Quote:
Originally Posted by NeighborsComplaint
In my 50 years of being around cars, I have never seen a car with sticking valves unless the stem was bent from smacking a piston. In that case the pushrod was also bent like a pretzel. I've seen cars so abused that sludge was built up solid around the valve springs all the way to the valve covers and the engine didn't make so much as a tick as it ran.
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I'm 66 YO,
I've made my living working on cars and equipment for 50 years. I never had until about 10 years ago. I had a valve hung badly, I used carb cleaner and a hammer, that was how I finally freed it up. It ran fine until I stored it for winter, and missed terrible upon starting it up in the spring. Dead cylinder, no compression at all exhaust was hung open and the intake was binding also. I've never had one stick like that again in the same engine, or any other engines. Pulled the valve cover off and the pushrod was off the rocker arm, and the valve was open...…..
It was if the valve was coated with super glue on the stem. I ended up taking the valve spring and seal off the valve, tapping it down in the head and pulling it back with vise grips with a rag on the jaws. It took probably at least a half can of carb cleaner and beating it in and twisting and pulling it back out to get it freed up. A 400 Lb. open valve spring would have made zero difference on this particular engine, although it had stock springs on it. If I hadn't had it happen to me, I would call BS on it too.
I believe the perfect storm has to happen, and the valves need to be open when the engine is shut off for one to stick that badly. It also needs to be running rich as if a cold engine running on choke to get enough fuel to create that much varnish to glue the valve open.
My father was also a mechanic until he retired, he used to tell me about valves sticking and I never believed it because it had never happened to me. Considering he started working on cars in the late 30s the oil was inferior to anything we currently have and left varnish on every part in the engine, and no oil filters on most automotive engines. That is why they changed oil every 1000 miles religiously.
If a valve stuck back in that era they poured a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in the engine to dissolve the varnish. Flatheads at that time, so pulling the valve back closed was more difficult.
It can happen, I however don't think it's the problem on this engine, but there is always an outside chance it could be.