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Date:         Sat, 2 Aug 2003 13:40:26 -0400
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Cause of broken valve?
Comments: To: jon <jon@KENNEKE.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.LNX.4.44.0308021011200.28579-100000@kenneke.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

It could be either a broken valve or a collapsed/sunken valve seat. If the valve broke and the head fell off, you have to hope it put a whole in the piston. If it fell to the bottom before impact, than the strength of the piston wall will usually result in a bent rod or cracked engine case. The cause is excessive heat which causes both the loose valve seat or the valve to break at the end of the stem. Although it is possible to pull the head with the engine in place, it is easier to remove it since all of that tin has to come off. If the valve did break, the case has to thoroughly inspected/measured for cracks/warping.

Dennis

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of jon Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2003 1:18 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Cause of broken valve?

My Type IV has an apparently broken valve on cylinder 1. The valve spring is all the way against the rocker arm. So, that leads me to beleive the valve stem is broken somewhere, and the piston just shoves the valve back down. (So, I am hoping there is no further damage).

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Advice? Prayers? :-) What is the number one cause of broken valves on a Type IV? You'd think it would be rare, with hydrualic lifters and all that.

It's not a real big deal, since I got this westy for essentially nothing. If I have to put some $$ into the engine, so be it. But, I'd rather have it be a simple, cheap problem.

I am going to drain the oil in a bit to check and see if there are any metal particles in the oil. Of course, I hope not. Compression on the other 3 cylinders is a bit above 120, which I understand is good. The engine is pretty clean, and when I removed the cylinder head covers, the heads look pretty darn good. So, I hope this engine is savable without a rebuild.

Jon


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