THSCC Forums

Hey, at least they didn't break. A friend broke the retainer end of a Datsun 240Z valve (at about 7K in an autocross) about 125 miles from home. Was able to DRIVE home because the valve bent slightly when it hit the piston and then hung up in the guide. He could have simply replaced the valve. Of course, anal IBM engineer that he is, we did a complete overhaul with nothing but the best stock parts and machining.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

I think it's the continued fatigue on the valve, as it closes, and is out of alignment that eventually causes it to break off and then do some real damage.

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2001 Honda S2000 - SOLD
2012 Boss 302
2003 BMW 330i

Well I think I screwed up. Car was running well. Strong and sounded good but 2 issues -- first, it was idling really high and second, it ran really cool all the time, never got up to good temps. Pulled the thermostat and found it broken, explaining the low temps, and put in a new t-stat. The PO had also hard-wired the cooling fan to run all the time, presumably because the tstat was not open fully and the engine was getting hot. So I fixed that.

So I fired her up and watched the temp get to normal operating temps with the new t-stat, which was good. Then I started tinkering with the carb for the idle speed. Eventually I noticed that the garage was filling up with white smoke. I shut her down immediately and saw that the cooling expansion tank was overflowing coolant. Must be a blown head gasket or cracked head. I am not sure exactly what went wrong as I never thought to check the gauge before shutting it off, but my best guess is that the thermo switch must somehow be bad, the cooling fan never came on, and the car overheated while I was tinkering with the carb and popped the head gasket.

I know it's fixable, but considering my time available and other projects in the way, it's up for sale as-is for $450. Best case is a head gasket and thermo switch to get her back on the road, and worst case is cracked or warped head and unknown cooling system problem. I also have a new set of KYB GR2 Shocks on the bench which I will sell for an additional $100.

Let me know if anyone is interested, it's a nice candidate for restoration. If I get no takers I will probably start thinking about doing a D16 swap ... eventually.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Just realized I should add some info --

It turns out that 5 valves were bent with the timing belt break. All 5 were replaced along with a full valve job, skimmed the head, and 16 new stem seals. All work was done by CHS. Pistons and bottom end look great and the motor was VERY carefully reassembled with a new timing belt. Power was excellent and the motor sounded great.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

bummer mike. but as fate would have it, i have a d16a1 integra with an excellent motor and trans sitting in the back of my driveway. not to mention 4 wheel disc brakes that could be swapped over. for sale cheap!