Shimming rocker arm pivots to adjust valve clearance
Connoisseur d'Junque
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21,183
From: The Hudson Valley
Try it when it's back together.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh...
- Eric
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Olds Wagonmaster
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 292
From: Slidell, La
I just dropped the heads off with the machinist. He was extremely cool about it.
I told him my plight and the first thing he said was I should have talked to him sooner. But I said that pulling the heads again was the last thing on my mind. He mentioned that he believes he got a bad batch of valve guides because another Olds guy in town had the exact same problem and actually bent the valve.
My valve wasn't bent. It was literally STUCK in the guide. It was so stuck that he had to hammer it out of there. He said that the stem would have eventually welded itself to the guide. I saw the stem. It was scuffed and scarred. NOW I understand how a valve can "stick". I didn't quite get it before. Metal expands when heated. DUH. Lol.
I mentioned about the uneven valve stems and he said he believed it was because of the guides. He didn't pull that one obvious valve out, but he did put a straight edge across and saw what I was talking about.
He immediately OFFERED to make it right with a new set of guides and a head gasket set.
I'll have them back in a day or two. I might put it all back together this weekend. I had already planned on sitting in front of the fire all day saturday outside drinking beer and jamming to some Irish folk tunes with some friends (I had two giant felled pines to cut up and so I've split more wood than I can burn), but.... I may go ahead and assemble the engine. If not, I definitely will during the week and report my findings.
Thanks for the advice and support!
Buz
I told him my plight and the first thing he said was I should have talked to him sooner. But I said that pulling the heads again was the last thing on my mind. He mentioned that he believes he got a bad batch of valve guides because another Olds guy in town had the exact same problem and actually bent the valve.
My valve wasn't bent. It was literally STUCK in the guide. It was so stuck that he had to hammer it out of there. He said that the stem would have eventually welded itself to the guide. I saw the stem. It was scuffed and scarred. NOW I understand how a valve can "stick". I didn't quite get it before. Metal expands when heated. DUH. Lol.
I mentioned about the uneven valve stems and he said he believed it was because of the guides. He didn't pull that one obvious valve out, but he did put a straight edge across and saw what I was talking about.
He immediately OFFERED to make it right with a new set of guides and a head gasket set.
I'll have them back in a day or two. I might put it all back together this weekend. I had already planned on sitting in front of the fire all day saturday outside drinking beer and jamming to some Irish folk tunes with some friends (I had two giant felled pines to cut up and so I've split more wood than I can burn), but.... I may go ahead and assemble the engine. If not, I definitely will during the week and report my findings.
Thanks for the advice and support!
Buz
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 988
I just dropped the heads off with the machinist. He was extremely cool about it.
I told him my plight and the first thing he said was I should have talked to him sooner. But I said that pulling the heads again was the last thing on my mind. He mentioned that he believes he got a bad batch of valve guides because another Olds guy in town had the exact same problem and actually bent the valve.
The new guides were not sized properly, honed to establish specified clearances, by your machinist. This needs to be done whenever new guides are installed.
My valve wasn't bent. It was literally STUCK in the guide. It was so stuck that he had to hammer it out of there. He said that the stem would have eventually welded itself to the guide. I saw the stem. It was scuffed and scarred. NOW I understand how a valve can "stick". I didn't quite get it before. Metal expands when heated. DUH. Lol.
If you did not have new valves before you need them now.
I mentioned about the uneven valve stems and he said he believed it was because of the guides.
I call BS. The guides have nothing to do with valve stem height.
He didn't pull that one obvious valve out, but he did put a straight edge across and saw what I was talking about.
He immediately OFFERED to make it right with a new set of guides and a head gasket set.
New guides will not correct your installed stem height. Does he have the proper tool to measure this?
I'll have them back in a day or two. I might put it all back together this weekend. I had already planned on sitting in front of the fire all day saturday outside drinking beer and jamming to some Irish folk tunes with some friends (I had two giant felled pines to cut up and so I've split more wood than I can burn), but.... I may go ahead and assemble the engine. If not, I definitely will during the week and report my findings.
You need to tear these back apart when you get them back and have an experienced Olds guy check them out with you. Did your machinist offer you any compensation for the time it's taken you to diagnose/ R&R these heads a second time? I don't care how nice this guy is... YOU NEED TO FIND ANOTHER MACHINIST.
Thanks for the advice and support!
Buz
I told him my plight and the first thing he said was I should have talked to him sooner. But I said that pulling the heads again was the last thing on my mind. He mentioned that he believes he got a bad batch of valve guides because another Olds guy in town had the exact same problem and actually bent the valve.
The new guides were not sized properly, honed to establish specified clearances, by your machinist. This needs to be done whenever new guides are installed.
My valve wasn't bent. It was literally STUCK in the guide. It was so stuck that he had to hammer it out of there. He said that the stem would have eventually welded itself to the guide. I saw the stem. It was scuffed and scarred. NOW I understand how a valve can "stick". I didn't quite get it before. Metal expands when heated. DUH. Lol.
If you did not have new valves before you need them now.
I mentioned about the uneven valve stems and he said he believed it was because of the guides.
I call BS. The guides have nothing to do with valve stem height.
He didn't pull that one obvious valve out, but he did put a straight edge across and saw what I was talking about.
He immediately OFFERED to make it right with a new set of guides and a head gasket set.
New guides will not correct your installed stem height. Does he have the proper tool to measure this?
I'll have them back in a day or two. I might put it all back together this weekend. I had already planned on sitting in front of the fire all day saturday outside drinking beer and jamming to some Irish folk tunes with some friends (I had two giant felled pines to cut up and so I've split more wood than I can burn), but.... I may go ahead and assemble the engine. If not, I definitely will during the week and report my findings.
You need to tear these back apart when you get them back and have an experienced Olds guy check them out with you. Did your machinist offer you any compensation for the time it's taken you to diagnose/ R&R these heads a second time? I don't care how nice this guy is... YOU NEED TO FIND ANOTHER MACHINIST.
Thanks for the advice and support!
Buz
Connoisseur d'Junque
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21,183
From: The Hudson Valley
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