Stuck Valve

56servi

56servi

Senior Member
I have a stuck #2 cyl exhaust valve in my 31 Slant Window. I have the valve cover off & the plugs out. I put some Marvel Mystery Oil in the cyl. I also sprayed "Break Away" (penetrating oil) into the cyl, exhaust port, and thru the valve spring. The valve is stuck open & I am trying to pull it down using a "door clip remover tool" between the spring coils and trying to push the valve down.

I have read the tricks for unsticking a valve and hope I have success because I have a car show on Saturday. Any other suggestions to help with this problem.

I have some pictures from my Ipad but they haven't got thru to my email yet. Will post when they arrive

Gene
 
here are the pictures
 

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Looks like some water contamination in the front half of the oil reservoir. Is that due to the penetrant? Might take a look at the head bolt torque when you button up the valve cover.
I assume you will be rotating the engine to get the valve freed up. I think one technique is to relieve the valve spring tension so the valve can be rotated.
Bob
 
I like what you are doing.
I'd recommend making sure you can get your juice thru the plug hole and on the valve stem as much as possible as well as thru the port and chamber.
Have you tried 'rapping' on your clip remover ? Sometimes a good straight downward rap beats prying.

Once it comes loose, don't button it back up. Keep turning the engine over and lubing the stem. It'll probably decide to stick a few more times before it gives up and works as normal. Its also pretty easy to keep opening the valve by hand to make sure its free as the springs aren't very heavy, if you don't feel like turning the engine over.
 
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Make a tool out of round brass bar stock. Bend it so that you can put it through the spark plug hole. Have a friend turn it over while you hit the tool with a small hammer and such push the valve down after each time it opens. continue to spray in your lubricant and keep it up untill the valve closes on its own. I have done this trick a few times and it seems to work. This is the motorpool way to avoid taking the head off. believe it or not I have also heard the putting a little comet cleanser in the cylinder with its mild abrasives will help hone the valve stem.?? Again it came from a motor pool mechanic!
 
Your comments say #2 but the pics show you working on #3.
What led up to this happening? Just sitting a while, run hot, etc.
I had this happen back in the fall and I wound up pulling the head and replacing the valve guide after getting the burr off the valve stem. While I was there I went ahead and lapped all the valves.
Maybe you will get lucky and free yours up without all that. Good Luck!:)
 
You are on #2 exhaust as stated. In the pictures it appears to have modern guides and valves. Hope it's not bent.
 
Just noticed the oil, it looks a little milky or is that just the photo? Is it leaking water into the oil somewhere. If it is that could be the cause of the stuck valve.
 
Try flushing carb cleaner down the top of guide, in case VARNISH is causing it to stick. Follow up with some good PENETRATING OIL.
Bill W.

NEVER put NO STUPID CLEANSER OR BON-AMI IN YOUR ENGINE, DAMN, THET'LL DESTROY IT!!!!!!!!Where????? do these STUPID stories come from?????? REMEMBER, people AROUND THE WORLD are reading this!!!!! Be RESPONSIBLE!!!!
Bill W.
 
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If you try to knock it down from the top as someone suggested, be very careful to use something that will push straight down on the center of the valve so that you don't bend it. Personally, I wouldn't try this unless I had exhausted other methods.
 
Charles Coe said:
If you try to knock it down from the top as someone suggested, be very careful to use something that will push straight down on the center of the valve so that you don't bend it. Personally, I wouldn't try this unless I had exhausted other methods.
Click to expand...

X2 they bend easily
 
Got it running. Kept prying down on the valve spring with the tool against the block of wood. It started moving a little so I had my wife crank the engine over using the hand crank. Each time the valve would move a little more. Finally got it to snap closed all the way, then kept turning the engine over with the crank while spraying the Break Away thru the valve spring on the stem. After about 5 minutes of cranking the valve was moving up and down smoothly like the other valves.
It helps to get the tool as far to the bottom of the spring as possible so the coils don't collapse when pushing down.
Lots of spray in the plug hole directed at the valve, thru the exhaust port at the stem & thru the spring also at the stem.

