<VV> 140 Engine: Dropped Valve Seat or ? ? ?

[Hugo Miller]

#### It's almost certainly a valve seat that has partially re-inserted 
itself. Nothing unusual in my experience (which is with motors in general, 
not 'Vairs I should add). It can't have gone all the way home or the valve 
clearance would be back to something like normal.



-----Original Message----- 
From: Jim via VirtualVairs
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 11:37 PM
To: Virtual Vairs
Subject:  140 Engine: Dropped Valve Seat or ? ? ?

June, 1995
I bought a '65 Corsa in 1995 to use as a spring, summer, and fall commuter. 
It was in decent shape, but not worth restoring without spending a lot of 
money on rust repairs.  About a month after buying it, I was synchronizing 
the carbs when it suddenly started running roughly.  I noticed the choke 
pull-off on the passenger side head was "fluttering."  When I went to turn 
the car off, I noticed the vacuum gauge fluttering also.  I suspected a 
dropped valve seat.  After I took off the head, there was the seat dangling 
on the neck of the #5 exhaust valve.  Fortunately, no damage occurred.  I 
took the head in to a shop experienced with aluminum heads [Porsche & VW], 
and they replaced the seat as well as the valves and springs which I had 
delivered to them from Clark's.  I dimpled the aluminum evenly around each 
seat before reinstalling it hoping to prevent it from reoccurring.

August, 2017
After driving the car for 22 years and 90,000 miles without any major 
problems, it started to "act up" again.  I was leaving a suburban plaza and 
accelerating up to the 40 MPH speed limit when the engine suddenly started 
running roughly.  I thought it might be the ignition system.  After arriving 
home, I shut it off and looked over the plug wires, distributor cap, and 
rotor.  I didn't see anything. and didn't do anything else to it that day. 
The next morning, I started it, and it ran normally, so I started to drive 
around my neighborhood.  After a few miles, the missing returned, so I 
returned home.  Leaving the engine idling, I looked it over and saw the 
passenger side carb choke pull-off fluttering.  I thought, "Here we go 
again."  I shut off the car and let it sit.  I was busy with my Lakewood and 
didn't want to do more than one project at a time.

A few days later, I took off the valve cover on that side and turned the 
engine over by hand as if doing the cold valve adjustment.  I discovered 
that #3 exhaust rocker arm was loose and the valve spring appeared to be 
partially compressed.  A few weeks later I needed to move the Corsa so I 
could get my Lakewood out.  The Corsa started and ran normally with the 
exception of the tapping from the loose rocker arm.  I ran it for 10 minutes 
at 1000 RPM fast idle and then dropped it to idle for another 5 minutes.  No 
problem except for the rocker arm tapping.

Does anyone have any suggestions for other things I can check that could 
cause this problem?  I don't understand how a seat could re-insert itself. 
Could the valve be sticking in the guide?  Can anything be done about it 
other than taking off the head?

Any ideas would be appreciated.  I know I've had my money's worth and then 
some from the car, but it's such a great driver that I'm somewhat sad at 
having to give it up.

Jim Bartasevich


I have more respect for the fellow with a single idea who gets there than 
for one with a thousand ideas who does nothing. - Thomas Edison

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