about where it's losing it. Seeping from the waterpump is common, and so is cracks in the bottom of the overflow tank.

Inspect the coolant for signs of oil, and the oil for signs of coolant, just as a "make sure" measure. I don't suspect a head gasket or anything like that.

[stringmonkey]

Cool cool. Well thanks for all the tips/advice here. Much appreciated!