I have only driven the car a few miles this year due to other priorities (selling rental house, new well etc). I started it about 2 weeks ago and it ran rough, and made a lot of noise. I though the exhaust pipe had moved off the exhaust manifold because the bolts on the clamp were loose. I tightened those & the head bolts which were slightly loose. Didn't help so I cleaned the plugs, no help. Ordered new exhaust/tail pipe gasket, didn't help. Put new champion W18 plugs in today because that was all I could find local, didn't help. Did a compression check & no compression in #2. Crap! though I had a broken rod or piston. Stuck a wire in the plug hole & felt the piston going up & down. Only thing left is a stuck valve. Pulled the valve cover & saw the ex valve not moving. Checked on the Ford Barn & got all the ideas to unstick the valve.
And Thats The Rest of the Story. Good Day

Need to change the oil because it didn't look that good in the valve chamber. Not sure if I put the discoloration in the oil or not.

I was invited to show my car in the Northville Mich Concours d’Elegance on Saturday so I was desperate to get it running. Its about a 10 mile drive to Northville from my house. After the show the pressure will be off to get the car running right.
Thanks again for all the help.

Gene
 
Gene thats good news.
put some MMO in the fuel tank, it will help with valve lubrication but i am sure you know that....just sayin
 
Patience and Persistence, they go together like a Hose & Saddle.....
Sometimes that Horse can be a little persnickety (patience).
Congratulations, good luck at the Show.

BTW, wives come in handy sometimes, Eh?
 
It might have been ethanol deposits that made the valve stick. Lots of guys with antique cars have had the same problem. Use only good gas if you can and add 4 ounces of MMO with each 10 gallons. If you get stuck using crap gas, then I'd even double the dose of MMO. When I was in Michigan last September and got stuck using the crap gas it took out my new fuel pump in my Studebaker.
 
56servi said:
Got it running. Kept prying down on the valve spring with the tool against the block of wood. It started moving a little so I had my wife crank the engine over using the hand crank. Each time the valve would move a little more. Finally got it to snap closed all the way, then kept turning the engine over with the crank while spraying the Break Away thru the valve spring on the stem. After about 5 minutes of cranking the valve was moving up and down smoothly like the other valves.
It helps to get the tool as far to the bottom of the spring as possible so the coils don't collapse when pushing down.
Lots of spray in the plug hole directed at the valve, thru the exhaust port at the stem & thru the spring also at the stem.

I have only driven the car a few miles this year due to other priorities (selling rental house, new well etc). I started it about 2 weeks ago and it ran rough, and made a lot of noise. I though the exhaust pipe had moved off the exhaust manifold because the bolts on the clamp were loose. I tightened those & the head bolts which were slightly loose. Didn't help so I cleaned the plugs, no help. Ordered new exhaust/tail pipe gasket, didn't help. Put new champion W18 plugs in today because that was all I could find local, didn't help. Did a compression check & no compression in #2. Crap! though I had a broken rod or piston. Stuck a wire in the plug hole & felt the piston going up & down. Only thing left is a stuck valve. Pulled the valve cover & saw the ex valve not moving. Checked on the Ford Barn & got all the ideas to unstick the valve.
And Thats The Rest of the Story. Good Day

Need to change the oil because it didn't look that good in the valve chamber. Not sure if I put the discoloration in the oil or not.

I was invited to show my car in the Northville Mich Concours d’Elegance on Saturday so I was desperate to get it running. Its about a 10 mile drive to Northville from my house. After the show the pressure will be off to get the car running right.
Thanks again for all the help.

Gene
Click to expand...






Good, glad you got her fixed easily. Usually soaking and prying/tapping will work. Hopefully it stays unstuck.
By the way, just for info, its #3.
 
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