classicchic Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 (edited) Hello, quick post because I've got to hit the store to buy a tiny iddy biddy wrench for the valves..less than a 1/4 inch!! Car in question. 1980 E71 4 speed 4 WD GL Wagon. So embarking on valve job I notice this.. Shouldn't that be connected to something? It was number one intake valve. Explains why that plug was so clean and the others normally fouled. Here's another shot of the pushrod.. So how does that even happen? Also anyone point me to a walk through on the valve adjustment, please? On 1 & 3 side you can hear air escaping when the engines turned over using a socket on the crank... On 2 & 4 side the valve cover was thick with crud and almost clogging the PCV hose. There's significant play in 3 of the valves when there at TDC the rocker arm will lift even higher...does this explain the cruddy oil buildup? Thanks, I wanted to post this quickly in hope of getting some pointers before tomorrow when I intend to get the valves adjusted. Edited May 19, 2011 by classicchic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicchic Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 (edited) ooops pic posting issues. Edited May 19, 2011 by classicchic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I can't see any pics but it is possible for a push rod to "slip" off its indent in its holder on the cam, usually because of very loose valves.When it slips off it will get stuck on the block and hold its corresponding valve slightly open. undo the 17 mm bolts and make sure all pushrods are properly seated in there indents in there holders.hold them in place while you bring the rocker assembly to contact. I unfortunatly haven't adjusted the valves on any my subaru's for a while so I can't help you with clearance numbers or procedures...sorry.The last engine I set the valve lash on was an 82 mazda diesel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 This should keep you out of trouble. I'm sure I have seen the service manuals on this site somewhere but I can't for the life of me find them anymore. Maybe someone here can point us in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Either the cam is flat or the valves are carboned up and unable to close. With the oil varnish in that thing..... your best bet is to tear it down or find a replacement. There's no easy fix for that - your engine has suffered obvious and serious abuse to end up in that state. These engines are known for their reliability and the failure you have is not at all common. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Either the cam is flat or the valves are carboned up and unable to close. With the oil varnish in that thing..... your best bet is to tear it down or find a replacement. There's no easy fix for that - your engine has suffered obvious and serious abuse to end up in that state. These engines are known for their reliability and the failure you have is not at all common. GD Morning Eeyore. Did you get out of the wrong side of bed today? Maybe you are right but maybe there is nothing much wrong with the engine other than needing a damn good service. Kinda hard to tell from this distance. Cheers Dirk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicchic Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 Well job done. Dirk, Thanks so much for posting the how to. I followed a haynes manual and it's the same procedure you posted just not explained nearly as well. There was a lot of build up of crud in there. To get the pushrod back on I placed a C clamp between the battery tray and the engine block and then used a long flat head screw driver to compress the spring and slip the pushrod back under. The spring took a lot of force to shift...so I suspect it was stuck...or some of the crud was messing up it's compression. I cleaned the area with carb cleaner and PB blaster and turned the engine by hand a few times so I could squeeze out more of the stuff between the spring coils. Everything seemed fine with the stroke and movement of the valve/rocker arm. I was unable to get a 7/32 wrench (or anything else) to move the adjustment nut on the troublesome valve. But the clearance was right. I adjusted the rest of the valves. I then used GUNK engine flush to clean out more crud and gave her a fresh oil change. First impressions without driving her... Smoother for sure. Fires up easier. Also I hadn't reattached the heat pipe that goes to the air filter and she was blowing smoke...but it smelt like carbon being burnt off smoke...(How would I know!!!)....So I think the number one chamber had been full of desposits from inefficent combustion and they were now getting burned out. I added some, RESTORE to the oil and some additive thats supposed to free sticky valves/springs etc. Currently draining the gear oil. Considering how well she sounds....I'll let the owner take her out for her maiden voyage later. General disorder...your right about the crud hence the steps I took. I think that's the culprit and not a worn cam. After hearing her running there's no loping. She had been sat for a long time before I got my hands on her I think that had something to do with the crud. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricearu Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 (edited) he knows what he is talking about but sometimes you need a grain of salt to take his advice because its straightforward and nobody wants to hear it that way. Welcome to the board and glad you jumped right in and found the problem. If i get a "sit" car or beat old car, I usually do an oil change with fresh oil (cheap oil) and substitute a quart for atf. don't get the atf+, its friction modified. Atf is a good cleaner. I will let her run for 5-10 minutes, depending if hydro lifters are still tapping or not. then change the oil to the good stuff. never let me down and with that quart of trans fluid in there, it comes out NASTY after just a few short minutes. ATF is an agressive cleaner without losing all oiling capacity. my current lego 2.2 had stuck lifters, it wasn't started for 2 years Edited May 19, 2011 by Ricearu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Actually I was tempted to agree with Rick. But in my world 'hope springs eternal'. Very pleased it worked out for you. BTW the pages I posted come from 'How to keep your subaru alive' by Larry Owens. ISBN 0-912528-49-4 Great book and complement to the Haynes manual. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Intersting - well I hope it stays unstuck and doesn't fall out again like that. I wouldn't have gone with all that fancy additive junk. Oil is best left as it comes out of the bottle. An ATF flush (or 10 ) might have done some good. I'm just not a fan of additives that get left in the oil long-term. That engine has such an extreme varnish/sludge problem that I might have been tempted to flush it with deisel or kerosene..... though I would be afraid of what would come loose from the rings, etc in the process or if they would even want to seal after that. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicchic Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) Thank you everyone for your input. She got drove about last night for about an hour with everything smooth and peachy. Totally different feeling car, lots more power and so much smoother. I'll heed your advice Dirk, GD, Rice. I'll let her run for another week or two then I'm going to change the oil again. I'll try the ATF fluid next time as a cleaner. The oil that came out was dirty enough to warrant another change soon. O'Reileys have an oil special going so it's about $16 for everything, no reason not to do it a few more times. Here are some shots of the valve covers and the heads themselves... By the time I took these pic's I'd cleaned them off a bit but you can still see some of the big lumps of crud. Edited May 20, 2011 by classicchic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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