IdahoLoyale Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Hello, This is my first post, though I have been a reader of the site for years. I am on my 5th and 6th Loyales, and have done a few basic repairs on them over the years but I need help with a new problem on #5 that I haven’t had for long. I recently bought the car for $200, non running aNd having sat for years. I got it running with a fuel pump and a few other things, and it was running very well on my maiden voyage of 3 miles. However, when I went to drive it the next day on a longer drive, it was only running on 3 cylinders. After confirming spark, I removed the passenger side valve cover (cylinder 3 is the culprit) and found that one of the rockers was on the bottom of the case. I can push the valve in, and it returns to its position very slowly. Is it normal for a compressed valve spring to take 2-3 seconds to return to the closed position? I have no idea what to do about it. Any help is vastly appreciated. Brigham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 That is not correct at all. The valves open and close 2000 times per minute at 4000RPM, which is not even the top RPM of the engine. The springs should be pretty darn tough to compress also. Valves should have very little drag opening or closing. [with the springs removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Engine is likely garbage. Anything that can result in that level of valve guide/stem/spring fuckery heralds THE END for that engine. Just find a replacement. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Step-a-toe Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 It may be due to stale old fuel or fresh fuel dissolving nasty contaminants on the inside of the tank and fuel lines. No one ever leaves a fuel tank full for long term no go car and this is where we humans get bit Little bit of fuel, lots of air space, chemicals in fuel oxidise out , leach out if fuel and cling to insides. Gums and varnishes. Along you come, start it, run it and park it. Those gums n varnishes leave a shiny, wet look, black funk on valve guides from just one short drive EA81 bend push rods I found, you just found rockers fall out on EA82 I did head service, new gaskets and had a tight. sweet ride for three months before something popped causing steam-engine I did not even perform autopsy, three the whole engine in disgust GD advice could be true, once again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoLoyale Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 This all makes sense, especially the bad fuel scenario. I was told that the car had sat for a year or two, but after draining what looked like dark Apple cider from the tank, I noticed that the plates expired in 2006. I had tried getting it to run on the fuel in the tank before I realized it was so old, so I’m sure some of the gunk made its way in. Is it possible to clean the valve stem and guide? I’d really like to not junk this engine. Thank you all very much for your input so far. Brigham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I would probably want to take the heads off and check everything. It's probably due for new headgaskets and all the seals from there up anyway. From all the sitting, it could be rust, from all the bad fuel, maybe gunk. There could be other things that need attention, like cylinders, rings, other valves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 no that's not normal. that valve needs to be freed up. either keep moving and lubricating it as much as possible insitu or if you're that commited to doing this cheap spray the crap out of it with a penetrant like Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, Yield. ideally pull the head and clean/address the valve. worst case scenario swap a used head and done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Step-a-toe Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I found my stems absolutely coated in the stuff that smelled if stale fuel not of oil I admit I did not try to use anything to dilute it prior to head removal EA81 only use valve stem seals on inlets and it was inlets affected, so would have required springs off to remove stem Seal to float solvent in ..but what harm if you pull manifold to renew what can be suspect inlet gaskets, breaking the obligatory manifold bolt as it's shank corrodes to the manifold, poor thinners down ports to soak?? Next time I would try first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoLoyale Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 Thank you all for your input and suggestions. I truly appreciate it. Tonight I tried a cheap, simple, but probably not recommended solution. I sprayed the valve spring and the part of the valve stem I could see in the strut tower with carb cleaner. Then I worked it in and out with a pry bar, followed by more spraying and prying. Eventually it seemed to return to position faster, so then I loosened the bolts holding on the cam tower so I could reinsert the rocker before tightening the bolts and reinstalling the valve cover. At first, it still ran on three cylinders. However, after idling five minutes, cylinder #3 came back! I went for a 10 mile drive or so, and all four cylinders were humming along. I don’t know how permanent of a fix this will be, but I can always hope! Again, thank you all for your input. I’m sure it won’t be long before you hear from me again with more questions. Brigham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Step-a-toe Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Fifty fifty chance it will return if fuel is leaching gums from sides of tank. I'd be driving it each day, looking inside tank and dosing up with fuel cleaner in with fuel Good work so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 6 hours ago, IdahoLoyale said: Thank you all for your input and suggestions. I truly appreciate it. Tonight I tried a cheap, simple, but probably not recommended solution. I sprayed the valve spring and the part of the valve stem I could see in the strut tower with carb cleaner. Then I worked it in and out with a pry bar, followed by more spraying and prying. Eventually it seemed to return to position faster, so then I loosened the bolts holding on the cam tower so I could reinsert the rocker before tightening the bolts and reinstalling the valve cover. At first, it still ran on three cylinders. However, after idling five minutes, cylinder #3 came back! I went for a 10 mile drive or so, and all four cylinders were humming along. I don’t know how permanent of a fix this will be, but I can always hope! Again, thank you all for your input. I’m sure it won’t be long before you hear from me again with more questions. Brigham. good work. it'll motor along just fine, I'd guess you might find some fuel consumption issues or that cam tower leaking from loosening it. you just loosened the cam tower and bolted it back down - that's brilliantly simple, i'd be interested to hear if it's leaking after some driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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